Thanks to the effective implementation of the Scholarship to Elevate Education and Develop Skills (SEEDS) project in Da Nang, many talented disadvantaged pupils in the city's Hoa Vang District have overcome their difficulties to gain good academic results and achieve top prizes at municipal-level contests for excellent pupils.

Nguyen Tieu Ngoc (centre) and Nguyen Thi Thanh Mai (right)

Pupil Nguyen Thi Thanh Mai residing in the district’s Hoa Nhon Commune is a typical example.

The studious girl was born in a very poor family. Her father has been suffering from end-stage renal failure and he has undergone periodic haemodialysis treatment at a local hospital with 3 times a week. Meanwhile, her little brother has been suffering cerebral palsy. Mai’s mother is a teacher at a local school. Therefore, all her family’s daily expenses depend on her mother’s salary.

With SEEDS scholarships, Mai can continue pursuing her academic dream and gain impressive academic achievements. Recently, she has passed the entrance exams to the city’s Le Quy Don Senior High School for the Gifted.

In another case, Nguyen Tieu Ngoc from the district’s Ong Ich Khiem Senior High School has received SEEDS scholarships in order to continue her academic dream.  

“Sometime, I wanted to drop out of school due to my difficult situation. My parents could not afford to pay tuition fees for their 3 children. Meanwhile, my grandmother has been suffering congenital heart disease. Fortunately, the Pacific Links Foundation has provided me with SEEDS scholarship in a timely manner, thereby helping my family overcome current difficulties”, Ngoc noted.

She remarked that the scholarships not only help her feel secure to continue her academic dream, but also create extra motivation for her to always try harder to deserve the help.

According to the Da Nang Association of Charities and Children's Rights Protection, the Pacific Links Foundation-funded SEEDS project has been implemented in the city since August 2018.

Over the past one year, scholarships have been granted for a total of 304 junior and senior high school pupils, and students across the city.

Thanks to the SEEDS project, many local pupils gained impressive academic results in the 2018-2019 school year. Notably, 60 pupils passed entrance exams to the city’s senior high schools, and 15 others won prizes at municipal-level contests for excellent pupils.