Volunteering in Vietnam

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Tags: international, summer-2011, Vietnam, volunteers

UQ students landscape at a primary school in Mo Cay, Ben Tre Province

A team of UQ students made the most of their mid-year holidays to pitch in at a primary school in a remote community in Vietnam.

The group from the Faculty of Business, Economics and Law partnered with local alumni to spend three weeks in the Mekong Delta after raising an impressive $45,000 to make the trip a reality.

The three-classroom primary school in Mo Cay, Ben Tre Province, houses approximately 100 children and is located in a part of the village which has no access to running water and the classrooms and its surroundings are affected by seasonal flooding.

The volunteers assisted in the refurbishment of the school facilities, in addition to teaching English at a second primary school. Projects included upgrading classrooms to avoid flooding, digging a well and creating a more hygienic toilet system, and ensuring safe children’s play areas.

UQ International Volunteer Project coordinator Celia Yeo, who accompanied the students on the trip, said the group worked side-by-side with the local community and UQ alumni based in Vietnam.

“It was inspiring to see members of the community, the students and UQ alumni all working together, happy to get their hands dirty for the good of the community and the children,” Ms Yeo said.

Students were selected for the trip in January and fundraised more than $45,000 before their departure in June. Upon their return the volunteers were enthusiastic about the difference the project made not only to the locals of Mo Cay but also themselves.

Second-year international hotel and tourism management student Erin Jentz said she volunteered to help the international community.

“I knew that the trip would be an experience of a lifetime but it was only after the trip that I realised how amazing the experience was,” Ms Jentz said.

“The best part of the trip was at the school’s opening ceremony seeing all the children together speaking English and exploring the primary school in awe. We felt proud to have helped and realised that we had made a difference in the lives of the people there.”

Postgraduate student Hamish Clift said the experience had added a new perspective to his learning experience.

“I study development economics, and I wanted to get firsthand experience working on a development-oriented project,” Mr Clift said.

“The project fulfilled this expectation and more and allowed me to work at a local level and get an understanding of what challenges and opportunities manifest themselves in such projects.”

To learn about upcoming projects, visit www.uqvolunteering.com

By Paula White

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