At-risk girls, Vietnam
Children’s Education Foundation (CEF) provides scholarships, tutoring and general support to keep girls in school in remote regions of Vietnam. If not for CEF, these girls would often go into illegal work or subsistence farming, simply to survive.
Minh Hang worked hard at school and was an active volunteer in both her school and local community. Her family, however, faced enormous hardship. Her mother travelled long distances to trade produce between Tay Giang and Hoi An, often spending days away from home to earn a modest income. Her father, a construction labourer, suffered a devastating fall from a second-storey building, sustaining multiple serious injuries that required long-term treatment. With medical bills mounting and three children to support, Hang’s mother could no longer afford the family’s education costs — and sponsorship became essential to keep Hang in school.
With three years of support, Hang continued to excel academically and pursue her goals. Today, she is studying Sociology at Ho Chi Minh City Open University, a subject she says has broadened her understanding of society and deepened her ambitions. Her family’s situation has since stabilised, and her parents are now able to fund her studies independently — a powerful sign of resilience and progress.
