Service learning in the heart of rural Vietnam
After a 6 hour journey through city roads that turned to dirt roads and eventually rocky mountain trails, our bus finally arrived at the the house of Co, who was to be our homestay host for the next 10 days. We had just arrived in Vi Xuyen Village, Ha Giang, Vietnam, and were expected to help with two main things, namely: The construction of a dam and water channel system, allowing rainwater to flow directly to the farms and homes in the region, and two, the running of English and STEM workshops for the children in the Village.
This journey however, began almost 6 months ago.
Planning
In december of 2024, I signed up to be the project dircetor for an upcoming service learning trip. Nothing was confirmed; We didn’t know where we were going to go, what we were going to do, how many people we would have. All we knew was that the three of us who signed up as PD’s wanted to make a difference in the world as engineering students, and this was the place to be.
And now the work begins
I was responsible for project coordination, sponsorship procurement, recruitment, project planning and management.
Big thanks to
All the people that made this possible: YESD, our lovely partner organisation that handled all the logistics and accomodation. (insert pic)
NUS Coop, for sponsoring the team with items that were distributed to the children and some people in the village. It felt like christmas in the middle of May! (insert pic)
That’s a wrap!
Alas, it all had to come to a conclusion. After 14 days sharing one bathroom with 25 other people, it was time to return to Singapore. Here are some updates from YESD about the state of construction: