Vietnam

University Resource Centre 

Thanks to a generous donation by the Flatley Foundation, funds have been allocated for the establishment of a resource centre to assist poor university students with the study of English.

Many tertiary courses require a certain level of English (Certificate B) as a prerequisite for graduation/qualification. However many poor rural students simply can’t afford to enrol in English classes and pay fees in addition to their course fees and living costs.

The Resource Centre will be established in the local Archdiocesan Youth Centre with some voluntary support from trained ESL teachers. 

A generous grant from the Flatley Foundation covers the cost of listening resources such as CDs and a CD player; text books for self-study with related resources such as workbooks; dictionaries and other reference resources and graded reading material. 

Children’s libraries

MWIA have previously allocated funds to establish children’s libraries in remote and poor rural areas. A grant from the Flatley Foundation has been used to supplement book stock in the libraries and to develop a third library in an area which currently lacks a library facility. The local community is providing an appropriate room, supervision and shelving for second-hand book stock. The library will serve children from primary to high school. Although the number of high school students may be low they are in desperate need of educational resources to help them manage the challenges they face in completing high school.

Crisis shelter

A shelter for single pregnant women and their babies is also receiving funding from the Flatley Foundation. This shelter serves about ten people at any one time (including the babies) helping young women in crisis before, during and after the birth of the babies. Many of these young women have come from poor families in the countryside to find work and end up as prostitutes. Efforts made to reunite them with their families are often successful. The shelter can only operate with continued donations.

Find out more about these projects