4
Oct
Posted by wdot in Library Projects. Leave a Comment
Inspire Vietnam is kicking off fundraising for our next library project – Tam Thon Hiep School.
We are looking to raise $1,500 in the fall of this year to support the purchase of books and shelves. Please support us by sending donations to the our Paypal account at viethope@inspirevietnam.org. If you have any questions, please contact Wendy Nguyen (wdotnguyen at gmail.com)
Why We Want to Help This School:
- The need is there: The school is located in a remote area of Can Gio district of Ho Chi Minh City. According to the principal, the school kids are from poor families living in the surrounding neighborhoods. About 65% of the kids are from poor households with government “poverty certificates. It takes a child about an average of 30 minutes to go to school. Their parents are mainly laborers with precarious livelihoods.
- Good facility to assist: On the positive side, the school has been newly renovated (the handover with the construction company was completed in early September 2009). The school has decent facilities. After a visit from our Inspire Vietnam volunteers, the principal has decided to allocate a spacious room for the library project.
- Committed leadership focused on students: As with all Inspire Vietnam projects, we look for school leadership that is committed to managing a thriving library after our assistance. Talks with the librarian, principal and “tổng phụ trách đội” have demonstrated that the school management is very keen on receiving and utilizing our support in the best interest of the children. They are also committed to renovating the ceiling of the current library room.
“Before” Picture:
Current book shelves and book placement
How the Money Will Be Spent:
- 4 to 6 tables and small book shelves for students in the middle of the room (with some small benches)
- 2 bookshelves
- 700 to 800 books
- Items to decorate the library to encourage student interaction
- Library activities such as writing contest, drawing contest or story-telling contest to kick-off the opening of the library
Thank you for your help and support!
4
Oct
Posted by wdot in Uncategorized. Leave a Comment
In October 2008, Inspire Vietnam completed the renovation of its second library for Long Phuoc Elementary School! Long Phuoc is located in District 9 of Saigon.
Objective:
Turn Long Phuoc’s under resourced library into a thriving space for student activity.
The Situation:
- Books: Long Phuoc’s student library lacked books and learning materials for students. The government had recently renovated facility, but funds were not allocated towards to purchasing of new books.
What We Achieved:
- More Books: With the help of several wonderful university volunteers, we surveyed the student body and staff to get a list of relevant book titles. We then approached a publishing house that allowed us to purchase the volumes at cost. We purchased over 750 new books for the Long Phuoc Library.
- A Fun Room to Encourage Reading: After assessing the facility, we decided to not make any major renovations to the space. Our volunteers focused our efforts on re-decorating the library with new book shelves, tables and fun floor mats to make the space an inviting place for the elementary school students at Long Phuoc.
Renovated library with new mats, books and shelves
A fun room for elementary school students to encourage reading
Excited Students!
To get the students involved and excited, we conducted a school-wide art contest to decorate the library.
Budget:
We were able to complete the library for $1,750. Happy faces of students and teachers – priceless.
**
Thank you to our volunteer project coordinator Ha Nghi, VietHope and our many, many individual donors for contributing to the success of the project.
9
Jun
Posted by wdot in Uncategorized. Leave a Comment
In May 2007, Inspire Vietnam completed the renovation of its first library for Xuan Dieu Middle School! Xuan Dieu is located in My Tho, a small town located in the Mekong Delta.
Objective:
Turn Xuan Dieu’s under resourced library into a thriving space for student activity.
The Situation:
- Books: Xuan Dieu’s student library lacked books for students. Given resource constraints, the school used what little budget to purchase text books and school materials. Therefore, prior to Inspire’s involvement, the library shelves were 80% barren. (See picture below.)
- Large student body, small space: Although the school had a student body of over 3,000 students, the library space was limited.
Xuan Dieu students in the library before renovation. Notice lack of books on the shelves.
What We Achieved:
- More Books: With the help of several wonderful university volunteers, we surveyed the student body and staff to get a list of relevant book titles. We then approached a publishing house that allowed us to purchase the volumes at cost. We were able to obtain approximately 400 volumes for $250.
- A Well Lit Room: Given the size of the student body, we wanted to create as much usable space for the students. We renovated the back room, which was being used as storage space for antiquated novels, and turned it into a study room for students – increasing the usable space by 30%. We also constructed new shelves and tables, using local community contractors.
Renovated interior with 400 new books purchased for the students.
Entrance of the new library
Excited Students!
To get the students involved and excited, we conducted a school-wide art contest to decorate the library. Over 80 students and teachers got together one Saturday to conduct the art contest. The teachers also used this occasion to teach students about cooperation and team work. They paired up students who may have not worked together or may have had issues getting along to encourage camaraderie.
Poster created by students in school-wide art contest to promote opening of the library.
Budget:
We were able to complete the library under budget. Xuan Dieu Library – $1,733. Happy faces of students and teachers – priceless.
**
Thank you to our volunteers – Ngan, Tin, Thang, Quoc, Kathy – the wonderful principal, teachers and students of Xuan Dieu Middle School, VietHope and our many, many individual donors for contributing to the success of the project.
