Vietnam Evangelical Covenant Church – From April 19 to 22, 2021, the Community Development Ministry partnered with the Hướng Hóa District Study Promotion Association, Quảng Trị province, to give scholarships for Vân Kiều children and many gifts to students and preschoolers of the Vân Kiều and Pa Kô ethnic groups. The trip continued the scholarship program the ministry had already begun.
See photos: all the photos of the Hướng Hóa trip on the Community Development Ministry fanpage
Walking With Students Who Persevere
Hướng Hóa is a mountain district in western Quảng Trị province, home to many Vân Kiều and Pa Kô people. After the historic floods of 2020, many families became even poorer. Some children lost their homes to the floods, some lost their fathers, and some live with grandparents because their parents went far away.
From early 2021, the Community Development Ministry took on scholarship support for 22 students in especially difficult circumstances in the district. On the afternoon of April 20, 2021, at the Hướng Hóa District Fatherland Front office, the ministry and the district association held a gathering and awarded the second round of scholarships to the 22 students.
The gathering was friendly and warm. Ministry members took time to listen to each student’s story: the difficulties of getting to school and their unfinished dreams. Many stories left the team silent and reflective.
Gifts for Six Preschoolers
For Easter 2021, the ministry invited each believer to “save the price of a loaf of bread” to prepare gifts for six preschoolers aged 4 to 5 in special circumstances in Tân Hợp village. The children were introduced by code number to protect their personal information. Thanks to many believers, six gifts were prepared and handed to the children in person on the trip.
Equipping the Tà Đủ Kindergarten
Tà Đủ village in Tân Hợp commune has 38 households with 184 people, the vast majority Vân Kiều. The village kindergarten had been solidly built but still lacked many items for the children’s daily life and learning.
To meet real needs, the ministry and the district association surveyed the site before giving gifts. On the afternoon of April 20, 2021, the team gave the kindergarten:
- 1 refrigerator to store food samples from the children’s daily meals as required by inspection rules;
- 1 double gas stove for cooking lunch;
- colored pencils and drawing paper for the children.
That same day, Pastor Nguyễn Tuấn Anh, representing the church, and Ms. Nguyễn Thị Lộc, Chair of the district Study Promotion Association, awarded scholarships to 25 children at the kindergarten, with leaders of the Tân Hợp Commune People’s Committee and the village Fatherland Front attending. The team also spent warm time playing and chatting with the children.
Merciful as the Father Is Merciful
Introducing the scholarship program, the ministry recalled Jesus’ words:
“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” (Luke 6:36)
One scholarship cannot change a family’s whole situation. But for many children, it is one more reason to keep going to school, and a sign that people far away care and pray for them. The ministry is also grateful that at these gatherings, God’s name was mentioned and honored through good works.
Pray for the Students of Hướng Hóa
- That God will keep the 22 scholarship recipients healthy and persevering in their studies.
- That God will bless the preschoolers in Tà Đủ village and their dedicated teachers.
- That God will keep opening the way for good partnership between the ministry and the Hướng Hóa District Study Promotion Association.
The ministry continued walking with Hướng Hóa students in the years that followed. Read more in Community Development and Church News. Contact the church office: 0942 248 688 (Zalo available).
