SAO MAI SCHOLARSHIP GROUP       

With the Little Sisters, supporting young people in their studies in Vietnam!

In 2017, after participating in the apostolic mission of the Phu Tuc parish, a part of the diocese of Kom Tum in Vietnam, our Congregation of the Little Sisters of the Assumption helped six young people from the Gia Rai ethnic group so that they could go to school.

A layman from our parish in Dong Hoa gave our community the money that his dying father had asked him to give us to support young people in difficulty. We received 20,000,000 VND the equivalent of 800.00 euros. This has enabled us to start our scholarship project.

In 2020, a Vietnamese Assumptionist priest offered to help pupils and students in difficulty living in Saigon. They are from poor families and their parents are orphans and disabled. They earn their living by selling lottery tickets or doing odd jobs. So, we decided to set up this scholarship fund called Sao Mai (meaning guiding star).

So far, there are three Little Sisters of the Assumption and one layperson to accompany this group. We have agreed to help young people according to the following:

• Up to 25 young people per year at most, we provide support for education from primary school to university, and for young people learning trades;
• if their parents are in great difficulty: disabled, migrants from other provinces, single-parent families of men or women bringing up children following a death or divorce; and
• for young people whose families live in and around Saigon.

Our aims in setting up this group are to:

• accompany young people and encourage them in their studies;
• help these young people to become people who are aware of their dignity and capable of playing their part in building society and the Church; and
• visit families to become better acquainted and motivate their children.

As an indication, a school year costs for a young person is about:

• 150 € for secondary school;
• 240€ for higher education.

If you would like to support the project, 👉click here

Here are some testimonials from people benefiting from the Sao Mai scholarships:

“My name is Thanh Duoc, I’m 42 years old and I’m a disabled single father bringing up 3 small children. I have been an orphan since childhood. Since leaving the orphanage, I have been renting a room. My wife left me 4 years ago. I work alone as an English tutor and try to look after my 3 children. Due to difficulties, I have had to send my two eldest to an orphanage.

Currently, my youngest daughter, Nguyen Huynh Minh Huong, aged 8, lives with me in a boarding house in Long An. For the past 2 years, I have been supported by the sisters in charge of the Sao Mai Bursary Fund. I am very happy to receive this precious help. Even if it’s not much in material terms, my daughter and I have more resources to share to alleviate the difficulties of life and to have the conditions to do our best, to get up and overcome the difficulties and especially so that my daughter can have better conditions for her studies. The sisters also encouraged me, visited me, helped us, and supported our morale. My daughter and I are sincerely grateful for the generosity of the sisters and benefactors who have loved and helped people in situations like my family. Thank you very much

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My name is Aquet. I was born in the ethnic region of Ro ngao, Vietnam. I met the Sao Mai scholarship group in my second year of university thanks to the Franciscan brothers. I graduated from university and have been working for the past few months.

When I was in my final year in secondary school, I was reluctant to continue my studies because my family has financial difficulties, my sister is in her first year at university and I have a disability in both hands. But thanks to the encouragement of my family, and my father in particular, I passed the exam and became a valedictory speaker at Da Nang City University of Technology.

When I applied for admission to the university, I encountered a lot of administrative difficulties, as do all disabled people and people from minority ethnic groups, so I didn’t get a discount on the tuition fees. I was disappointed and thought a lot about whether I should continue my studies. I looked for part-time jobs in cafés and restaurants to pay for my studies, but they all turned me down because of my disabled hands. They told me I was in danger of breaking anything I couldn’t hold in my crippled hands.
JI felt sad, I wanted to cry because there was no justice. I know I can do the same as everyone else, but discrimination prevents me from working. However, I never gave up on my dream of succeeding in my studies. So, I ate nothing but instant noodles every night for 3 months to save 300,000 VND the equivalent of 12 euros to sign up for a tutoring position; this amount was like a deposit. Thanks to this, I was able to pay for my studies. But life isn’t always easy. At the end of my first year at university, my father was in hospital recovering from a long illness, and I had lost faith. I decided to stop my studies to help my mother and take care of my fath I felt sad, I wanted to cry because there was no justice. I know I can do the same as everyone else, but discrimination prevents me from working. However, I never gave up on my dream of succeeding in my studies. So, I ate nothing but instant noodles every night for 3 months to save 300,000 VND the equivalent of 12 euros to sign up for a tutoring position; this amount was like a deposit. Thanks to this, I was able to pay for my studies. But life isn’t always easy. At the end of my first year at university, my father was in hospital recovering from a long illness, and I had lost faith. I decided to stop my studies to help my mother and take care of my father.
Thanks be to God; I met the Sao Mai scholarship group. I rediscovered my dream of going to school. For me, it’s the most precious scholarship I’ve ever received. It has followed me through university and into my present life. I’m very grateful for the generosity of the sisters and benefactors who have helped me so much. They have supported me both materially and spiritually.

The process of realising my dream is described here in just a few lines. But this is undoubtedly the moment in my life that contains the most emotions and is also my motivation for today and the future. I still hope that benefactors will share a little love for these dreams of children who want to go to school – orphans, disadvantaged children, disabled children, or people in situations like mine. Many thanks to you”

*(Aquet, a former student of the Sao Mai scholarship group).

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Thérèse NGUYEN Thi Muoi-LSA