A Helping Hand for Ai Linh Love School in Vietnam

What is Bridge to Vietnam?

Bridge to Vietnam is a High School club where members organize different methods to connect with and assist our sister school in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bridge to Vietnam members visited the Ai Linh Love School each year to teach the students the fundamentals of English, provide them with new school supplies, and extend support to improve the structure of the school. 

Watch the video from our 2019 trip

What is our goal?

Bridge to Vietnam has focused on both short and long term goals. In the past, our primary goal was to give a helping hand to the Ai Linh Love School by providing the school with a great deal of school stationery and English instruction by high school club members. However, in the strenuous COVID-19 age, the Ai Linh Love School has suffered to continue teaching its students on online platforms due to lack of devices. This matter developed our first team goal, which was purchasing ten computers for the students of our sister school. To accomplish this goal, we did various collaborative activities as a high school community to raise money as the fund put towards the ten laptops. 

Our achievements 

This year, we hosted a Bridge to Vietnam Dress Down Day where students were encouraged to dress in Red and Yellow colours representing the Vietnamese flag. We raised up to 30,000 yen, which was donated to the Ai Linh School and was used to buy computers for online learning. Furthermore, we also led an after-school activity where students could craft bracelets, necklaces, and other pieces of beaded jewelry to be sent to the Ai Linh School.

Moreover, thanks to the generous donations by the Seisen staff, faculty, sisters, and the teachers’ Social Justice Committee. This contributed significantly to the purchase of computers for the Ai Linh School students and ensuring that they could receive quality education and stable resources and services. The computers we purchased are called Acer Aspire laptops, which are reasonably priced, allowing us to provide devices to more families in Ho Chi Minh.

Thank you email from Ai Linh Love School 

This email was sent to Mrs. Nienhaus from the United School Directress. On behalf of the Ai Linh Love school, she thanked the Bridge to Vietnam club for their continuous support and provision of the ten computers. 

Dear Teacher Elizabeth and Sr. P. Chi
I am joyfully sending you the update on the uses of the laptops donated to the kids at Ai Linh. 
We set up a computer room, where the 4th and 5th graders are having classes twice a week. They discover new things, new methods of learning in history, science and geography using computers. All were so excited and contented with these new devices. Thank you so much. 
I would also like to update our situation at  Ai Linh Love School
These past two weeks, we have been busy with all the process of the on-site classes for the 2nd semester. After nine months of having no class at school, the children almost forget all the routine. So it was hard putting them back on the rhythm. 
However, they get back to the good habit quite quickly. We are so happy about that. 
This semester, we have more than 200 kids, including the 1st graders who were not able to have class online. So, they become the pre-1 st graders preparing themselves for the next school year. Though it is already quite crowded, we still  try to make room for the most needed ones.
The Covid still a problem here, but we face it with another perspective. We accept to be contaminated because there is no other way. When there is a child who gets Covid, she/he will stop schooling until she gets better, class goes on as usual. The nation is almost getting used to living with Covid, so we have to. 
I hope and pray that this soon shall pass. 
Sending very warm regards and gratitude to the team, who always show support to us here. I am so grateful for all of you.
Sr Trinh and staff and children at Ai Linh Love school

Why Bridge to Vietnam is important?

Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, resources and services are highly strained in some countries, one of the essential services being education. We are fortunate enough to have the materials and funds to help the Ai Linh Love School better its students' education and school experiences through online learning.

Here at Seisen, we are grateful for the opportunities, resources, and security provided to our community, so it is crucial to acknowledge that if we can help our Love Schools in any way possible, we should, and we will. 

How you can get involved?

Please reach out to the members of Bridge to Vietnam to find out more about upcoming opportunities and events.

Bridge to Vietnam Team

Mrs. Nienhaus ejury@seisen.com
XinYue 2022maxi@seisen.com
Riana 2022hiri@seisen.com
Yume 2023tayu@seisen.com
Elle 2025onel@seisen.com
Ashley 2025gras@seisen.com
Leina 2025phle@seisen.com

 

Written by Ashley Grantham (9) and Elle Ono (9) on behalf of the Bridge to Vietnam Team