On August 2, 2016, in the presence of parents and local leaders, six students in poverty who live far from their school, or have many siblings, happily received a new bicycle to help them to get to school.
Loi and her two siblings (above) share bicycles to get to school. Their grandfather, father (and Loi herself) have weak eyesight due to a hereditary condition which makes earning money difficult and has kept the family in poverty. This year, her eldest sister will go to high school, so that Loi and her second sister must to share an old and often-broken bicycle. With the new bicycle they received they won’t have to worry that their bicycle will break down on the way to their school.
Hoa (above) is fatherless and lives alone with her mother. Her old bicycle was bought from a scrap-iron dealer a couple of years ago, and now it breaks down very often. Hoa was really happy to receive a new bicycle before the new school year.
Notably, the funds to purchase these bicycles were contributed from four different sources: VND 1,200,000 (US$55) from the Local People’s Committee; VND 600,000 (US$27) from the Local Woman’s Union; and VND 100,000 (US$5) from each beneficiary household; and the rest VND 4,800,000 (US$218) from YWAM Mercy Vietnam.
“This small fund contains much more emotional and encouraging value than the actual monetary price. We hope that with this modest yet necessary support, the children will be indirectly facilitated to study better for their future”.