Education Vietnam Project #10810

A brighter future for the most underpriviledged

by REACH

A brighter future for the most underpriviledged

Project Report | Jun 21, 2019
LGBT training seminar makes REACH an even safer space

By REACH | REACH

In May, REACH staff underwent a sensitivity training course to gain a better understanding of the issues LGBT students may face.

A number of students identify as LGBT and this can make life difficult in conservative Vietnam.

The course, was run by Centre Manager, Ms Hang, who stressed the importance of providing a safe and inclusive environment at REACH.

“At REACH we accept students from all walks of life and expect that they are all treated with dignity and respect,” she said.

In attendance were two former students who identify as LGBT. They participated in a round table discussion to answer questions and offer insight into the Vietnamese LGBT community.

“In Vietnam there are many courageous LGBT youths. But some of them still want to hide,” said one.

A 2014 United Nations Development Program (UNDP) found that “LGBT people often face prejudices and are marginalised in schools” in Viêt Nam.

The same report also found that employers in Viêt Nam frequently discriminate against LGBT job applicants.

The seminar stressed the importance of inclusivity and anti-discrimination. It also covered how staff should address concerns raised by LGBT students and support networks available to students.

“REACH is a safe space,” Hang said. “Students should feel comfortable coming to school regardless of their sexual orientation and making sure our staff have the right information about LGBT issues is key to our success.”

At REACH we pride ourselves on the diversity of our student body. From street kids to victims of human trafficking and, of course, LGBT youth we deal with a whole range of students affected by a broad range of social issues. Staff training is essential to making sure these students feel at home and included.

You can support staff training programs like this and create more opportunities for LGBT youth by donating to our GlobalGiving campaign here: https://www.globalgiving.org/donate/11762/reach/

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May 22, 2019
The mission of transforming lives

By Mark Barnes | International Volunteer at REACH

Nguyen Huu Hoàng Tùng is the web coding teacher at REACH. He has an unmatched passion for teaching IT and loves his work.

“From a young age, I have been passionate about education development for children and youth, as I believe that it is the key to transforming our country’s socio – economic status.”

He’s been working at REACH since 2017 and came on board to start the web coding course. Since then he has trained three batches of students with fifty graduates. Of those graduates 90% have gone on to find gainful employment in the IT industry.

The path, however, for the students can be difficult and long.

“REACH works with the most disadvantaged youth across Vietnam. Most are exposed to very little technology; many have never even used a computer before I meet them. Among these students there are a number of those with disabilities.”

That said, when they do graduate it can be richly rewarding.

“Although it may be impossible for them to walk, or even just do the daily things needed for life like everyone else, they are able to learn from me and afterwards get a job in the IT field. It’s an amazing transformation.”

Mr Tùng is currently teaching his fourth batch of students and continues to fight discrimination by upskilling local youths and setting them on the road to success.

“Working and witnessing their growth and strength every day, in turn, has inspired me to continue doing this work. I believe that, through this job, I am not only able to help change the lives of disadvantaged youth in a sustainable way, but I can also contribute to the development of an inclusive economy for my country. There is still some discrimination here and through my work I hope to be able to change this.”

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Feb 25, 2019
Dang's story

By Julia Hossain | Volunteer at REACH

Dang knew the feeling of being completely and utterly alone before most people should. At the age of 11, her mother passed away, her father walked on the family, and her two older sisters were unable to financially support her. As a result, she was forced to drop out of school in ninth grade before picking up various odd jobs in order support herself. She did everything from loading bricks to waitressing at restaurants, only for a meager 3 million VND/month.

As she worked tirelessly at these jobs, she kept hoping and dreaming for bigger and better. For the longest time her dream was to move out of her hometown of Quang Ninh to the capital city of Hanoi and open up her own cosmetics store. It was through a fellow friend and alumnus of the program that she came to know about REACH. Seeing that REACH offered a course at the Hanoi Center for Sales and Marketing, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to make her longtime dreams come true.

Once she started attending classes at the REACH Center Hanoi, she was impressed and amazed by the REACH community. She found that the most impressive thing was the dedication of the teachers. “Because I lost my mother when I was young, I have been deprived of the emotional support of a mother. Yet the teachers at REACH were always there for me.” she says, “They taught me little by little, step by step, how to control my emotions.” This community at REACH is what motivated Dang to finish her studies and desire a better life.

At REACH, Dang not only went through the Sales and Marketing vocational course, but was also supported in areas of soft skill training, English, basic computer skills, and green skills. She says that aside from learning a great deal in the classroom, she gained a lot of general insight and wisdom about life from simply spending time with teachers and other students at the REACH center. The best piece of advice she remembers that her teacher gave her is about being open-minded and thinking positively... "if you are not flexible and willing to change the way you think, then you will never succeed in life." Fast forward and it has been about six months since Dang graduated from REACH.

However, the support and mentorship of REACH staff is far from over. After beginning to work, Dang realized that there is a big difference between the expectations and reality of having a job…working is hard! Dang says that she has already dealt with many obstacles and difficult situations— for example, customers can be rude and demeaning and because she has to work from 9 am to 10 pm six days a week, she barely has any time for herself. When she hits these low points, Dang knows that her teachers from REACH will tell her to keep her head up and this strength drives her to keep going. Dang says that after studying at REACH her perspective on life has changed— she can see her life conditions a bit more clearly and now with a job, can pay to support herself.

Before REACH she was always stressed because she felt like her social skills were lacking. She didn’t have any friends and had trouble communicating with others. Now, she says she has gained a lot of confidence and has many friends— in fact, she currently shares an apartment with two friends from REACH. Post-REACH, she found a job in sales. She now works at Kitch Made in Vietnam where her basic salary as a saleswoman is 3,750,000 VND/month. With commission, her salary ends up somewhere between 8 to 10 million VND/month, almost 3 times her salary prior to attending REACH.

Her long-term goal is still to open her own cosmetics store but she knows that it is going to be a while before she gets there. Her final message to people reading this? "If you want to get a job and you want to change your life, you need to learn about REACH. I wouldn’t have known what the world has to offer me if I didn’t attend REACH."

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