June 1st School is the only school in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) District 4 that offers free elementary education from 1st - 5th grade. District 4 has a population of about 200,000. The June 1st school provides needed education to 200 disadvantaged, orphaned children and boat families, who have financial difficulties, who live in the streets and have to do labor work.
Although the government provides free education to all student age children, all families must buy their own books, school supplies and uniforms. In a country such as Vietnam this represents a huge burden to many families who desperately want to help their sons and daughters. Sadly, many children never attend school beyond the 5th grade. Oftentimes, kids drop out of school and "play" on the street or they are forced to sell items on the street to provide for their families.
We will provide scholarships to about 200 street, disadvantaged, orphaned children and boat families who have severe financial difficulties. With your help, these students can stay in school rather than collecting scrap and plastic bottles for recycling factories; packing goods at wet markets and other forms of menial labor. Some students of the school are suffering diseases like retardation, heart disease and severe myopia.
Your support and donation will provide the education that every child deserves! 200 children can stay in school and have a much, much better opportunity to earn a reasonable living than if they are forced to drop out and work - as young as 12 years of age.
