Project No. 31 – “Never sleeping again in the kitchen!” – Construction of a boarding house in Che La, Xin Man district (Ha Giang province) in the north of Vietnam
Status October 1st, 2019: Xin Man District is 150 kilometers far from Ha Giang city. It is next to China to the north, Quang Binh district to the south, Hoang Su Phi district to the east and Lao Cai province to the west. The district is divided into 01 township and 18 communes. Xin Man has a total land area of 587,02 km2 with 66.000 people. There are 18 ethnic minorities living together in the district including Nùng, Mông, Tày, Dao, La Chí, Kinh, Phù Lá, Hoa, Pà Thẻn, Cao Lan, Mường, Ngạn, Bố Y, Khmer, Giấy, Cơ Lao, Sán Dìu and Sán Chay.
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Völker_Vietnams
Che La commune is about 19 km far from the district center. There are 13 hamlets in the commune. H’Mong people account for the largest percentage (50%) and Nung people with 35%. The commune has 27,26 km2 with more than 2.239 people. The commune has very difficult terrain with many slopes and high mountains, which causes the low speed of the communal socio-economic development.
In the primary school of Che La there is an emergency state. In total 425 pupils go to school in 22 classes: 1st grade (90), 2nd grade (76), 3rd grade (86), 4th grade (85) and 5th grade (88). Currently, the school has 163 boarding students. For the next school year, 250 boarding students are expected. The school has definitely not enough boarding rooms for them all. Many children already sleep in the kitchen… Furthermore the school has only 02 toilets that are downgraded and not sufficient for the large number of boarding students.
Looking towards the future, Che La commune is in need of the following:
- 1 x boarding house with 10 rooms
- sanitary facilities
(old) Overall funds needed: USD 61.978,00 or approx. € 57.400,00
New overall funds needed for Che La – Status April, 2021 (with supplementary equipment): approx. USD 88.333,00 or approx. € 73.610,00.
Next to the population of Che La (2.239 people), 425 children and their teachers would be the direct beneficiaries of this project!:)
As a turnover foundation, the LOAN Foundation (LOAN Stiftung) can provide help directly. We would like to carry out this project, but are dependent on every financial donation. We remain optimistic that we will be able to collect the necessary funds.
In cooperation and in continuous contact with our Vietnamese partners, we will as always supervise and guide this project personally and on site. We will report on the progress regularly.
We would be delighted if you were to provide us with moral and financial support in this endeavor. Thank you very much!
Status April, 2021: One and a half year passed by. COVID-19 delayed the realization of this project very much. Donations decreased. In the meantime, the worldwide economic situation increased many costs. I.a.the costs for materials and labour for this project are now more expensive. Our Vietnamese Team on the site tried together with our architect to find a solution in order to eventually decrease the total amount. It would mean eliminating the water tank. Using cheaper materials. Downsizing the rooms. The children already have to cope with many difficulties. Saving money on children costs is not our philosophy. This is why we decided to leave the draft as it is and to finance the supplementary costs.
Our parallel Project No. 35 “∞ – Love for the Homeland” brings regular donations into our fund. After four months, we reached a donation amount over € 10.000,00. This money will be used for the construction of the boarding house in Che La.
In addition, we will finance supplementary 80 Bunk-beds, 160 mats and 30 steel-cabinets, so that the new boarding house can be put into operation presumably at the beginning of the new school years 2021-2022. The volume of the total equipment amounts approximatively USD 11.188,00 or approx. € 9.320,00.
New overall funds needed for Che La – Status April, 2021 (with supplementary equipment): approx. USD 88.333,00 or approx. € 73.610,00.
We will sign this project in May, 2021. We hope to find many sponsors supporting us financially in this matter.
Status Sommer, 2021: Now we can start building this project. Because of the serious Corona situation in Vietnam, the reports (pictures and videos) from our Vietnamese team always reach us with a little delay. We remain confident that the children will finally have their new boarding school towards the end of the year. In August, 2021 we receive new reports from Che la. The roof was installed. Some walls were plastered and floors tiled. The sanitary facilities will be ready soon. Everything is progressing as planned – despite Corona – and we remain confident that the handover ceremony will take place at the beginning of October, 2021.
Status September, 2021: The school in Che La has started again. We have received new pictures of the daily life of the students. The new boarding school should be put in use this October. We are happy!:)
Status October, 2021: All of us were ready for the official handover ceremony on October 29th, 2021, but again the pandemic thwarted our plans. Just a few days before, all children and teachers must stay at home for a few weeks to stay safe. We will continue to report at the beginning of December and remain optimistic.
Status December, 2021: After a long break due to corona restrictions, the children have been allowed to go to school again since the beginning of December 2021. The teachers and authorities used this opportunity to organize again the official handover ceremony (Ha Giang TV was present for reporting). With great success. On December 4th, 2021, the new boarding house and the sanitary facilities were officially handed over with a ceremony (we were able to follow the action live via Google Meet). This is a big, meaningful step for one of the poorest communes in this district. Now the children of Che La have better learning and living conditions. We wish the children, the teachers and the commune of Che La all the best for the future, good luck, success and always good health!:). We would also like to thank a loyal sponsor (CML-Jacob-Hoeft Foundation) and our many supporters who believe in us and who helped us to realize this important project (see Project No. 35 “∞-Love for the Homeland”).
Status September, 2022: On September 6th, 2022, I (Isabelle Müller) visited Che La commune together with my Vietnamese team. The boarding house looks wonderful and the children are very happy to be able to sleep here. The school facilities are still very well maintained. The students have also been donated hundreds of children’s books (our Project No. 38), so they have the opportunity to improve their education with a larger selection of books. The children and the teachers prepared a welcome ceremony for my visit. We wish the children, the teachers and the commune of Che La all the best for the future, good luck and success!:)
