Many of the students have moved to Ho Chi Minh City from the provinces and in these cases their parents may have unstable work and incomes. This instability means many of the children are behind in their schooling and desperately need extra help. The teaching programs are based in either a Vietnamese school, orphanage, community center, shelter for children living on the street, or center for vocational training.
The program caters to pupils of both primary and secondary school age so it is important that volunteers are willing to work with a wide age range. The volunteer’s role is to support the provision of English in institutions where under-staffing and skills shortages are an issue. Teaching qualifications and experience are welcome, but are not a requirement. It is important that volunteers have great time management skills, show confidence in a classroom setting, are able to use their initiative and come up with creative lesson plans.
As is common in many of the world’s poorer communities, an ability to speak English unlocks a new world of possibilities – in education and in job opportunities, as well as opening themselves up to learning more about the world.
Goals of this Project:
- Provide free English language classes to disadvantaged Vietnamese children and youth
- Improve the future prospects of some of Vietnam’s most impoverished children, and help them to break the poverty cycle
- Expose non-English speakers to native English speakers in order to improve pronunciation and conversational skills
- Enable inter-cultural exchange which benefits both residents and international volunteers alike.
