On the way to achieving our mission of enabling underprivileged young people to build their employability through education, Passerelles numériques Vietnam (PN Vietnam) is happy to receive great support from our treasured partners as well as NGOs.
During 2018, we have collaborated with many NGOs on a variety of standpoints: Facilitating transportation for a disadvantaged student with the Lifestart Foundation, increasing students’ awareness of animal cruelty with Paws for Compassion, and having a great time studying English with Trellis volunteers!
1. Be inspired by the wonderful story of Hang thanks to the Lifestart foundation!
Every year, PN Vietnam goes through a rigorous selection process to select talented and motivated under-privileged young people. Each student has a different story and personal background. Among them, Hang is a motivated girl who is very determined to get a better education.
Hang is a friendly and motivated girl
Hang was born with a severe disability; she had leg surgery at 8 years old and has been wearing a prosthetic leg since she was 12 years old. Despite that, she still graduated from high school with good marks. Now she is one of PN Vietnam’s third-year students. In September 2018, she was introduced to the Lifestart Foundation (LSF).
LSF is a non-profit organisation which aims to help disadvantaged Vietnamese people and their families to become self-sufficient. With the aim of helping Hang to get around safely and live more independently, LSF provided her with a specially modified 3-wheeled electric scooter.
”Having a new scooter makes it more convenient for me to go wherever I want. Now I can easily go to school and participate in extra-curricular activities!” – said Hang.
Hang getting around Danang on the new scooter
2. Feel the message from Paws for Compassion: Don’t pass by an animal in need!
Paws for Compassion (PFC) is a non-profit organisation founded in Danang, Vietnam in 2015 with the aim of informing and educating people about animal welfare. PFC is currently providing safety, medical treatment and rehabilitation to enable the stray dogs and cats to become adoptable.
In July 2018, PNV students really had a great time discovering and supporting the project. For a month, they conducted various activities that they had never done before: Creating posters and a video (in English) to deliver the message of animal rescue, visiting local dog meat traders to gather information, organising an information session on animal welfare.
Poster designed by students to support the Paws for Compassion
“The most interesting experience we had is when we approached the places selling dog and cat meat” – said Thiet, a PNV2020 student – “We wanted to know why they want to sell it and what could be an alternative product to replace that meat. Through this activity, we had an opportunity to enhance our interpersonal skills and practice English speaking with foreign volunteers”.
3. Studying English couldn’t be more exciting than with Trellis!
Trellis is a non-profit organisation founded in 2016 in Japan. Initially operating in Danang, Vietnam, Trellis provides foreign language education for young adults in Vietnam and creates job placement opportunities for those who wish to travel while helping others.
In September 2018, PN Vietnam was happy to have Mr Brian Lunn – an English teaching volunteer from Trellis. He visited our centre and delivered some exciting English lessons to prepare our first-year students for their official English learning journey. They had to study everything about basic English communication in a 2-week Intensive English programme. This was a precious opportunity for the students to practice English speaking and improve their pronunciation with a native English speaker.
Mr Brian with PNV students
“ME Gallery’’ was the closing event of the programme during which students had to introduce themselves using what they had learnt. Some of them were shy and hesitant to talk at the beginning, but later they became more confident and proactive in having conversations with other people. Besides the main objective: enhancing communication English skills, this event was also a good occasion to deepen the understanding between staff and new students as well as between students themselves.
Students introducing themselves to each other and to the staff
Thank you to the Lifestart Foundation, Paws for Compassion and Trellis for supporting PN in our mission to build strong employability and allow the students and their families to escape from poverty in a sustainable way.
