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The Story of Trung

date_range2019-05-31

Today we share with you a touching and inspiring letter from one of our brave students whose life changed thank to saigonchildren’s Child Development Scholarship Programme:

“My name is Le Van Trung. I am 22 years old and I was born and raised in Ho Chi Minh City. I am in my final year studying Sociology at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities. I live with my mother and older brother. When I was younger, my father was sick and went to the hospital frequently. He died when I was 14 years old, which was immensely difficult for my entire family.

My mother was a lpw earning factory worker, despite working 12 hours a day. My brother dropped out of school because my mother couldn’t afford to educate us both, and instead went to work, despite his young age. I was so sad and angry because it seemed like no matter how hard we tried, the odds were against us. Finances became ever more difficult to manage, and I was young and not useful. I felt helpless.

I first heard about saigonchildren when I was in 9th grade. Things became a little easier for my family when I received a scholarship. My mother stopped worrying about school fees. My brother applied to a non-government high school and graduated 3 years later. I finished high school and was accepted to university, but sadly this created an even heavier financial burden for my mother.
I also received a scholarship from ILA English Centre with a reference from saigonchildren and have been studying there ever since. I worked all the way up to advanced level. I take my education seriously because I know I have been very fortunate.

Currently, I am a Teaching Assistant for the English Centre which I received the scholarship before and recently began working as a Customer Care Officer.

My mother can work less now because I can support myself. Hard times have passed because of the people who gave me a chance to follow my dreams…”

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