By Ta My Linh | Technical coordinator
The start of the new school year marked the fifth anniversary of the Where Dream Bloom program! This program began in 2015 and has since had 31 members. The first event of the new school year was held in August. During this event we awarded scholarships to the girls, connected parents and children in the program and introduced the new members to the current ones. We had many interactive activities that brought out laughs and new friendships while also helping to develop soft skills for everyone involved.
In the last three weeks we also had more preventive trainings for the girls. The first training covered School Violence and Popular Risks. This session was specifically designed for older girls in the program who are 12-18 years of age. During this training we discussed school violence as well as other popular risks for this age group. These risks include human trafficking, sexual abuse, and abortion. The reason why we put an emphasis on school violence is because, based off of the follow up sessions done by our staff, it is a commonly cited issue by the girls in our program. This is why preventative trainings of this nature are so important.
The second training was the Puberty and Growing up training session for the younger girls in the group who are 7-11 years of age. This session was designed to help them gain the skills and knowledge necessary to prevent them from getting involved in prostitution or other dangerous activities. On top of this, the Where Dreams Bloom program provides extensive resources in order to maintain their overall health and wellbeing.
We have exciting activities coming next month as well! Towards the middle of December, we will have an outdoor event in the Landmark Central Park. The girls will participate in many games and activities and an American volunteer will come to film for us. The main purpose of this event will be to help the girls gain better social skills and build their self-confidence. It is important for them to learn how to act in front of a large crowd and work together with a team. Both of these skills can be developed through team building activities. Problem-solving techniques, cooperation, teamwork and the value of sharing are some other skills that will be learned as well. In addition to the outdoor event, we will also be hosting a Christmas party for all the current and former members of Where Dreams Bloom. We hope that this activity will bring them lots of joy before they take their first semester exam in January. This get together will be an excellent chance for the current and former members to connect and get to know each other more.
On top of all this, we are also happy to welcome more young people to participate in the program this year. We have three new volunteers who are Vietnamese and foreign students studying social majors at varying universities. They are all seeking out opportunities to improve the world by volunteering their service and skills to projects they deem to be important. This experience also helps them fulfill the requirements of their schools. The girls in the Where Dreams Bloom program love talking and sharing their stories with the volunteers because the smaller age gap allows them to bond more easily.
Our team is also currently working on the new Where Dreams Bloom book that will be published this December. This is the third edition of the book that presents the stories of current and former participants of the program. The book also includes all of the activities of the program from 2018 to 2019. Stay tuned to find out more about it!
Last but not least, we are pleased to announce that our organization, Alliance Anti Trafic Vietnam, has been nominated laureate of the Social and Humanitarian Award of the French Trophies of Asia and Oceania. This award ceremony will take place on December 5, 2019 at the residence of France in Singapore.
We would also like to extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who continues to follow and support AAT and our Where Dreams Bloom program.
If you are interested in sponsoring any of these children, please contact us at: vnaction@allianceantitrafic.org OR support the program on Global Giving: https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/where-dreams-bloom/
Thank you!
AAT Team
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