“In previous years, I only paraded lanterns with the neighbourhood kids to celebrate the Full Moon Festival at night. But now, I’m so happy to have you (saigonchildren & the donor team) and other friends.”
Vy (Year 4) has been a recipient of saigonchildren’s scholarship recently, which is why this is the first time she has attended the Mid-Autumn event we organise annually for the children in our Scholarship Programme.
This year, the event took place in Tiền Giang, bringing the most joyous and satisfying Mid-Autumn spirit to Vy and 60 other students through a series of thrilling activities: lantern decoration, game booth participation, lion dancing, and a party with a tray of mixed treats. The event concluded at sunset, and everyone left with their hands full of “the gift bag of joy”: one hand holding a lantern, mooncakes, and school supplies sponsored by Ms. Tsanh, and the other hand carrying fruit, sweets, and a teddy bear donated by Saigon Heat and fans from the Bear Toss event, with backpacks from the donor Nike hanging over their shoulders.
In a small effort to share and care for students in the North affected by Typhoon Yagi, the students who joined the event collected cardboard boxes and plastic bottles used during the event and handed them over to the school to sell for crafts. All proceeds will be donated to the government’s recovery efforts.
Moreover, our beneficiaries’ Full Moon celebration continued in Hậu Giang, where Guardian Health & Beauty organised an event for students in our Scholarship Programme and other children from disadvantaged backgrounds in the region.
Most notably, we were thrilled by the presence of the British Consul General in HCMC, Ms. Alexandra Smith, at a cosy evening event, where she shared joyful moments with 62 wonderful children from Thăng Long English & Vocational School. Together with Dragon Capital, they participated in traditional folk games, lit lanterns, enjoyed mooncakes, and distributed exciting gifts from the donor team.
In addition to this event, 50 Thăng Long School students also joined in the festival spirit at Godmother Bake & Brunch. Led by an MC dressed as a humorous clown, they coloured lanterns brought by Beauty in The Pot Vietnam, enjoyed delicious snacks prepared by Octo Tapas Restobar, and participated in various craft activities.
Another heartfelt project run by our partnered donors is from Standard Chartered. Since 2022, the corporate has sent a cordial letter to each of its Priority Banking clients to share joy and best wishes for the Full Moon spirit, as well as to announce that, on their behalf, they will transfer the cost of gifts (which they previously gave during the Mid-Autumn Festival) into a donation for saigonchildren’s Scholarship Programme. To date, 50 scholarships for K-12 levels have been awarded to our child beneficiaries thanks to this initiative.