Middle school students receiving VHI scholarships

 

                                                                                    A story from a VHI member
Saigon, one late night. I was having a very late dinner in a small, dimly lit food stall in a dark alley. Suddenly a small silhouette appeared, walking towards me, frail and wobbling on his skinny legs. I could finally make out that it was a little boy carrying an oversize transparent bag full of sandals. " Would you buy sandals from me please, Auntie?"..." How old are you " ; " Eight "; " Why are you still out so late?".  He stared at me with his big shiny eyes. Silence. A silence that seemed to say that he had to, he wanted to sell those sandals before the day died out completely.  "Is your home far from here?"; "Not too far"; "Are your parents home?"; "No"; "Where are they"; " They left"; " Where to?".  He shook his head: he doesn't know. "Are they...coming back?".  He shook his head again. Silence again.  I looked into his eyes and I could discern hurt.  "Who do you live with then ?"; "With Grandma " ..."She probably is waiting for you now?"; "Yes"; "What does she do for a living ?";  "Nothing, she is sick"; "You mean just you and Grandma...and you have to earn a living because Grandma cannot, due to illness?"; " Yes"..."So...do you go to school in daytime?"; "No".  I looked at him and it dawned on me that he had to sell sandals in daytime too..."Do you want to go to school".  To this question, his whole face lit up, his bright eyes shone and he nodded  vehemently. "Yes, very much!" .  I turned away briefly to hide my pain.  Then I fumbled in my pockets and came up with all the change and money I had on me at the time.  I handed it all out to him. "Here, take this, hide it well little nephew, and go home now. It's late". He shook his head and said, his eyes still shining: " You have to take a pair of sandals or two from me then ".  I knew that he would not accept plain charity alone, and at his age!  So " Yes, I'll take one pair of sandals from you".  Then he went out the door, melting in the solitary darkness of the night, a frail eight-years old little guy.  He did turn around once to look at me, with those bright shiny eyes. It has been over twenty years, yet I still remember those eyes of his...

VHI could not find that little boy to help him go to school.  But in return, VHI found many others who are as eager to attend school and who really want to complete their education. To date VHI has disbursed 420 scholarships with modest funds. The scholarships are renewable as long as the recipients do at least fairly well academically each year and belong to the economically disadvantaged.

                 Phu Xuan University                                          An Giang University                                 Nha Trang