During the 2007 Tet Dinh Hoi season and in the spirit of “La’ lanh` dum` la’ rach”, BP-USA with its Xangsane Committee launched a second aid operation to benefit the typhoon-affected residents in the areas located around DaNang. Aid during this operation includes gifts and currency (Tet’s li`xi`) to children, elderly and blinds of the villages. Moreover, aid is also distributed to the local schools and families whose homes were badly damaged during the typhoon.
We are very happy we now have some photos to share with you, thanks to the BaoThang Temple and its wonderful nuns for conducting this aid distribution to the local residents of the typhoon ravaged areas. They disbursed aid and cash (li xi) to over 112 under-privileged families, 301 blind persons in Dien Ban and Hoi An. Furthermore, 130 young students from the schools of Son Phong, Kim Dong, Nguyen Binh Khiem and Tran Quoc Toan received li xi and school supplies for Tet. Last but not least, gifts to 51 handicapped youngsters were not forgotten during this Tet season.
In all, we have raised close to $10,000 during this Xangsane aid campaign from Pascalien(ne)s like you, and from many supportive friends of Lycee Blaise Pascal. It has been an exhilarating experience for all of us involved in this endeavor. Pascalien(ne)s and their friends spent countless hours making this operation a real success, similar to our aid operation during the Flood in Danang/Hue that happened a few years ago.
Once again we appreciate your generosity in helping ease the sufferings of the victims of our beloved childhood hometown. We always turn to your benevolence when a calamity occurs even though we pray there would not be another one happening.
We wish you and your families happiness, prosperity and peace always.
Best regards,
For the Xangsane Steering Committee BP-USA DonHoQuyDung TonNuNhuHanh
BP-USA Xangsane Steering Committee : Pham Le Thuy – Ho Quy Dung – Jacques Rochel Tonnu Nhu Hanh – Hong Thong – Phan Thanh Huong Nguyen Gia Uyen
Programme d’elevage de porcs pour financer les etudes de 20 enfants de la Paroisse Hoa Thang (Ha Tinh-VN). Contribution de Claude Carrobourg (BP67), Ho thi Ngoc (BP71), Ho thi Minh Tam (BP71), Tran Diem Phuong (BP70), Tran Tien Khanh (BP70) Tet Dinh Hoi
Trong nam qua, mot vai ban BP da ho tro cho Giao dem qua tang cho cac chau ngheo, mo coi o cac lop tinh thuong tan vung sau, vung xa Binh Thuan. Thay mat cho cac chau kinh gui den quy ban su biet on sau xa. Than chuc Nguyen Giao
Sau day la vai hinh chup hom phat qua cho cac chau nhan dip Tet Dinh Hoi.
* Viec phat hoc bong cho cac chau o cac lop tinh thuong may nam nay la nho+ su giup do+ thuong xuyen, lien tuc cua nhom ban cua anhTruong Cong Minh (BP66) o Canada, nhom Hope For Kids, to chuc Wetter Fondation cua anh Hoang Son tai Thuy Si, Kuchner tai Thuy Si va mot so ban BP66 nhu Catherine Dao Ngoc Thuy, Tran Ngoc Diep, Ton That Thai … va nhat la thay Bach Thai Ha luc thay con song.
Moi nam phat qua va hoc bong 2 lan : luc gan Tet de cac chau co them qua Tet don xuan, lan thu 2 la luc cac chau ket thuc nam hoc de khuyen khich cac chau tiep tuc hoc nam hoc moi.
Qua con bao so 9 vua roi ngay tai Phan Thiet, nha cua cac chau o lop tinh thuong da bi sup do thi chinh cac ban o Canada da goi tien ve de cuu tro va sua lai nha cho cac chau. ….
Mot so cong viec da, dang va se lam. Co dip cac ban BP ve Phan Thiet, Giao se dua den tham cac chau.
Grâce aux fonds collectés lors de la grande réunion à San Jose en 2004, la communauté pascalienne a pu financer la construction d’une classe dans une nouvelle école primaire à Hoa Phat. Félicitations à Luu van Vi (BP72) qui a suivi ce projet et Merci à tous ceux qui ont contribué à son financement !
