Opening doors for out-of-school children

by Nguyen Thi Da Thao – Teacher, Phan Dien Secondary School, Bac Binh district

First born, first out, Le Minh Phi had no choice but to leave grade seven when his parents found it impossible to afford school for all three of their children. As the eldest, it was his responsibility to seek work to help his family survive and keep his two siblings in education.

With no farmland, Phi’s parents took on any employment they could to make ends meet, but could only ever earn a limited, unstable income. Meanwhile, without work experience of any kind, Phi had huge difficulty in finding a job.

Aware of the boy’s circumstances, World Vision’s team working in the southern Vietnamese district of Bac Binh, suggested he take a vocational training course, with Phi choosing stone chair manufacture.

“When I heard World Vision would support Phi to attend one of its training courses, I was so surprised and touched,” his mother recalls.

Although burdened with a congenital heart condition that sometimes forced him to miss his vocational classes, Phi was determined not to give up and eventually received his World Vision certificate for completing the course.

Since finishing his training, Phi has made stone chairs for two years and has earned around 200 US dollars a month, which he has given to his mother for the household’s expenses.

“My family’s conditions changed the day Phi got a job,” says his mother. “I save the money he gives me and then use it to buy things we need. For example, we bought a set of stone chairs and tables and a cow.”

Phi used a part of his salary to support his parents by buying a cow.

Encouraging his brother to learn the same trade, Phi has set aside part of his monthly wages to pay for his sibling’s training, with the stoneworker saying, “I’m very grateful to World Vision for helping me get a job because now I can support both my parents and brother, who’s learning to make chairs like me.”

“I dream of running my own business,” he adds, “so I’ll try my best to make my dream come true.”