A ceremony was held on August 23 for Dak Mar Kindergarten, in Dak Ha district in Kontum province, supported by Vietnam Education Society of Canada (VES).
President of VES Carin Holroyd and Dak Mar Kindergarten's pupils.
Construction of the new kindergarten in this remote, mountainous commune was financed through a contribution of US$52,000 (about VND1.1 billion) from VES and implemented by East Meets West (EMW) with local partners.
This newly built school has two spacious classrooms, two latrines, a bathroom outfitted with a shower, a playground, a storage room and fully-equipped water and electrical systems. The project benefits 60 children and their teachers and more than 600 members of the community in Konkloc hamlet.
Konkloc hamlet is a poor community, where 37% of the population live below the poverty line. The average monthly income of residents is about VND 300,000 (US$14). Dak Mar commune has 567 children, ages four to six years old, but kindergartens in the area previously could only accommodate 491 children. Now the renovated kindergarten with two new classrooms will help bring more children to school.
Since 2007, VES has financed the construction of three kindergartens and three primary schools in Vietnam in partnership with EMW, at a total investment of US$500,000 (VND 10.5 billion). VES puts a high priority on building kindergartens in disadvantaged rural areas of Vietnam.
