VietHope 2007 Spring Newsletter

8/14/2019 VietHope 2007 Spring Newsletter

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VietHope | 423 Brookline Avenue #199 Boston, MA 02215 | [email protected]|www.VietHope.org 1

Spring IX April 2007

WORD FROM THE BOARD OF DIRECTORSBy Lynn Huynh

Over the last five years, VietHope hassuccessfully thrived on the support of those whobelieve in its mission--sponsors, donors,members, and our dedicated staff. As a memberof the Board of Directors, it is my privilege tothank you for believing in VietHopes vision andfor the generous support and commitment youhave given to the organization. VietHope wasfounded by a group of friends who believeeducation is an indispensable right and the key to

Vietnams prosperity. Five years sinceincorporation, VietHope continues to contributeto Vietnams socioeconomic developmentthrough education.

At VietHopes annual retreat in January inRockville, MD, VietHope staff memberscelebrated the organizations five-yearanniversary, reviewed yearly achievements andchallenges and established organization-widegoals for 2007. Viethopes five-year historybegan in 2002:

2002: VietHope established its mission andwas incorporated in the state of Massachusetts.

2003: VietHope built its first school in Ca Mauand awarded 19 educational scholarships;Received its 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profitstatus organization; Published its firstnewsletter; Expanded its staff network from itsMassachusetts base to California, DC, andoverseas to Vietnam.

2004: VietHope established the CommunityScholarship Program (CSP) to supportindigent villages and the UniversityScholarship Program (USP) to support first-year university students.

2005: VietHope increased its scholarshiprecipient pool ten-fold and establishedpartnerships in all three regions in Vietnam.

2006: VietHope provided over 800 scholarshipawards to talented students with financial needthrough the Merit, Community, and UniversityScholarship Programs; Expanded its networkby collaborating with ten local partners in

Vietnam; Organized a group of young,ambitious, and multi-talented members inVietnam to lead its programs and projects.

VietHope would have not been able toaccomplish and achieve its goals without yoursupport and belief in the organization and itsmission. As we grow, we strive to distinguishourselves and will continue to provideoperational excellence and efficiency in all ofour initiatives. For 2007, VietHope is committedto expanding its scholarship programs andprojects, implementing the monitoring and

evaluation components of its programs andprojects, finding innovative ways to fundraise,and building a strong and cohesive group oftalented and committed staff members both inthe US and in Vietnam.

Thank you

Happy Spring!IN THIS ISSUE:

Word from the Board of Directors... 1

Updates on VietHope Projects . 2

Project Aspire2University Scholarship Program...2

Viethopes Amazing Volunteers in Vietnam......4

VietHope Voices (from Hanoi, Vietnam).......5

Announcement of 2nd Annual Benefit Dinner.....6

Become a VietHope Sponsor!................................ 7

VietHope is a non-

profit organization

dedicated to Vietnams

socioeconomic

development. We at

VietHope believe that

the wealth of Vietnam

lies in its human capital

and its prosperity

depends on whether

we harness this human

capital. As such, we

believe that goodeducation is

indispensable to

Vietnams growth and

its future.

VietHope is a 501(c)3

non-profit. We are a

volunteer-based

organization with 20

active team members.

VietHope members are

based in Boston, San

Francisco, New York,

Washington DC and

Southeast Asia.

Contributing

Writers:

Lynn Huynh

Hansel Pham

Oanh Nguyen

Nam-Tran Nguyen

My-Anh Ha

Van Nguyen

Editor:

Minh Dang

Contributing Editor:Jennifer Lou


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VIETHOPE NEWSLETTER

Spr ing IX Apri l 2007

UPDATES ON VIETHOPE PROJECTS

PROJECT INSPIRE

By Hansel Pham

Project Inspire Vietnam was initiated in the Fallof 2006 by a group of VietHope volunteers, ledby Wendy Nguyen. Project Inspire complementsour scholarship based programs by improvingthe infrastructure of Vietnams school systems.To that end, Project Inspire focuses onpromoting literacy through the re-design orconstruction of school libraries and integratingtechnology to increase the quality of Englishlanguage instruction.

