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Lavang Libraries

thuvien1No one can dispute that books are significant nor can one deny the fact that what we know is a drop of water, and what we do not know is a vast ocean. Carl Rowan writes: “The library is the temple of learning, and learning has liberated more people than all the wars in history.” Ray Bradbury makes a similar claim: “Without libraries what have we? We have no past and no future.”

In the past six years, in cooperation with the Mission Office of the Archdiocese of Washington, Sr. Cecilia Nguyen and the archdiocese have been able to build and stock the first full-size Lavang Library in the vicinity of Phu Cam Cathedral in Hue in 2001. In 2002 through the same Missionary Cooperation Plan the second full-size Lavang Library was built in the vicinity of Thanh Duc Parish in Da Nang. In 2003 the third full-size Lavang Library was built in the vicinity of Phat Diem Cathedral. Through individual donors two Lavang Mission Libraries were established in the Diocese of Da Nang in 2003, and one Lavang Mission Library was established in the Diocese of Hue in 2004. These libraries now provide reading resources to thousands of children, young adults, and adults in North and Central Vietnam.

Recognizing the importance of books and how they have enabled many to succeed in life, Vietnam Dream for Success hopes to continue this special library project by providing reading resources to poor children and young adults, especially those residing in poor areas.

By donating $2,000 or $3,000 you can help us establish and stock a small mission library in mission areas where families cannot afford to purchase books for their children.

You can donate a mission library in honor of a loved one; a plaque with your name as the benefactor will be displayed at the library.

Lavang Scholarship

UNICEF studies in Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Myanmar, Uganda, and Vietnam showed that the costs of education were so high that they discouraged school attendance. These figures do not reflect payment of any tuition fees.

In developing countries there are 140 million children aged 6-11 who do not attend school, and perhaps an equal number who drop out of school early. If all those under 18 are included, the number of children out of school surpasses 400 million. Many of these children work in jobs that are disabling and dangerous. In Vietnam children as young as 10 years old are seen riding water buffalos into the rice fields and working alongside with their parents. Others beg or sell lottery tickets, gum, and postcards in the streets, hoping for some DONG from tourists passing by. These children have never been in school. They have never picked up a pen or pencil to write or read a book.

The problem preventing these children from attending school is money. The only way to end the perpetuation of the cycle of poverty is education. With this in mind, Vietnam Dream for Success seeks to provide scholarships to children and young adults who are struggling financially.

With $50 a year you can enable an elementary student to attend school and overcome the crisis of illiteracy. With $100 a year you can assist a high school student to pursue his/her education and instill a dream for college. With $200 a year you can ensure a solid career for a young college student, thus enabling him/her to maintain economic security for himself/herself and his/her families.

Lavang Boarding House

boarding-house Female college students from poor families in Vietnam struggle to live up to their college dream. Most come from the countryside and encounter cultural shock when they have to move into the cities for college. Some can afford college tuitions with their parents’ life savings through long and hard working hours, but expenses for food and a place to live impede them from applying for college. While others can afford both tuition and boarding, their living condition is not conducive to a healthy environment. They have to rent rooms in the cities that fit their meager budget; sometimes these rooms can become the most undesirable place to inhabit.

boarding-houseVietnamese culture still embraces a preference of sons over daughters with regard to education. This is the main reason why fewer women have the opportunity to pursue a college degree. Realizing the difficulties these young women are encountering Vietnam Dream for Success seeks to provide tuition, room, and board for twenty female students from poor families annually. We hope that within four years of college these women will obtain their respective college degrees and secure stable jobs to support themselves and their families.

boarding-house It is also our goal to instill in these young women a thirst and discipline for learning and scholarship, as well as an eagerness and generous disposition to render assistance to the less fortunate in society. Above all, our Lavang Boarding House instills in these students Jesus’ legacy of unconditional love and gracious service, for just as they have received freely, they will give freely to others.

With $500 a year you can sponsor a college student at our boarding house and enable her to complete her college education and secure for her a career that ensures economic security for herself and her family. She relies on your generosity, and her family depends on her future.