Vietnam Evangelical Covenant Church – Entering the 2024–2025 school year, the Community Development Ministry walked alongside a preschool for Hmong preschool children in Sơn La province: helping repaint classrooms, bringing rice and food for school meals, giving warm blankets and holding a Mid-Autumn celebration for the children.
See photos: photos of the back-to-school visit on the Community Development Ministry fanpage
An Appeal Before the First Day of School
In early August 2024, the ministry appealed to brothers and sisters: ethnic minority children at a village school in the Northwest mountains urgently needed rice, seasonings and some essentials for a well-provided school year. The goal was enough rice and seasonings for daily meals, easing the contribution burden on parents who still face many difficulties.
Parents Repaint the Classrooms Themselves
For schools deep in the forest, preparing for a new year is not just about arranging books, but also hoping to spruce up old classrooms. The ministry provided funds for the school to buy paint and encouraged parents to take part. The parents’ own hands turned stained walls into bright, clean classrooms.
That small change shows the whole community joining hands. Every brushstroke expressed the love of parents and teachers for the village’s little ones.
Rice, Food and a Gas Tank for the School Kitchen
Before the first day of school, the ministry delivered 300 kg of rice along with cooking oil, fish sauce and snacks, in time for the children’s first days. The ministry also funded a large gas tank for the boarding kitchen.
On September 6, 2024, the Community Development Ministry team and representatives of the Women’s Ministry visited the school. The gifts included rice, cooking oil, fish sauce, seasonings, snacks, blankets and 60 200-gram mooncakes, worth nearly 20 million dong in total. The team enjoyed playing with the children, bringing a warm atmosphere full of laughter.
These gifts were enough for about 3 months of school. Although they did not meet every need, they were precious encouragement, easing families’ burden and giving the teachers fresh motivation.
“Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and multiply your store of seed and will increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way to be generous on every occasion, so that through us your giving will produce thanksgiving to God.” (2 Corinthians 9:10–11)
Mid-Autumn With a 200-Gram Mooncake
For the Mid-Autumn Festival, the school held a party and each child received a big 200-gram mooncake. The mooncakes cost 2,040,000 dong in total. When the owner of a Hà Nội bakery learned they were for highland children, she gave the ministry a discount. Another donor gave beautiful blankets for the children to use on cold days.
The children’s bright eyes and innocent smiles made the party even more meaningful, giving them a complete and warm Mid-Autumn season.
The Next Wish: A Water Filter
The school still urgently needs a water filtration system costing about 10 million dong to ensure clean drinking water for the children. The ministry hopes to have more resources to meet this need.
Let Us Pray Together
- For the Hmong children to have a healthy, well-provided school year.
- For highland teachers to have health and love for their work.
- For the ministry to soon have resources for a water filter for the school.
Read more in Community Development and Church News. Contact the church office: 0942 248 688 (Zalo available).