The Project Inspire team, which also includesVietHope members Xuan Nguyen, Truong MinhThang, Vidya Subramanian, Nathan Lasche andDaniel Myers, has been reviewing detailedconstruction schedules and blue prints for therenovation of Xuan Dieu Middle School in MyTho. Xuan Dieu has approximately 3,000students from 6th to 9th grade. The school'slibrary lacks updated books and the capacity toserve the large school population. Teachers andstudents jointly share the same room duringbreak times.

The first phase of renovation was recentlycompleted and, with Project Inspires assistance,we hosted an art contest to generate excitementaround the re-opening of the schools library andnew language lab.

VietHopes Project Inspire is now working withthe principal of an in-need school in District 9 ofHo Chi Minh City to plan a second schoolproject.

Type of computer labs that Inspire seeks to create

UNIVERSITY SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM (USP)

By Oanh Nguyen

Congratulations are in order

I am delighted to congratulate Trn Quang Khi,a 2006 USP recipient who has won theprestigious Monbusho (Monbukagakusho)scholarship offered by the Japanese Governmentto study in Japan.

Khi, a native of Dak Lak inCentral Highlands ofVietnam, is no stranger tosuccess. A two-time third-prize winner in the NationalPhysics Competition, Khi

was able to bypass theuniversity entrance exam toenter the renowned Universityof Technology in Ho Chi

Minh City to study in the Vietnamese-FrenchCooperative Program with a concentration inApplied Technology. His USP applicationtouched on some of his accomplishments, whichare even more impressive given the hardships heand his family have faced. Working on his goalto win a scholarship to study abroad, Khi usedthe VietHope (VH) scholarship as well as regularEnglish practice sessions organized by VH

volunteers to help improve his English inpreparation for the scholarship competition. Hishard work paid off after he successfully passedall three rounds of rigorous selection, whichincluded taking math and science exams andcompleting interviews (all in English).

By the time you read this article, Khi will havearrived in Japan to begin a year of intensiveJapanese language before beginning his studiesthere. Before leaving, he wrote about hisexperience and tips on applying for thescholarship on the USP message board thatVietHope established to connect all of its USPrecipients and to raise awareness of thescholarship opportunity amongst potentialcandidates.

On behalf of everyone at VietHope, I would liketo wish Khi success in his studies in Japan andbeyond.

Scholarship

Programs:

Merit ScholarshipProgram: Provide

access to education

for poor students in

rural areas from grade

1-12 ($120

/student/year). Merit

is a renewal

scholarship program

whereby scholarships

are renewed on a

yearly basis until

students finish grade

12, or fail to meet

VietHope criteria.

UniversityScholarship Program

(USP): Provide access

to education for

disadvantaged

students at the

university level

($150/student/year).

USP aims to develop

a network of

university students

and potential

community leaders.Summer activities are

organized for USP

scholars to engage in

community service

activities.

CommunityScholarship Program:

Provide monetary

support for uniforms

and school supplies

for the least well-off

students in Vietnam.

Infrastructure

Investment Program:

Provide access to

education by funding

construction projects for

schools, libraries and

learning centers.


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VIETHOPE NEWSLETTER


UNIVERSITY SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM (contd)Building a network of university students

VietHope wrapped up the 2006-2007 UniversityScholarship Program (USP) cycle at the end ofJanuary with three award ceremonies in H Ni,Hu and H Ch Minh City to award 152scholarships to deserving recipients who havedisplayed great academic potential anddetermination in the face of hardships. On behalfof everyone at VietHope, I would to thank Xun,My Anh and all of the volunteers in Vietnam fortheir hard work, which made the event a success.We at VietHope are also grateful to theuniversities who have provided tremendous helpduring the organizing process.

Group picture USP award ceremony in HCMC (recipientsfrom universities in HCMC, Can Tho and An Giang)

At this years award ceremonies, VietHopeintroduced a new activity called the USPSummer Game. The activity aimed toencourage interaction between fellowscholarship recipients at each award ceremony aswell as foster discussion about implementingcommunity development initiatives. Before theaward ceremonies, VietHopes staff scouredscholarship applications to gather a list of projectideas. At the award ceremonies, each student wasfree to pick a project s/he was interested in and

discuss it with similarly interested students.VietHopes volunteers served as facilitators forthese discussions. The groups were asked topresent on the rationale for their choice ofproject and the project's feasibility. Students andvolunteers enjoyed this activity very much.VietHope also received positive feedback andpledge of future support for these students'

projects from their university administrators whowere present at the award ceremonies.