Construction of Hoa Phat two-story, four-room Primary School at Hoa Phat Commune, Hoa Vang District, Da Nang City, Central Vietnam
Project Manager
Hoang Thi Hang Tam (Vietnam)
Project Category
Community Development
EMW Contact Person
Dee Dee Nguyen (Oakland)
Project Timeline
Start Date : September 25, 2004 Completion Date School Building March 2005
Total Project Cost
$ 22,983 in which $5,200 funded by Lycee Blaise Pascal to support the construction of a classroom, and $17,783 funded by EMWF
Number of individuals served
120 students per year
Average cost per individual served
$191 per student for the first year, decreasing over time for new and continuing student`
2. Description of Project :
Before :
Hoa Phat is one of the poorest communes of Hoa Vang District with a population of 19,000 people. Most of the local people work as farmers or stone- cutters, and their average income is very low, about $19 per month. The few rich families in the school district send their children to a boarding school in a nearby commune, leaving this school only for the poor families who pay $2 per month for tuition, some pay nothing. Their contribution to rebuild a safer and better school is limited. Meanwhile, demand for infrastructure investment in schools is increasing and the Vietnamese government can afford to build only some main schools each year.
Hoa Phat 5-room Primary school – Branch #2 was built before 1975. It is a satellite school of Hoa Phat Primary School. The ceilings were low, with small windows letting in very little air and light for studying and the rooms had no lights or fans to keep the students cool during the hot weather days. The building was slowly degrading with the roof leaking during every rain, the walls cracking and beginning to fall down. The building was structurally unsound and in danger of collapsing creating a safety hazard for the students.
At the time, students were attending one session a day at the school from early morning to late afternoon with a short break to return home for meals.
After :
After receiving the project proposal from the Da Nang People’s Committee and approving the project for implementation, EMW received the construction drawings. The drawings were screened for design flaws and modifications were made where necessary to meet EMW’s high quality standards. For example, the original drawings and bid from the People’s Committee called for low-quality materials ; EMW modified the bid to construct the school with higher-grade materials to meet our requirements and to ensure the longevity of the building’s life. When this was completed EMW placed the project out to tender and selected a contractor.
Construction started on time, but was delayed because of bad weather. During the wet season it is difficult to lay the foundation and cement to dry. Inclement weather can also impact the installation of walls and painting. All and all, the contractor did good work and cooperated well with our construction team.
The 2-story 4-room primary school was completed following Tet with a total area of 3,000 square feet. It includes :
A stone foundation, brick walls with cement mortar at a specific level, reinforced concrete ceiling, tile floor, glass windows and doors improving the amount of natural light in each classroom. The whole school is painted with high quality paint meant to protect the building from the wet season. Additionally, a red tin roof was installed to ensure that water would not penetrate into the concrete ceiling. Eight neon lights and two fans were installed and four non-reflective blackboards were provided to the school to replace the old ones. The older ones were broken and so worn, causing lots of difficulties for the teachers and students to write clearly on it without a glare and as it was unstable for writing and lecturing from.
With the new school, students attend two sessions a day, regular class in the morning and tutoring in the afternoon.
3. Community Involvement :
The People’s Committee and Education-Training Department of Hoa Vang District, and the People’s Committee of Hoa Phat commune are : Responsible for the arrangements to provide design, demolition of the old building, land-leveling of the site to make it ready for construction, turning the site over to the contractor and completing governmental approvals and other local procedures. Responsible for bringing electricity to the site and other related necessities for the implementation of the construction. Responsible for paying other costs of the project, which was not paid by EMW including costs for site land leveling, construction of the fence, gate, landscape, latrine, and following turn-over of the site to local authorities, maintenance of the school and site. Responsible for sending a qualified supervisor to the construction site to work during the project implementation process together with EMW supervisor. Encouraging the use of local, capable contractors and construction workers to promote local economies which EMW may consider and invite for construction bid.
