Groundbreaking ceremony for De A school site, Long Phieng commune, Son La province

The project, with a total investment of 554 million VND, includes two classrooms, one restroom, a playground of over 100 square meters, and an access road to the school. Once completed, it will provide 50 Mong ethnic minority students with a solid, safe, and clean learning environment.

“The construction of a new satellite school has long been the aspiration of local residents, teachers, and students. When completed, the project will provide students with spacious and durable classrooms, help teachers feel more secure in their work, and contribute to improving education quality, creating a foundation for the development of Long Phieng Commune in particular and the highland border areas in general,” shared Mr. Vi Tuan Bao, Secretary of the Commune Party Committee.

The old building of De A school site, constructed in 1996, has severely deteriorated, with cracked roofs and walls that no longer ensure safety, making it unusable.

As a result, two classes currently have to travel more than 5 kilometers to study at the main school, while another class studies in a temporary room built nearly 20 years ago, located 1 kilometer from the old site. The mountainous, rugged, and slippery roads make commuting extremely difficult for both teachers and students. Notably, the school site still lacks restroom facilities, further worsening students’ learning and living conditions.

“I’m so happy that there will be a school right in the village so my child can walk to school and come home early. My husband and I work in the fields and often cannot return in time to pick up our child, so the child has to wait. When the school is far away, we don’t dare let our child walk home alone,” shared Ms. Thao Thi Pu, a parent of a student at the school site, unable to hide her joy.

“This is the next project that the Youth Union of BAC A BANK, in collaboration with For Vietnamese Stature Foundation, has built for students in highland areas. Previously, the two organizations sponsored the construction of three satellite schools in Nghe An, the former Ha Giang province, and the former Hoa Binh province, with a total value of VND 1.5 billion, funded by contributions from all BAC A BANK staff and youth union members,” said Mr. Doan Van Tuan, Director of the Planning & Management Information Department and Secretary of the BAC A BANK Youth Union, representing the sponsor.

The De A school site project continues the strong cooperation among partners to provide better learning conditions for ethnic minority students facing difficult circumstances.

In addition to financial contributions from VSF and BAC A BANK, local authorities and contractors also supported the project by providing construction materials and mobilizing local residents and youth volunteers to participate in the construction process.

On this occasion, VSF and BAC A BANK also donated 432 glasses of TH true MILK to all students at the school site.

Some photos from the groundbreaking ceremony for the De A school site: