Lao Cai's surprise: A desire for quality education despite the many obstacles of rural mountain living

By Nicole DeRespinis

After an overnight train ride from the chaotic streets of Hanoi to the winding mountain roads of the Lao Cai region, my mind wandered to what it was about mountains that I loved so much:  all of the many surprises they hold. A bend in the road and a weary traveler finds herself awestruck by the dramatic rise of previously hidden terraced rice paddies. Around the next corner and a jagged tree-lined peak emerges in the distance. A bit further up the mountain and a village comes into view, which one would never imagine existing so far from the city below.  

It turns out the mountains of Lao Cai hold another surprise - teachers, parents, students and even local government officials with a strong belief in the power of a quality education.  I had the luck of visiting on one of the enrollment days for the new Sponsorship Program being introduced in the community, when children learn about the new “friends” they will have around the world and parents speak with Save the Children staff about how the Basic Education and School Health and Nutrition programs will help to improve the learning environment in their children’s school.

The children – many of whom trekked many kilometers over steep roads to reach school that day – sat patiently as the Save the Children staff member explained Sponsorship to them.  Parents stood proudly next to their smiling children for a family photo  - perhaps one of the first such photos they’ve ever taken. The headmaster explained that these parents care so much about their children but simply can't afford the time or resource to prepare them adequately for school success. Teachers told of how they live away from their families, sharing bedrooms in the humble hillside school, in order to dedicate their lives to educating local youth. We were even joined by education officials to celebrate this exciting day, who spoke of the importance of improving rural schools to ensure students have a chance at a better future.

Seeing the poverty in the region, low literacy rates, and evident need to work the fertile land to survive, a formal education might not seem a priority in this part of Vietnam. However, the community has not given up on these children. From children to parents to education officials, there is great enthusiasm for the support that a program like Save the Children Sponsorship can bring.

These regions hold great hope, and the strength and will of the people just might surprise you.