Tinh Bien district, An Giang province – On the 7th of December, 2021, the commencement ceremony of the B Nhon Hung primary school construction project took place at Nhon Hung commune, Tinh Binh Bien district, An Giang province. With financial support from BASF and partners, HP Vietnam, benefactors from Momo e-wallet, Ms Tsanh My Linh, and reciprocated funds from the local government, this construction project is part of Saigon Children’s Charity’s ‘School Building’ programme, promising to improve the learning environment of 105 local children.
B Nhon Hung primary school is located in Nhon Hung commune, a sparsely populated area with challenging socioeconomic conditions. The school has two satellite sites: the main one locates in Dong Hung hamlet, and the subsidiary one is in Trung Bac Hung hamlet – where the construction project will take place.
The project – expected to complete in April, 2022 – involves the construction of two new classrooms and the remodeling of the playground to ensure students have a spacious and – most importantly – safe environment to learn and play.
The Trung Bac Hung satellite site only contains five classrooms but is the learning space of 105 students aged 6 to 11. Different classes have to take turns using the classrooms due to the lack of facilities. Built in the 90s, the school is now in a state of severe disrepair and deterioration. During rainy seasons, the classroom’s scrappy metal roofing leaks and causes loud noises – disturbing the children’s learning.
Nhon Hung commune belongs to a mountainous area of Tinh Bien district, which shares border with Cambodia. Over ¼ of the population are of Khmer ethnicity, with a poverty rate of up to 11.5%. Khmer children dropping out of school has been a long occurring social issue. Without support starting from the early stages of education, these children are more likely to drop out of school and are at an increased risk of becoming victims of trafficking.
Like every school building project of Saigon Children’s Charity, the design and construction of the classrooms are in compliance with the standards of the Ministry of Education and Training. Saigon Children’s Charity will also establish a people’s supervision committee including parents, teachers, and locals to coordinate in supervising the construction, as well as preserving and maintaining the facilities in the future.