The Reading Station for Children

The project was established in response to an urgent issue: the lack of textbooks and facilities at schools in mountainous areas, particularly in places where learning conditions remain difficult, such as Muong Men Primary and Secondary School, Van Ho, Son La. The schools in this area not only face a shortage of books, but also have extremely limited libraries and learning equipment, especially as the new school year approaches. Although the students here are always eager for knowledge and have great dreams, they lack the basic tools to achieve them.

With the motto "Put heart at the foundation, put affection at the forefront", The Viet Projects identified a clear direction: sharing love through books, creating opportunities for students to access knowledge and nurture their dreams. The Viet Projects leveraged communication campaigns to call for support and donations of books and facilities such as bookshelves, headphones, and televisions for school libraries from young people and donors. These items are not only necessary but also symbols of care and sharing between generations, together with the desire to accompany and help the students move towards a brighter future.

The Viet Projects was initiated with the support of organisations, individuals, and businesses, with the aim of building a brighter future for children while also increasing brand value and community presence for partners. This is a mutually beneficial relationship, where every charitable action becomes a bridge that spreads positive values. The "The Reading Station for Children" project reflects The Viet Projects' mission and seeks to demonstrate that with compassion and small actions, everyone can create positive change, opening an inspiring journey and demonstrating the power of love within the community.

The communication campaign "5 Messages for 1 Book" is an initiative of the "The Reading Station for Children" project, under The Viet Projects. This is not simply a book donation activity, but also a bridge between people who care and students in disadvantaged areas.

The campaign's core idea

The campaign was designed around a mechanism whereby for every 5 messages shared by young people, parents, or anyone on their personal social media pages, The Viet Projects would donate 1 book to the library of Muong Men Primary and Secondary School, Van Ho, Son La.

Impact and meaning of the messages

Each message represents sincere affection and encouragement sent to the children. More importantly, after the campaign ended, The Viet Projects would select and compile these messages into a book titled "300 Messages of Love". This book would be publicly posted on the project's fanpage and presented to the school, becoming a source of emotional encouragement for the students to continue striving on their educational journey.

How to participate

Participants simply needed to share 5 messages of love and encouragement for students in mountainous areas through a post on their personal social media page. Every 5 messages would be converted into 1 book and delivered to the library at Muong Men Primary and Secondary School.

The books were primarily supported by publishers and bookshops, together with contributions from numerous charitable organisations and individuals.

Objective

The goal of the "The Reading Station for Children" project is to provide students in mountainous areas, specifically at Muong Men Primary and Secondary School, Van Ho, Son La, with a better learning environment through the provision of textbooks, reading books, and learning equipment. The project not only aims to provide material support but also to encourage students to develop reading habits, broaden their knowledge, and thereby nurture their dreams and shape their futures. By organising communication campaigns to call on the community to contribute together, "The Reading Station for Children" also seeks to create a space for connection, where love and sharing can spread throughout society.

Long-term Objective

The "5 Messages for 1 Book" campaign not only promotes donations but also helps raise awareness of the importance of education and community responsibility. The Viet Projects' book "300 Messages of Love" is a way of preserving and spreading positive values, with each message and book sent serving as a small but meaningful step towards creating positive change for students in mountainous areas.

The project also sets the long-term goal of becoming a bridge between social resources and schools facing difficulties, not stopping at providing books but also expanding into other educational support activities such as organising courses, workshops, and skills development programmes for students in mountainous areas.

Long-term Vision

The project's long-term vision is to expand the model to disadvantaged schools throughout the country. "The Reading Station for Children" aims to build a sustainable education support network where every disadvantaged school has adequate basic learning materials and educational equipment. In addition, the project hopes to create a widespread movement where everyone, from individuals to organisations and businesses, can contribute to improving the quality of education in Vietnam. From there, building a young generation with knowledge, dreams, and a readiness to contribute to the community.

The Viet Projects' "The Reading Station for Children" project underwent a dedicated and detailed implementation process to deliver practical value to the community, particularly students in mountainous areas. Below is an overview of the project's implementation process, scope, and costs.

