Vietnam Evangelical Covenant Church – In early 2022, the Community Development Ministry continued its commitment to Đông Sang commune, Mộc Châu district, Sơn La province through two activities: the “Warm Clothes for School” appeal for highland students, and support for a literacy class in Đông Sang for ethnic minority adults.
See photos: photos of the literacy class on the Community Development Ministry fanpage
“Warm Clothes for School” in the Bitter Cold
In the first days of 2022, the northern provinces were gripped by severe cold. Mộc Châu has lower average temperatures than other parts of Sơn La province, and winter often brings frost and cold winds. Many mountain children have no hats or shoes and only thin clothes, huddling around fires and still shivering in temperatures below 10°C.
Hoping to encourage these children to keep coming to school, the ministry launched “Warm Clothes for School” for more than 100 students at Đông Sang Primary and Lower Secondary School. The appeal list included 2,000 notebooks, 1,000 pens, 100 new warm jackets, 100 warm hats, 100 scarves and 300 pairs of socks. Believers and friends could give directly at the Thanh Xuân Covenant group or through the ministry’s account.
The Special Students of the Literacy Class
In Pa Phách and Co Sung villages of Đông Sang commune, most people are Hmong and Dao. Life is still hard, and many cannot read or write. Because of circumstances and old customs, many women never went to school as children and still could not speak Vietnamese when they married. When asked for directions in Vietnamese, some could only smile shyly and say “chi pâu,” meaning “I don’t know.”
To help, Đông Sang Primary and Lower Secondary School opened literacy classes at the Pa Phách 1, Pa Phách 2 and Co Sung sites, with more than 100 Hmong learners aged 20 to over 40. They learn to listen, speak, read and write Vietnamese, as well as some basic arithmetic.
After dinner, Monday to Friday, many women arrange their housework so they can go to class together. By day they work in the fields; at night they carefully trace each letter and number. Hands used to holding plows and hoes now holding pens show the admirable determination of these special students.
71 Books and 180 Pens
On this trip to Mộc Châu, the ministry and Đông Sang Primary and Lower Secondary School gave 71 sets of the “Learning to Spell Vietnamese” book and 180 ballpoint pens to the literacy learners. The total cost was 5,070,000 dong.
2022 was also the first year the ministry partnered with the school on many educational activities, helping raise literacy among ethnic communities in the border area.
Letters Open New Doors
Being able to read and write helps people feel more confident when shopping, visiting the doctor or handling paperwork, and lets them read information they need for daily life. For the ministry, contributing a small part to people’s journey of learning to read is a way of showing love and respecting the dignity of every person God has created.
“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6)
Let Us Pray Together
- For the literacy learners to persevere until they can read and write.
- For the teachers at Đông Sang Primary and Lower Secondary School to have health and passion.
- For the “Warm Clothes for School” program to be supported by many generous hearts.
Read more in Community Development and Church News. Contact the church office: 0942 248 688 (Zalo available).
