Projects & News

The school is in An Điền hamlet, An Thuận village, Thạnh Phú district, Bến Tre province.
Thạnh Phú is the poorest district of Bến Tre, some 80 kilometres south-west of HCM City. The population makes their living by rice cultivation. Because the district is near the sea, rice fields are frequently flooded with salt water. Therefore, rice yield is very low and total production is not enough to feed the local population.

Existing school

The existing school had 4 teachers and 150 primary school children. It was a dilapidated makeshift of bamboo poles and lattices, palm leaves, cardboard and rusty iron sheets. Walls and roofs were all tattered and full with gaps. They could not provide even basic protection for children from winds and rains. Frequent gusts of ocean wind threw up dust and sand through the classrooms, sending the children scurrying for cover. On rainy days, children had to huddle together in corners to avoid the wet and wait for the rain to stop to resume lessons. If it rained too long the school had to be closed and children had to go back on Sundays for make-up lessons.

Classroom in the old building

School children at play time in front of their classrooms

The new school

Vietnam Foundation helped build a new building for the school. The new building is of brick and tile construction. It consists of 4 classrooms, a staff room and a toilet. A water well and new fences are also added to the school. Each classroom is 6m x 8m and has a 2m-wide veranda.

The old building in the foreground and the new building in the background

Contributions

The total cost of the project was VND190 Million (about AUD22,000). Apart from the contribution of AUD10,000 from the Vietnam Foundation, other contributions came from Vietnamese individuals and organisations in the US and in Vietnam. The local population contributed their labour for the building of the school.

Construction was started on 1 April 1998. The school was handled over to the local people on 19 July 1998.

Children waiting to enter the new classrooms

Cù lao (island) Lá is in Mỹ Hòa village, Ba Tri district, Bến Tre province. The island is about 20 km from Bến Tre. To get there from HCM City, travellers have to go by car through Ba Tri and then by small boats. The local population consists of about 700 families, with 4600 people.

Previously, the local people grew coconuts and engaged in light industries based on coconut production. However, due to salt water incursion, since the early 90s, they switched to sugar cane growing. Because the living condition is very hash, it is very difficult to attract health workers and teachers to stay there to provide services for the local population.

Cù lao Lá Health Centre

The Cù lao Lá Health Centre consists of 4 rooms including an examination room, birth delivery room, the patients’ room and the administrative office. As the island is not connected to the national electric grid, there is no electric supply at the Centre.
Vietnam Foundation provided the Centre with a solar electric system.

The solar panel provided by Vietnam Foundation

Solar Electric Sytem

The system is used for lighting of the examination room, birth delivery room, patients’ room, staff office and for power for a black & white TV. It is completed with 75Wp solar panel manufactured by BP Solar (Australia), charger/regulator, 100Ah accumulator, batteries and light fittings.

The control system

Contributions

The project was completed in December 1997. Contributors to the project included :

• BP Solar (Australia) for solar panels
• Vietnam Airlines for transportation
• Scitec Co. (HCM City) for customs clearance and storage
• SolarLab (HCM City) for installation and technical assistance

Commemorative plaque