After the award ceremonies, VietHope created anonline social network for USP students tocontinue their discussions on the web and othertopics that interest students. This onlinenetworking site also provides students withpersonal pages and blogs. The site's forum is aplace to exchange information about housing,job search, test preparations, etc. Staff membersalso visit this site to offer activities for studentsto improve their English. VietHope alsoorganized regular conference calls via Skype tokeep in touch with students. The launch of theonline USP network is an exciting opportunity

for VietHope to interact with students, offersocial support, work with students to planexciting community development projects,receive feedback from students and foster life-long connections.

Group picture of USP scholarship recipients with Nam Tranin Hue

Group discussion USP award ceremony in HCMC, Jan2007

Ways to SupportVietHope:VietHope

welcomes anyonewho believes in ourmission. There are anumber of ways inwhich you cansupport VietHope:

Sponsor a studentthrough one of

VietHopes 3ScholarshipPrograms

Donate toVietHopesinfrastructureinvestmentprogram

Spread awarenessabout VietHopeand VietHopesmission

Donate time andenergy bybecoming a

VietHopevolunteer

- John Dewey,Democracy andEducation, 1916


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VIETHOPE NEWSLETTER


VIETHOPES AMAZING VOLUNTEERS IN

VIETNAM

By Nam Tran Nguyen & Oanh Nguyen

Since inception, VietHopes volunteers inVietnam have made invaluable contributions.From program implementation to programevaluation to interaction withcommunities/students to strategic input,VietHopes Vietnam team has dedicated anenormous amount of energy and time to ensurethe success of VietHope. The entire staff wouldlike to take this opportunity to acknowledge thededication and contributions of our VietHopevolunteers in Vietnam.

I was fortunate that my trip to Vietnam this yearcoincided with the award ceremonies of theUniversity Scholarship Program (USP). Not onlydid I meet many talented USP scholars, I wasable to witness our amazing volunteer team atwork to make these events successful.

The USP ceremony in Ho Chi Minh City (thelargest award ceremony with over 120 awardrecipients) was led by Xuan, VietHopes teamrepresentative in Vietnam. Tasks were plannedand completed with precision and enthusiasm.The talented Minh Phuong initiated the

ceremony by leading the entire conference hall insinging two songs. Ky and Xuan served as theMCs for the afternoon, guiding the students andguests through a program packed afternoon.They were so energetic, like two "Energizerbunnies!" Mai, Nhung, Tan and Phong took onnumerous tasks, from registering students tofacilitating student discussions during theVietHope Summer game to handling monetaryissues, to ensure the success of the ceremony.

The award ceremony is just one example of theamazing work accomplished by our volunteerteam in Vietnam. Xuan and My Anh have beenleading the effort in recruiting volunteers towork with VietHope in all three regions. We alsoreceive many queries from within Vietnamregarding volunteer possibilities with VietHope.As we work to expand our programs this year, allvolunteers will play a crucial role in theimplementation of our programs and projects.

Given VietHopes program expansion, seamlessintegration and collaboration between teams inthe U.S. and Vietnam become critical (team

integration is one of VietHopes 2007 goals).VietHope staff is excited about our growingteam in Vietnam and would like to take thisopportunity to acknowledge all the hard workand dedication from our volunteers in Vietnam.

The amazing group of volunteers that made the USP awardceremony in HCMC possible: (from left) Thi, Phuong, Tan,Hoai, Phong, Nam-Tran, Mai, Ky, Nhung, Xuan

MC's Ky and Xuan interview Nam-Tran and Thi about

VietHope

Upcoming VietHopeevents and activities:

Second AnnualBenefit Dinner on

June 17, 2007 inBoston - Anevening ofentertainment,auction and rafflesto support ongoing

VietHope programsand projects

VietHope-a-Thon:Raffle drawings aspart of the AnnualBenefit Dinner

Publication ofVietHope SpringNewsletter

Please visitwww.viethope.orgformore details onupcoming events andactivities


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VIETHOPE NEWSLETTER


Manning the check-in table: Tien (USP scholar 2005-2006),Nhung & Mai. Also pictured Xuan (standing)

VIETHOPE VOICES

By My-Anh Ha

Hanoi, Vietnam

It all came up one beautiful day in Spring lastyear, when Lynn Huynhs email knocked on mydoor with her lovely smile and the cutestproposal: Would you be interested in joiningVietHope with the volunteer work in Vietnam?.And with the most wonderful feeling, that I stillrecall, I replied Yes, I do!. Then the storybegan, one of the most beautiful stories that isshaping my life. I became a VietHope volunteer

in Hanoi and have felt myself part of theVietHope family ever since then.

