fbpx

200 more beneficiaries of saigonchildren’s scholarship programme

date_range2020-07-08

Saigon Children’s Charity recently admitted 200 more children, all from disadvantaged backgrounds into our Child Development Scholarship Programme. These children used to receive scholarship support from the Dat Viet Charity, an initiative founded in 1998 by Mr. Nguyen Quoc My, a Vietnamese residing in Canada. For over 20 years Mr. My had provided scholarships for numerous impoverished children, many of them coming from families with parents suffering from disabilities or diseases such as leprosy. At the start of 2020, Dat Viet Charity was supporting a total of 200 children.

Due to the hardship caused by COVID-19 as well as the fact that Mr. My is now over 70 years old and unable to carry this charity initiative into a sustainable future, Dat Viet and saigonchildren organised a transferral of students, in order to impact their education as little as possible during a time of global upheaval. Despite saigonchildren facing their own difficulties during this pandemic, the organisation could not turn away 200 students in need of an education, especially with the knowledge that without saigonchildren’s support, the children would be liable to drop out of school and discontinue their educational journeys, harming their bright futures.

Mr. My explains how Dat Viet came into being, and why he chose saigonchildren: “During a trip to Vietnam, while visiting a leprosy camp, I was told by a leprosy patient that even though he was suffering from pain every day that couldn’t be alleviated, his greatest desire was for his children to go to school, and forge lives of their own out of the camp. That’s why I started Dat Viet Charity. For over 20 years, myself and Mr. Jean-Marc Mignot (a volunteer who is also in his 70s) ran the charity and fundraised. Now, I can pass the baton on to saigonchildren with peace of mind, knowing that the children are still in the hands of an organisation that will fight for their educations.  I have been in touch with several charity organisations, but all of them declined to help because they cannot offer the same long term commitment that saigonchildren offers – following and supporting these students until their graduations.”

According to Ms. Huong, saigonchildren’s Head of Programmes, from next school year, the scholarships received by these 200 children will be of a higher value than they have been previously accustomed to, in order to provide the customary level of scholarship funding provided by saigonchildren.

These 200 children have raised the total number of children supported by our scholarship programme to just under 2,000 children. This is no small increase and will inevitably put pressure on the fundraising and administration aspects of our work. However, more than anything, we are happy that these children have continued to be given the opportunity to build better futures for themselves – there is no greater gift than education. They will join the family of saigonchildren’s scholars and benefit from not just the scholarships but also all the counselling, events, urgent support, and networks that we provide to our scholarship students.

“And I found another piece of the beautiful mosaic of my youth.”
date_range2026-08-12
“And I found another piece of the beautiful mosaic of my youth.”
PowHERful Summit 2026 inspires nearly 400 students and parents to explore STEM
date_range2026-07-15
PowHERful Summit 2026 inspires nearly 400 students and parents to explore STEM
A day of experiencing vibrant modern life and historical imprints in HCMC
date_range2026-06-22
A day of experiencing vibrant modern life and historical imprints in HCMC
Bringing STEM to nearly 1,000 students across the Mekong Delta
date_range2026-04-08
Bringing STEM to nearly 1,000 students across the Mekong Delta
Graduation 2026: A new chapter begins for our 90 students
date_range2026-03-30
Graduation 2026: A new chapter begins for our 90 students
From Acronyms to Action: Empowering Female Students in STEM
date_range2026-02-25
From Acronyms to Action: Empowering Female Students in STEM
Millions of Radiant Smiles Welcome Spring in Đồng Nai
date_range2026-02-12
Millions of Radiant Smiles Welcome Spring in Đồng Nai
“Traffic light” of mental health
date_range2025-12-08
“Traffic light” of mental health
267 more dreams are taking flight on their university journey
date_range2025-10-31
267 more dreams are taking flight on their university journey
Mid-Autumn cheer with nearly 400 students in Đồng Tháp
date_range2025-10-15
Mid-Autumn cheer with nearly 400 students in Đồng Tháp