The tone of the afternoon was fun but there will be a serious side to Newcastle Grammar School’s recent soccer gala day when a group of students and staff travel to Vietnam next month.
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The school have been fundraising to help underprivileged children in Vietnam and have held a series of events this year which culminated in a soccer gala day last Friday.
The funds raised will go towards building a soccer pitch in the Vung Tau Community, Vietnam, where Vietnamese-Australian woman My Huong Le is living and doing charity work.
She works with vulnerable children at a school in Vung Tau.
My Huong, who has connections to Newcastle, offers children who would otherwise be working on the streets a free, structured education.
The school offers skills training in sewing, motorbike repair, and hair/salon services.
Newcastle Grammar School held a Crazy Hair Day, which raised funds for My Huong to offer salon training. They also held a literary drive to help establish a school library.
Now they will help fund a mini soccer field, which will encourage integration with local children and schools, from which they are excluded due to poverty.
It will also allow Vung Tau ongoing independent revenue opportunity through the hire of the facility.
It is a project Head of School Erica Thomas believes will have a lifelong effect on her students.
“I wanted to ingrain into the school community the idea of service to others by having a day like this,” Ms Thomas said.
“I keep saying to the students we take it for granted, whereas they have nothing.
“It is putting into these kids’ minds what are some of the key issues or problems in developing nations. It brings about that we should all care about each other and we are all human.
“We wanted to try to add another level of value. If we could provide something like a soccer field, it would be life-changing for these kids.”
A group of year 9 to 12 students and members of school staff will travel to Vietnam on December 8 for a 10-day tour, where they will see first-hand where the funds are going.
“While there, our students will do gardening work and create a garden for the school and do some English teaching,” Ms Thomas said.
“At that school, she feeds them so their parents keep sending them to school. They get no government support.
“To see that service to others is an important part of our lives. I’m very proud. The support has been overwhelming.
“We decided this was a very worthwhile project and one we are committing to for a minimum of five years.”