Growing up with mountainous preschool students

Dear our esteemed Donors,

A school year has just ended. This school year is very special for 206 students in Bao Lam district, Cao Bang province because they can not only eat nutritious meals, but also have sound naps.

In the past 4 months, the project “Growing up with mountainous preschool students” has continued to be implemented, with the following activities:

• Continue to provide 16,480 semi-boarding meals for 206 students, bringing the total number of meals in the school year 2020-2021 to 41,200 meals.
• Diversify the menu of semi-boarding meals with chicken, shrimp, spring rolls, eggs, fish, pork, and vegetables such as cabbage, zucchini, watercress.
• Ensure food hygiene and safety: inspect food origin, check kitchen hygiene, water source sanitation.
• Coordinate with the schools to build a propaganda corner to introduce to parents nutritional practices, food poisoning prevention and the benefits of eating scientifically for children's health. Consequently, parents see the benefits of boarding meals.
• Gift 250 square meters of interlocking foam tiles and 16 thick cotton blankets for napping to 5 school sites, helping students have a warm nap and ensure their health in the cold mountainous weather in the first months of the year.

With the aforementioned activities, the project has seen rewarding results:

• After a year of regular schooling and eating well, 98% of children gained weight and increased height (Increase from 0.5kg to 2kg in weight and 0.5-2cm in height). The rate of malnourished children decreased from 13.3% at the beginning of the school year to 6.7% at the end of the school year.
• Children form good habits in eating and sleeping, develop self-service skills, be agile and confident in daily activities.
• 100% of children attend school regularly, and really enjoy going to school. As a result, cognitive, linguistic and physical development increase remarkably.
• The children's nap at school is guaranteed to be warm enough in cold weather (November to March every year). Before gifted thick blankets and interlocking foam tiles, the children used to nap on mats and covered themselves with thin blankets.

In addition, in order to encourage the children, at the end of the school year on May 20, 2021, the project gave 5-year-old children school bags or sets of notebooks to prepare for primary school. For 3-4 year olds, umbrellas are given to them, helping them avoid sun and rain on their way to school.

On the occasion of the 2020-2021 school year’s closing ceremony , Mr. H. A. Q - parent of student H. D.T (Sang Xoay village, Thai Son preschool) said: “I feel very secure when my child is able to eat at school. Diverse dishes such as meat, vegetables, soup, etc. provide enough nutrition for my child. And in the next school year, I hope that he will continue to eat lunch at the school."

Sharing the same thought as Mr. Q., Ms. T.T.M - parent of student V.T.L (Khau De village, Thai Son preschool) said: "At home, my child usually eats rice with vegetables, eggs rarely occur in daily meals. Since she eats at school, I feel very happy because the meals are delicious, she also likes to go to school more. I thank the sponsors very much and hope that the sponsors continue to support the children with boarding meals.”

In the coming time, we look forward to receiving the companionship of the sponsors to raise funds and implement the project in the school year 2021-2022, starting from September 2021. Once again, we sincerely thank the trust and companionship of the sponsors in the Project "Growing up with mountainous preschool students ". We will continue to update information about the project implementation on our communication channels.

Please follow and accompany the project at:

Facebook: http: // quyvitamvocviet

Website: http://vitamvocviet.vn/project-growing-up-with-mountainous-preschool-students/

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Sincerely yours,

For Vietnamese Stature Foundation

Tel: (84) 383479040

Links:

• The project in the school year 2020-2021

Dear our esteemed Donors,

For Vietnamese Stature Foundation (VSF) would like to thank you for accompanying the project "Growing up with mountainous preschool students" - bringing nutritious semi-boarding meals to upland children in Cao Bang province.

Over the past three months, we have implemented the following activities:

• Providing nutritious, balanced semi-boarding meals to 206 preschool students, 5 days/week.
• Organizing activities that ensure meal safety such as: (i) training for cooks on food hygiene and safety; (2) the schools have established a food safety committee to check the kitchens regularly; (3) develop a varied menu and choose safe food sources.
• Improving school facilities by installing solar panels, water tanks and water pump.
• Organizing a gift-giving trip for the children.

With the above activities, we have obtained very positive results as follows:

• 206 students at 5 school sites in Bao Lam district - Cao Bang province are guaranteed nutritious semi-boarding meals 5 days/week with vegetables, tubers, fruits and pork/chicken/ fish/sausage and 1 snack (noodle or porridge) in the afternoon
• 100% of the children attend school regularly
• 86.6% of the children have good physical development index (weight gain and height gain)
• The children’s language, cognitive and social skills range from 94.4% to 96.7%, thanks to regular school attendance
• The schools that do not have a clean water system (Khau Noong and Na O schools) have been sponsored with 2 water tanks and a pump to ensure clean water for cooking and sanitation for students
• The gift-giving trip took place on 14-16 January 2021 with the participation of 16 volunteers to present 206 gift sets, each including 01 winter coat, 10 pairs of socks and 01 woolen hat, which help the children warm enough in the piercing cold highland winter.

“Thank VSF for giving me the opportunity to experience a very meaningful trip. I have better understood the difficulties and hardships of kindergarten teachers and the lack of children who are only 3-5 years old in poor mountainous areas” - Nguyen Dieu Hoa, 10th grade student at Kim Lien High School (Hanoi), the youngest volunteer shared after the gift-giving trip.

Ms. Dinh Thi Cuc - Principal of Thai Son Kindergarten emotionally shared with us: “Since the day of being sponsored by VSF, the children go to school more regularly because of nutritious semi-boarding meals in class. Upon receiving the news that the donors will donate warm clothes, socks and hats, everyone will be delighted. Thank you VSF, the donors and the volunteers for loving the kids”.

In the upcoming time, the project will continue to bring nutritious meals to the children, so that every day going school is a happy day for them.

Once again, we sincerely thank the trust and companionship of the sponsors with the Project "Growing up with mountainous preschool students ". We will continue to update information about the project implementation on our communication channels.

Please follow and accompany the project at: Facebook: http: // quyvitamvocviet; Website: http://vitamvocviet.vn

Sincerely Yours,

For Vietnamese Stature Foundation.

Dear Sponsors and those interested in the project,

A new school year begins with a lot of excitement for the children. This new school year at Khau Noong, Na O school sites (Thach Lam Kindergarten) and Ban La, Sang Soay, Khau De school sites (Thai Son Kindergarten), the children are even happier when they are sponsored nutritious lunches from the project "Growing up with mountainous preschool students”

Before the first day of the school year, teachers and parents altogether have prepared the facilities for a new school year. 

Until now, the project have received 311.5 USD from donors. Thanks to the support, the children have had the first school lunches. Lunches are provided from Monday to Friday with a daily changing menu and a variety of foods (vegetables, eggs, meat, etc.) which are prepared in the school's kitchen, ensuring food safety and hygiene. Seeing the children enjoy hot rice bowls during lunchtime, the teachers could not hide their emotions. Ms. Nguyen Thi Liem - Headmaster of Thach Lam Kindergarten happily announced the news to VSF: “From now on, children will not have to bring steamed cornmeal or leftover rice for lunch. They will be provided with nutritious, hot meals and do not have to skip afternoon classes. We thank For Vietnamese Stature Foundation and many donors for supporting and taking care of these children in such poor villages. Hopefully with this support, the children will have a new school year full of joy.”

We are also grateful to sponsors, who have always supported us, and looking forward to receiving your interest with this project.

Sincerely,

For Vietnamese Stature Foundation