I first learned about VietHope when I met Lynnin Hanoi during 2003-2004. I knew then that thepath VietHope is leading is exactly the path that Ihave been trying to draw up for myself. I was sohappy to know Lynn and realized how great afriend she could be. I was excited to think thatVietHope could be a community of awesomepeople like Lynn. And I was right! I have foundin VietHope a sweet spirit of amity and thestrong commitment and an admirable dedication

of each individual member towards theorganizations mission.

In the one year that I have been with VietHope,what I have experienced has already been such atreasure. I started with the UniversityScholarship Program (USP) in its first yearreaching northern Vietnam. The pilot USP yearin Hanoi was set up with two universities, HanoiPolytechnic University (i hc Bch Khoa H

Ni) and Hanoi University (i hc H Ni) fora pool of 80 applicants, out of which 26financially needy and talented students were

selected for the grants. Twenty-six students aretwenty-six tellable stories and twenty-siximmeasurable joys. Their joy is among thegreatest joys of all for they can now continue toconfidently head towards a brighter, moreeducated future, knowing that there is hope allaround for those in need.

This year, we have 150 stories all over thecountry to tell each other, and to be remindedthat there is still lots of work to do, to givepotentially thousands of others the chance atacquiring an education.

The aim of the program is to build a networkwhere USP students and VietHope join forces indifferent education-related initiatives and wherethe arms of friendship of VietHope are wideopen. We were able to share happy moments in agathering between the students, Minh Dang andDavid Nguyen in early February in Hanoi. Weall learned from each others experience in work,in studies, and in life. Their faces beamed withsmiles, eager to work with VietHope oncommunity initiatives, to see that dreams cancome true.

From left : Khnh, Tng, My, Trang, Hng, Qun, My Anh,Yvonne, Minh, David

As VietHopes projects expand to the northernregion and on a more official basis, I can see theyear ahead filled with adventures challenging ourinspiration to achieve the VietHope mission.

I feel so blessed that I am part of the VietHopefamily, a home inspired with love and hope. I see

Recent additions to

the VietHope Staff

Ngan Dam

Ngan is head of the

Community Scholarship

Program (CSP). Ngan

is a high school teacher

in Boston and brings

valuable teaching

experience to the team

My-Anh Ha

My-Anh is a VietHope

member in Hanoi,

Vietnam. My-Anh is

currently co-chair of the

Project Committee and

works with the USP

team to expand the

program to Hanoi. My-

Anh comes to VietHope

with a wealth of non-

profit experience

Minh Le

Minh is a member of

the Fundraising team.

Minh recently quit

Corporate America (i.e.

Palm) to pursue a

greater passion in

medicine

David Nguyen

David is VietHopes

CTO. David is a

PhD candidate at MIT,

working on crazy

projects in the field of

neuroscience

Van NguyenVan is Co-Chair of the

Fundraising Committee.

Van works in real estate

and brings to VietHope

a wealth of innovative

ideas and spirit


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VIETHOPE NEWSLETTER


hope in Oanhs sleepless nights working on theUSP online database and staying up until fouroclock in the morning to be with me and Xuan

during preparations for the award ceremonies. Isee lots of hope in Lynn and Ngans walks to thefar corners of the country in community projects.I see hope in the joys glittered in each word thatyou shared after the success of the fund-raisingevents. It is the joys of bringing hope to the poorchildren and students in Vietnam, those webelieve to be the hope of the nation in the future.Someone says that love is looking togethertowards the same direction. I see love all around.

Coming back to my story, I believe in happyendings, and in most of the stories with happy

endings, the couple falls in love with each other.I have fallen in love with you, VietHope!

