An own Kindergarten for Ca Tu children in Tay Giang

Malteser International supports the construction of a kindergarten in central Vietnam

The Kindergarten will provide all pre-school children with a better education and learning environment.The children are looking forward to the construction of their new kindergarten.

47 children are looking forward to the construction of their new kindergarten in Ahu, a village in Central Vietnam’s Tay Giang district. With help from Malteser International, the People’s Committee of Tay Giang has now been able to secure funding from the German consulate in Ho Chi Minh City to finance the new kindergarten building.

Until now, the children, who belong to the Ca Tu ethnic minority, have had their lessons in the traditional community house in Ahu village. But the community house lacks many essential facilities which are needed for a good learning environment: it is open to all sides, without any protection against wind or rain. It has only one room and no sanitary facilities or water supply for the children. To access the building, the children have to climb up the stairs.  For this reason, children under the age of four are not allowed to join daycare and education.

A team from Malteser International, together with a representative of the German Consulate, visited the kindergarten children last March. It took a three-hour drive through the mountainous and very remote area in Central Vietnam to one of the country’s poorest districts. The children welcomed the visitors by singing a Vietnamese song.  Despite the warm welcome and the pleasant atmosphere, it was evident that the children’s improvised classroom only provided a temporary solution, and that a new building is urgently needed before the next rainy season begins.

The People’s Committee’s plans for the new kindergarten include two classrooms for all 47 children, with furnishings adjusted to the different needs of younger and older children.  The new kindergarten should also count on an additional caretaker and include sanitary facilities and its own water supply system.

The joint project, funded by the German Consulate and implemented by the Tay Giang People’s Committee, will provide all preschool-age children in Ahu village a better education and learning environment. This not only helps to reduce the number of children who cannot come to the kindergarten, but also means that the mothers have time to work and can increase the family’s income.

Under Malteser International’s coordination and supervision, the construction of the kindergarten will start in June and should be completed within the next three months, so the children can move to the new kindergarten right before the start of the rainy season.