The Story of Giving No. 02: With enough sunshine, flowers will bloom, with enough grace, achievements will come…

Today, UEH would like to start with the two words "Yen Duyen" to tell the story of Giving in July.

That is the story of Kieu Ai Vi. We happened to meet her in Hoa Son Commune, Krong Bong District, a remote district of Dak Lak Province, during the Spring Volunteer Journey of the School of Economics (under the UEH College of Economics, Law and Government). It was special when a few months later we learned that Ai Vi had been enrolled in the University of Economics in Ho Chi Minh City (UEH) and became a student of class NS002 – Course 46 majoring in Human Resource Management.

Seeing you again at UEH with a 27-point admission announcement, we were surprised, how can a girl in such circumstances have such energy? We understood Ai Vi’s relentless efforts behind the bright eyes and optimistic smile of the people of the Central Highlands. Born and raised in a poor and remote area of Dak Lak Province, more than 50km from the city, traffic is very disadvantageous, and essential needs listed as electricity and water are also extremely difficult. Ai Vi is the oldest sister in a family of 4, and unfortunately, both her father and mother are suffering from mental illnesses. I still remember her reddened eyes that day, when our volunteer group quietly listened to her story. Vi shared: “In my family, my father was mentally ill. After a few years of marrying him, my mother also became ill. Every month, the local authority subsidizes my family 810,000 to spend for about a month. In addition to that allowance, my parents, when they are mentally stable, they have to go to the port of loading and look after the cows for them. When I don't have enough money, my parents get sick, my family has to eat dried fish or instant noodles,...”

At this time, we understand that she is a quiet, persistent leaf and strives to create a predestined relationship between herself and UEH. That predestined fate is not just a coincidence, it is determined by her own efforts. The illness of her parents and the lack of her family are the motivation for her to go through difficulties every day. In just over a year, she will certainly graduate from UEH with good academic results like what she has been doing. The support for tuition, campus, and transportation she received at UEH and its partners, hopefully, has contributed a little bit of strength to her in her upcoming journeys.

Besides Ai Vi, many other difficult students are in need of support and companionship. Let’s join UEH in nurturing young talents with “Talent Development” scholarships to encourage good students to achieve more outstanding achievements and the scholarship “Bringing on Dreams” which gives opportunities for disadvantaged students to excel in their studies. In this way, UEH and the community together create opportunities and empower the right to study for any learner, no matter who they are, where they come from, or their background. All support and companion information from the community will be published at https://future.ueh.edu.vn/giving/

Thank you Ai Vi for allowing us to share her story. UEH would like to sincerely thank you for listening and sharing our story. We do wish you all good health and see you in the next issues of the story of giving!

GIVING NOW herehttps://ueh.edu.vn/giving

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