Cargill opens 88th Cares school
The Cargill Cares Council in Vietnam presented its 88th school facility to authorities and residents in the mountainous hamlet of Ho Le in Huc commune, Huong Hoa district in the central province of Quang Tri on August 13.
88th school in Vietnam in remote area of central Quang Tri province.
The school, replacing an old one of the same site, will welcome children for the new academic year starting in September and is a branch of the Huc Primary School. It will educate children in Ho Le hamlet and surrounding areas from Grade 1 to Grade 5.
“This 88th school marks another milestone in Cargill’s school building program in Vietnam, as it has proven that with a collective love of everybody involved, from local authorities to our sponsors, teachers, parents, and especially our employee volunteers, a school project can be completed under such harsh conditions,” said Mr. Stoney Su, Vietnam Country Director of Cargill. “Helping the world thrive is the purpose of Cargill worldwide. This philosophy of enriching communities while developing business is further strengthened by this particular project, simply because no child should be left behind in this advanced facility for better learning.”
Located in a particularly mountainous region, the new school in Ho Le is the most remote of the seven Huc school branches. To get there from the center of Huc commune involves passing through more than 7 km of steep, boggy roads. The school can become isolated during heavy rains and the wet season, and teachers sometimes have to stay overnight at the school. Part of the old school’s roof was blown off during a storm last year and had not been fixed by the time the Cargill Cares team arrived to conduct a site survey, making it unsafe for children. Built in 1994, the old school had two classrooms, with one for children studying from Grades 1-3 and another for Grade 5 children. There was no restroom, and the school yard was an empty piece of land.
On the threshold of the new school year, to the excitement of students and teachers, the brand-new school facility, with three classrooms, restrooms, a school yard, a gate and fence as well as a land slide protection corridor will allow children to learn in a safe and conductive environment.
With no source of clean water for daily use rather than fetching water from far-away streams, Cargill Cares also drilled a well near the newly-built school that provides better water supply and sanitation for teachers, students, and local residents. Total investment in the school and the well was VND1.52 billion ($65,315), fully funded by Cargill Cares Council in Vietnam.
Ho Le school is among six new schools Cargill Cares Council in Vietnam is committed to completing by fiscal year 2018-2019. It was the most difficult project to date because of its remoteness, harsh weather and geography.
Cargill’s school building program got underway in 1997 to support students in agricultural communities in rural Vietnam, providing students with access to quality education in a safe and conducive environment.
The program is part of the Cargill Cares Council, which is completely employee-led. Cargill employees invest time and effort to raise funds and provide logistical and administrative support, including working with local architects, applying for licenses, and managing the construction of the schools.
Funds come from Cargill customers, partners and employees. Since 1997, around $5.3 million has been raised to build schools that now provide quality education to more than 14,000 students in 47 provinces every year and to fund other charity activities in the country. Cargill in Vietnam is aiming towards building 100 schools in Vietnam by 2020.
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