In the bustling coastal city of Da Nang, 7th grader Hoang My faces a reality shared by nearly 1 in 5 lower to upper secondary school children in Vietnam: the terrifying possibility that her education could end at any moment.
After her parents’ divorce, My’s mother became the sole provider for three daughters—one of whom lives with a disability. The family’s income from running a small coffee shop barely covers food and rent. School supplies, tutoring, or even the simple stability needed to focus on homework are unimaginable luxuries.
The math of poverty is brutally simple. When survival is the priority, access to education hangs in precarity. It becomes a cost to be cut.
My’s mother was faced with an impossible decision: keep her daughter in school and watch the family fall deeper into debt, or pull her out to help at home. For countless families across Vietnam, this isn’t a hypothetical—it’s a daily calculation that too often ends with a child dropping out.
“I love going to school because being with my friends makes me so happy,” My pleaded when she learned she might have to leave.
Her words are a powerful cry against an unfair system. They highlight the cruel irony: a child’s ambition and joy are silenced by barriers far beyond her control—barriers like poverty, distance, and familial duty.
This is where the story could have ended. Another dream extinguished. Another potential unfulfilled.
But for My, a lifeline appeared.
In 2021, she joined Children of Vietnam’s Study Steps program. It provided the essential support her family couldn’t: scholarships for school fees, supplies, and tutoring. It was a 10% intervention that changed the entire equation for her family, easing the financial pressure that nearly forced My out of the classroom.
This support did more than just keep My in school; it gave her a chance to thrive. She gained confidence in life skills classes and even found the courage to perform on stage at the 2025 COV Gala—a moment of joy and normalcy every child deserves.
My’s story is a powerful testament to what’s possible, but it is also a stark warning. For every Hoang My, there are thousands more still teetering on the edge—one missed paycheck or family emergency away from leaving school forever.
You can be the lifeline for a child like My. Your support provides the critical resources that break the impossible choice between survival and education.
Your donation today isn’t just a gift; it’s a powerful statement that a child’s future should never be a family’s impossible choice.
Donate Now: Keep a Child in School