Blue Dragon is keeping children in school across Vietnam

For children facing poverty, illness and isolation, returning to school is not always as simple as turning up on the first day of term. In the past school term, Blue Dragon has helped 65 students get back into classrooms, giving them the chance to continue their education and build a brighter future.

For over two decades, Blue Dragon has been keeping kids in school, supporting them to attend university and providing them with vocational training – because we know that education is the key to transforming the lives of vulnerable children. 

But children born into hardship face many obstacles that prevent them from finishing their education. From poverty and illness to dangerous commutes, each child has personal, complicated reasons for dropping out. 

That’s why at the start of each school term, Blue Dragon works with teachers and officials in remote communities to help children who haven’t shown up for the first day of classes. We travel home to home and school to school – often across dangerous mountain paths – checking on students who need a little extra to get back in the classroom.

One such child is a boy named Su, who comes from a disadvantaged family deep in the mountains where phone signals can’t reach. Lively, curious and fueled by his dream of becoming a sports teacher, it was very strange for Su not to be one of the first kids back for another semester of learning. 

When Su still hadn’t shown up after a few days into the new term, his teachers were so worried that they contacted Blue Dragon. They then took us to Su’s village, where we were confronted by a troubling image.

Su stood thin and pale in the half-light of his family’s wooden home. He explained that he was too sick to return to school even though he really wanted to. With his family unable to pay for medical care, his condition had been steadily declining.

“I had already prepared my school supplies and clothes to go back to school with my friends,” he shared. “But the next day, I couldn’t get up. Do you think I’ll ever get better?”

We immediately made sure Su got the medical treatment he needed. Now, we’re supporting his family with food and daily necessities so they can take care of themselves.

As for Su, he’s back to his lively old self, learning, playing and dreaming of educating future generations of children in his community – no matter what hardships he has to overcome along the way.

“To get to Su’s house, you have to walk 5 km on foot,” shares Su’s social worker. “When we made the trip to visit his family, the journey across narrow mountain paths was tough and dangerous. That same road is the one Su walks every single day to get to school and he doesn’t hesitate for a moment.”

This year, through working with schools and community leaders, our efforts to keep children in education have reached over 50,000 students like Su in 97 schools across rural Vietnam. While they all have unique reasons for dropping out, they all share one thing in common: finishing school is their best chance of breaking free from poverty.

Over the past two months, working alongside our local partners, Blue Dragon has supported 65 students to return to school, who might otherwise never have returned. We provided assistance to more than 500 students, including supporting them with school fees, books, stationery, boarding school and even a cow. During this time we have also run events to encourage children to come back, benefitting thousands of students.

We have now supported more than 8,000 children to stay in school, helping them to follow their dreams, become chefs, designers and even social workers here at Blue Dragon. As we continue our mission to create a world where all children are safe to thrive, thousands more will go on to follow their passions and make the world a better place for everyone.