SCC Presentation RCDS

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Saigon Childrens Charity
A Brighter Future for the Children of Vietnam
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Saigon Childrens Charity

• Founded in 1992 - UK registered charity also
  registered in Vietnam and the USA
• 88 of all income goes directly on aid
• 15 staff operating in HCMC and 6 provinces in
  South Vietnam
• Our mission is to
• Help the poorest children to escape from the
  cycle of poverty
• Bring them the prospect of a brighter future
  through education

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Saigon Childrens Charity

• Vietnam - context
• Average annual income per capita - 722
• Majority of families SCC supports closer to 400
• 36 of population under 16 (30 million)

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Saigon Childrens Charity

• Vietnam context - poverty
• Poverty defined as a level of deprivation such
  that a person is unable to meet minimum standards
  of well being with well being defined as
• adequate resources for attaining the basic
  necessities of food, water, shelter and clothing
• access to acceptable levels of health and
  education
• accountability from state institutions and civil
  society and
• freedom from excessive vulnerability to adverse
  shocks

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Saigon Childrens Charity

• Vietnam context - poverty
• Two measures of poverty used
• The food poverty line is based upon minimum
  requirements for calories that ensure good
  nutritional status. The food poverty line is
  calculated as the expenditure required, given
  Vietnamese food consumption patterns, to deliver
  2100 calories per person per day.
• The general poverty line is based upon the food
  poverty line but allows for minimum non-food
  expenditure.

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Saigon Childrens Charity

• Vietnam context - poverty
• In 2006 18.1 below the general poverty line
  (earning ltc12 a month) 15.2 million people
• 3 regions account for almost 2/3rds of Vietnams
  poor Northern Uplands 28 per cent
• Mekong Delta 21 per cent
• North Central 18 per cent

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Saigon Childrens Charity

• Vietnam context child poverty
• Malnutrition. In Vietnam 25 of children under
  five are malnourished
• Poor access to water and sanitation - 51.5 of
  the population has no access to clean water and
  74.7 has no access to hygienic lavatories.
• More than 2.6 million children are in need of
  special protection, including children living
  with disabilities, orphaned children and children
  living in poverty.
• Source UNICEF

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Saigon Childrens Charity

• Vietnam context - poverty
• Vietnam now one of the fastest growing economies
  8.1 growth in GDP in 2006 and near doubling of
  income per capita
• But inflation growth matches this
  disproportionately affecting the poor
• Rural areas lag behind with poverty in Vietnam
  highly concentrated in rural areas with around
  90 of the poor living in rural areas.

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Saigon Childrens Charity

• Vietnam context - education
• Primary schooling mandatory and free
• High enrolment rates do not necessarily imply
  that all children receive a standard primary
  education approximately one third of children
  do not complete primary education.
• Completion of primary school does not necessarily
  ensure that children receive a primary education
  of good quality.

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Saigon Childrens Charity

• Vietnam context - education
• Vietnamese school year of thirty-three weeks is
  very short by international standards and only
  around 10 per cent of children in Vietnam receive
  full day schooling. Others receive half-day
  schooling or even less for children in
  triple-shift schools.
• Therefore most primary students receive little
  more than half of the international norm for
  annual teaching time
• Secondary schooling not free. Cost of schooling
  can be subsidised up to 50 but for typical
  family (3 children) still costs between 60 and
  200 pa

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Saigon Childrens Charity
Vietnam context - education
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The Charity and the children
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The Children
Children are kept in poverty not by a padlock to
which there is one key...
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...but by a combination lock that requires an
alignment of factors if it is to be released
The Children
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The Children

• Educational Challenges in Vietnam
• Huge need for schools, particularly in remote
  rural areas
• Poorest children have to work to support their
  families
• Dropout rate high at age 9-14

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The Children
What keeps children from school?
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Government schools in Vietnam are not free
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No school for those who have to work
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No school for those without a birth certificate
or residence permit
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or for many disabled and deaf children
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Building Schools
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Building Schools
Many existing structures unsafe...
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...cramped and inadequate
Building Schools
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Building Schools

• Therefore we...
• Build small kindergartens, primary and secondary
  schools
• One, two three classroom schools
• We plan to build 22 classrooms in 2008

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Building Schools
1 classroom costs US8,000
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Scholarships
3,500 children each receive...
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...10kg of rice every month...
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...all the books and pens they need for the
year...
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...a new school uniform...
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and...
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...when necessary, a bicycle
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Scholarships
How do we choose?
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• Local partners help to identify those in need
• Children do not need to pass an exam
• Must be eager to learn

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We visit every child at home to assess their need
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Scholarships
US75 will educate one child for one year
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Where the money goes
Scholarships
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Vocational Training
District 4
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District 4, Saigon
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District 4
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District 4
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District 4, Saigon
Thang Long School Vocational training
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Training for a brighter future
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Thang Long School photography class organises
outings...
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...to take pictures in many parts of Vietnam
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Thang Long photography class
Students photographs exhibited in Saigon, Hong
Kong, London, Melbourne, Singapore
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Students photographs
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Choir practice at Thang Long
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Training leads to paid employment and a chance
to escape from poverty
New World Hotel, Saigon
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Vocational training
In 2007-2008 we will provide training for 425
more children
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Vocational training
at a cost of 205 per child per year
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Saigon Childrens Charity
With your help...
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Saigon Childrens Charity
Saigon Childrens Charity
With your help...
More children could benefit in 2008
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How you can help

• Give a bicycle 50
• Sponsor 1 or more children through school just
  75 per year
• Sponsor 1 or more children in vocational
  training 205 per year
• Build one classroom 8,000
• Sponsor sewing or hairdressing classes c5,000
  per class per year

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To donate by credit card please visit
www.saigonchildren.com or... send a cheque
payable to Saigon Childrens Charity to Saigon
Childrens Charity 59 Tran Quoc Thao District
3 Ho Chi Minh City And remember... Saigon
Childrens Charity is a registered charity.
Please complete a Gift Aid form and we can
reclaim an additional 28 from the tax
man Registered Charity No 1015484 (UK)