A class at the kindergarten in Ba Tang Commune, Quang Tri Province’s Huong Hoa District, which was built under the Cargill Cares school programme. — VNS Photo Courtesy of Cargill
Cargill has opened a kindergarten in Ba Tang Commune, Quang Tri Province’s Huong Hoa District, the 87th in the Cargill Cares school programme that provides pre-school education for children.
The previous school there, built many years ago, was in a dilapidated state and had to be shut down a few years ago.
This forced children of different ages to study together in a temporary classroom arranged in a residential stilt house.
The new school cost VND1.3 billion (US$57,000) and has three classrooms, restrooms, a fence and a yard.
A water well has been built to serve both the school and help local households address their basic water and sanitation needs rather than go far to a stream to fetch water.
On May 18 Cargill opened a kindergarten in Xuan Hong District, Nam Dinh Province, for 180 children aged two to five. It has five classrooms, and had cost VND1.3 billion.
Stoney Su, Vietnam country director of Cargill, said last year Cargill Cares built six new schools in six provinces, benefitting 1,000 children.
Funds for the programme come from customers, partners and employees.
Since 1997 around $5 million has been raised to build schools that now provide education to more than 13,000 students in 46 provinces. — VNS