Children from low-income families in SVD parishes in Beungkan Province, Thailand are preparing for the new school year with fresh educational supplies thanks to an initiative from their Parish Priest, Fr Truong Le SVD.

Fr Truong cares for the parishes of Immaculate Conception Church and Jesus of Nazareth Church in Beungkan Province, near the Mekong River, bordering Laos. It is the newest province in Thailand and one of the poorest.

“With the COVID situation, I had planned to do something to assist families in need,” Fr Truong says.

“In these villages, the people depend on the annual rice crop for stable food for the family throughout the year. Very little can be sold for profit.

“Until recently, the villagers could supplement their income with rubber trees, bringing in about $160 AUD per month. Those without rubber trees depend on daily wages with whatever work is available, which is about $15 AUD per day.

“In all, the villagers welcome assistance and support.”

Fr Truong says the students are currently getting ready for the new school year and their families are confronted with trying to obtain all the necessary supplies.

“Each year, uniforms and supplies are significant expenses for these families,” he says. “Kids do grow out of their clothes quickly. Low-income families can’t afford to buy new uniforms each year. From what I saw last year, the students wore out their uniforms significantly.

“So, this year, I was able to assist 50 plus students, both Buddhist and Catholics, with full quality uniforms and supplies.”

Fr Truong says the project was funded by donations from the Vietnamese Eucharistic Movement in the US, with whom he has a long association, who chose to support the mission in Thailand for their annual Lenten Charity project.

He says the project not only assists low-income families but also encourages students to continue with school.

“The education standards in the villages are lower than in the larger towns and cities. Students tend to have lower educational attainment due to the lack of encouragement and support from family, lack of resources, poorly-trained teachers, poverty, and other issues that affect the youth,” he says.

Since arriving in his parishes, Fr Truong has been responding to the needs of the villages by opening up English courses for young people.

“Now I am opening up a computer course, since I found out they have never touched a desktop computer before,” he says.

“These activities focus on promoting educational value, and I firmly believe that investment in education improves the livelihood of the students and their families. So, the school uniforms and supplies serve to reach this end.”

Fr Truong says while the educational supplies are a small gift, the villagers are grateful, particularly during the trying times of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The school uniforms and supplies show that the community cares about how the students look going to school, that we care about their education, that we care about their future,” he says.

PHOTOS

TOP RIGHT: Fr Truong hands a new school bag to a young student from his village.

BOTTOM LEFT: Students model their new school uniforms.