4. Outcomes Analysis :
After completion, the new school replaced the degraded classrooms with a well-built high-quality facility, enabling students and teachers to learn and teach in a comfortable and safe educational environment. Parents feel secure in sending their children to the new school, especially in the rainy and flood season knowing they will be safe, warm, dry, and in a much improved learning environment. The new school contributes to the pride of the local community by providing a modern educational facility that will help enhance the quality of education for generations of families. With the new school providing two sessions a day, all of the children can attend tutoring class, which enhances their education.
5. Recommendations/Learning’s :
Hoa Phat School is located within the boundaries of Da Nang city and near the EMW office. Thus, EMW could easily supervise and transport equipment and materials during project implementation process. The school being located nearby the railroad disrupted the delivery of materials and equipment for school construction. It took more time for the workers to carry materials from the high way crossing the railway to the site. Unlike other projects, the local community did not contribute their labor to carry materials or assist during project implementation. In some instances, this delayed construction. Project construction carried out during the rainy season caused adverse effects on the progress of construction. The cost of materials (in particular, steel) and construction increased since the original proposed draft, and additional funds were needed to support the overall construction of the school. Because of the unexpected spike in materials and construction costs, EMW requested the landscaping and purchasing of furniture of the proposal be paid for by the local government. Both parties agreed upon this arrangement ; this opens the opportunity of how we can engage local authorities and the communities with our programs.
Avant
Après
La nouvelle classe…
et ses élèves
Bancs offerts par les élèves de la promotion 2003-2004
La distribution des aides aux familles sinistrées du village Dai Cuong par les anciens du Blaise Pascal – Da Nang, a eu lieu le Samedi 22 Dec 2007. Nous avons été heureux de venir en aide à ce village qui a été sévèrement frappé par les dernières inondations. Dai Cuong, village perdu au bord de la rivière Vu Gia, n’a pas été plus chanceux ni en d’autres saisons, ni en d’autres temps. Ravagé pendant la guerre, il est oublié en temps de paix. Mais les gens de ce village sont connus pour leur courage face à l’adversité, d’où le nom de ce lieu : Dai Cuong (Grand et Fort).
Dinh thi Bich (BP71), remettant une enveloppe à une villageoise, au nom des anciens de Blaise Pascal et de leurs amis
L’aide que nous lui avons apportée consiste en : 57 enveloppes de 300.000 dong/chacune pour les 57 familles particulièrement en difficulté 184 enveloppes de 200.000 dong/chacune pour les 184 familles restantes. 270 paquets pour les enfants des 10 classes de la maternelle du village, ainsi que des enveloppes-cadeaux pour les 16 institutrices.
A cette occasion, Tran Tien Khanh/BP70 (alias Mr. vnbaolut.com), en visite des Etats-Unis, a offert au village des semences de moringa (cây chùm ngay hay bồ ngay), plante « magique », se satisfaisant des terres les plus arides et fournissant un rendement élevé.
Tran Tien Khanh avec le responsable de Dai Cuong, M. Tô Bổng.
Ont participé à la distribution : Trần Tiễn Khanh (BP70) & Nguyễn Khoa Diệu Lê, Đinh thị Bích (BP71), Võ Thế Bình (BP76), Vĩnh Khánh (BP76), Ngô thị Hồng Huệ (NH77).
Nous remercions nos donateurs d’Australie, de Belgique, du Canada, des Etats-Unis, de France, de Suisse et du Viet Nam qui nous ont donné les moyens de mener à bien l’opération Lu & Lụt.
Gia dinh anh Khoi
Gia dinh Ba Thoai
Gia dinh anh Minh
Gia dinh ba Binh
Gia dinh ba Quyen
Avant
Après
La nouvelle classe…
et ses élèves
Bancs offerts par les élèves de la promotion 2003-2004
Dinh thi Bich (BP71), remettant une enveloppe à une villageoise, au nom des anciens de Blaise Pascal et de leurs amis
57 enveloppes de 300.000 dong/chacune pour les 57 familles particulièrement en difficulté
Tran Tien Khanh avec le responsable de Dai Cuong, M. Tô Bổng.