Why We Exist

Over the last 30 years, the U.S. Vietnamese community has gathered many notable accomplishments. A Vietnamese counterpart may be found in the leading team in almost every profession. This success reflects the ability and intelligence of the Vietnamese people. Provided with the same opportunities, we strongly believe that the young generation in Vietnam will garner the same level of success. Inspired by this belief, Education For The Poor was created in late 2005 with the hope of giving young Vietnamese an opportunity to escape poverty and to change their lives.

When speaking of Vietnam, the country is associated with an image of poverty and stagnancy. This state of poverty may be likened to the image of an old shirt that can never be made whole even with continuous mending because the material is so worn out. Mending one tear will not prevent other tears from happening. During attempts to find solutions to alleviate the problem of poverty, EFTP has recognized education as a primary solution to the dilemma.

Providing educational assistance is not a simple task. It requires a lot of goodwill and vision in order to correctly anticipate the demands of the society in the future as well as a feasible plan of action to ensure its success. In light of constant and explosive technological advancements in the world that we live in, EFTP recognizes that without the concern of the Vietnamese community abroad, the poverty and stagnancy that continually loom over Vietnam will never be overcome. As such, EFTP strives to do what is possible to achieve a better future for the young generation in Vietnam.

Faced with fierce competition in this new century, most nations consider education its highest priority, and most people rely on the side-effect of globalization to acquire knowledge and to enable them to further advance toward a better future. For example, the current graduation rate of students in China is approximately six times the graduation rate in America. After his trip to China, Bishop Mai Thanh Luong made the following observation:

"China is advancing at a ferocious pace. The country changes everyday, not every year like other countries."

However, the U.S. is making noticeable advancement in the field of education. Its university system is currently researching methods that will allow students to learn wherever they are. Through the use of podcasts and vodcasts, this technology will allow students to participate in classroom lectures while exercising, or examine a human brain while waiting for the bus.

In light of the current globalization, new knowledge will be divulged to the public everywhere quite rapidly through the Internet. The Internet has become a huge library that constantly refreshes itself with new knowledge and inventions. EFTP desires that the young generation in Vietnam will come to recognize the important role the Internet plays in quenching their thirst for knowledge.

Faced with the present situation and knowing that the need for educational assistance in Vietnam is unlimited, how can EFTP effectively help young individuals with its dismal financial resources?

In order to achieve success in our work, and to make the best use of EFTP’s financial resources in the process of providing educational assistance, we have traveled to Vietnam to visit various remote parts of the country such as Huong Khe, Nam Cat Tien, and have met with college students in Ha Noi and Hue with the hope of understanding their needs. Thanks to this trip, we have acquired some understanding of their educational need as well as discerning the direction EFTP should pursue.

When EFTP was first established, we intended to pay special attention to the process of eradicating illiteracy in the countryside and remote areas. However, we have come to realize that erasing illiteracy in these areas is an extremely long process and the success of our effort cannot be truly determined. Very often, the financial condition of the families in the remote countryside of Vietnam is very deplorable, and their daily survival requires efforts from all members of the family. Because of this, people tend to drop out of school at a very young age to help their families. Thus, EFTP’s educational assistance does not yield the results that it aspires for. For this reason, while still keeping an eye on the students in the countryside and remote areas, EFTP has begun to shift its attention to the college students in need of financial assistance for two reasons. First of all, these are the individuals who are very determined to reach their educational goal and they are the ones who will be able to help the country advance and catch up with the world. Furthermore, we strongly believe that the success of these college students will serve as an encouragement to the parents in the countryside to pay more attention to their children’s education. Secondly, we believe the advancement of Vietnam is like the running of a train. EFTP wants to concentrate a lot of effort into pushing the head engine—college students—in the hope that it will pull along with it the rest of the wagons—all the other younger students in middle or high school.