From left : David, Khnh, Tng, My, Trang, Hng, Qun,My Anh, Minh

EVENTS AND FUNDRAISING UPDATE

Dear all VietHope donors and sponsors,

VietHope cordially invites you to our SecondAnnual Benefit Dinner to be held at the HolidayInn in Brookline, MA on Sunday, June 17, 2007from 6:00PM-9:00PM. We hope to havecontinued support from all our sponsors anddonors as well as to attract young professionals,colleagues, friends and family from the NewEngland area to the event. The evening willconsist of VietHope's presentation on itsprograms, projects and student recipients as wellas a silent auction and raffle drawing. Pleasecheck VietHopes web-site at www.viethope.orgto register for the event and pay via PayPal.

If you have any questions regarding the BenefitDinner, please feel free to contact Van Nguyen [email protected].

We look forward to seeing you all on Sunday,June 17, 2007 at 6:00PM!

Thank you in advance for your time and support,

VietHope Staff

Recent additions to

the VietHope Staff

(continued)

Xuan Nguyen

Xuan is a VietHope

member based in Ho

Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Xuan coordinates and

executes VietHope

projects in Vietnam,

with focus on the USP.

Xuan has deep non-

profit experience and an

impressive mastery of

English

Quang Tran

Quang is co-chair of the

M&E team. She

currently lives in

Chicago and works a JP

Morgan.

Anh Nguyen

Anh is Fundraising Co-

Chair . She brings a

legal services

background from

Greater Boston Legal

Services along with

energy and enthusiasm

for a good cause.

Jack Nguyen

Jack currently lives in

Totonto and works for

big 5 accounting firm

Deloitte & Touche.

Besides financial and

accounting expertise,

Jack brings to VietHope

5 years experience ofsetting up businesses in

Vietnam.


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VIETHOPE NEWSLETTER


VIETHOPE-A-THON

We hope that you be able to join us on

June 17th for VietHope Banquet atHoliday Inn.

If you are unable to attend and wouldlike to contribute to VietHope, we will bedesignating 5 raffle drawings for thesedonations. For every $2 that you provide,your VietHope Representative willdedicate a raffle ticket at the dinner inyour name and collect the prize shouldyou win.

DONATIONS FROM CORPORATIONS

VietHope would like to acknowledge thegenerous donations from its corporatesupporters.

for a prosperous Vietnam tomorrow

D o n a t i o n F o r m(Online donations accepted via www.viethope.org)

The objective of VietHopes Scholarship &University programs is to provide financialassistance to children in poor rural areas in Vietnamwho cannot afford the costs of continuing theireducation. The students are selected on the basis offinancial need, performance in school, and theirmotivation to excel. Your contribution will directlysupport the education costs for these children.

Name:_______________________________

Address:_________________________________________________________________

Email:_______________________________

Please check one or several of the boxes:

I wish to sponsor a child throughVietHopes Merit Scholarship Program.

With my support of $120/year, I will helpchildren in Vietnam attain a higher levelof education

I wish to make a contribution of $_____towards the University ScholarshipProgram

I wish to support and become moreinvolved in VietHopes work by becominga member for $25

I wish to make a general donation toVietHope in the amount of $______

*Please make checks payable to:

VietHope, Inc.

423 Brookline Avenue, #199

Boston, MA 02215

______________________________Signature Date

VietHope

Executive

Committee

Nam Tran Nguyen,

President

Lynn Huynh,

Vice President and

Scholarship Program

Chair

Uyen Kim Huynh,

Secretary and Monitor &

Evaluation Co-Chair

Chau Nguyen,Treasurer

Hansel Pham,

Administrative Chair

Anh-Hoa Nguyen

Project Co-Chair

My-Anh Ha,

Project Co-Chair

Oanh Nguyen,

Head of University

Scholarship Program

Ngan Dam,

Head of Community

Scholarship Program

Thai-Hien Nguyen,

Director of

Communications

Van Nguyen &

Anh Nguyen

Fundraising Co-Chairs

Xuan Nguyen,

VietHope Representative

in Vietnam

Chi Pham

Monitor & Evaluation

Co-Chair

Alan Tu

Public Relations Chair

Documents

VietHope 2007 Spring Newsletter