Scope

• Beneficiaries: Students at Muong Men Primary and Secondary School, Van Ho, Son La. This is a mountainous area where learning conditions and facilities remain difficult. The main beneficiaries are students from primary through secondary school who have significant needs for textbooks, reading books, and basic learning equipment.
• Implementation area: The mountainous area of Van Ho, Son La, where school libraries face severe shortages of facilities and learning materials. The project focuses on providing book collections, learning equipment, and support to improve the quality of education for local students.
• Implementation field: The project focuses on education, particularly knowledge support through the provision of textbooks, reading books, and learning equipment such as bookshelves, headphones, and televisions for learning.

Implementation Process

Implementation period:

• The project began on 12 June 2024 and ended on 24 August 2024, with the plan lasting for more than 2 months.
• This period was selected to ensure that students would have sufficient textbooks and learning materials before the new school year began.

Issues addressed:

• The shortage of textbooks, reference books, reading books, and library facilities at Muong Men Primary and Secondary School was an urgent issue. There was not only a shortage in quantity, but the existing materials were also old and insufficient in quality to meet the students' learning and development needs. 
• In addition, the lack of learning equipment such as headphones, televisions, and bookshelves reduced the students' learning effectiveness, particularly in an era when technology plays an important role in education. 

Initiative/method:

• To address the above issues, The Viet Projects implemented the communication campaign "5 Messages for 1 Book". Through this campaign, every 5 messages of love and encouragement shared by participants on their personal social media pages would be converted into 1 book for the school's library. 
• The project also called for support from publishers and bookshops, which provided the main resources for supplying books and learning equipment. 
• In addition, The Viet Projects used social media channels to call for donations and mobilise community participation, particularly among young people and businesses committed to education. 

Impact:

• The project helped provide Muong Men Primary and Secondary School with sufficient textbooks, reading books, and necessary learning equipment before the new school year. This not only helped improve the quality of learning but also encouraged students to develop reading habits and nurture their dreams. 
• In addition, the communication campaign attracted significant attention from the community, contributing to awareness of the importance of education and the spirit of sharing and caring in society.

Budget

The "The Reading Station for Children" project included multiple cost items, including:

Costs of books and learning equipment:

• Textbooks with a total value of VND 12.5 million 
• 900 reference books, reading books, and comics donated by publishers, bookshops, and donors
• Learning equipment such as headphones, televisions, and bookshelves purchased and newly installed at the school, with a total cost of approximately VND 17 million. 

Communication and implementation costs:

• Costs for communication activities, printing materials, and organising the event, estimated at approximately VND 17 million
• Costs for transporting books and learning equipment to the mountainous area, together with accommodation, travel, and other costs for the project implementation team during the implementation period, amounting to approximately VND 37 million. 

Summary

The total estimated cost for the entire project was approximately VND 83.5 million. The project delivered practical and long-term value to the community, particularly students in Muong Men, creating a foundation for sustainable development in knowledge and education.

Qualitative achievements

The following are the qualitative values delivered by the "The Reading Station for Children" project:

Improving children's reading habits

• Stimulating children's interest in reading. When books become more accessible, children will gradually develop reading habits, broaden their knowledge, and enhance their creativity.
• Building active learning habits, helping children not only achieve better academic results but also develop soft skills such as critical thinking and creativity.
• Developing emotional and life skills through books. Reading is an excellent way for children to understand emotions and develop social and communication skills.
• 900 books were delivered to the school, including various genres such as comics, literature, science, etc., and were presented directly to the school and children.

Supporting school facilities

• Improving the learning environment by providing a favourable space for students to develop their knowledge. These books and resources are important tools that help the school create a more comprehensive educational environment.
• Encouraging more diverse teaching methods, such as using a TV to present lesson content, thereby helping students access knowledge more effectively and enjoyably while giving teachers additional rich resources and improving teaching quality.
• Stimulating students' interest in attending school, promoting learning motivation and their desire to explore new knowledge.
• Encouraging young Vietnamese people to engage in community activities
• The "The Reading Station for Children" project inspires a sense of social responsibility, helping young people recognise the value of contributing to the community. Through the "carrying books to the villages" journey, more than 20 young people have understood their role in society and developed a deeper awareness of their responsibility towards the community.
• The project inspires young people to continue participating in and leading new social activities. Volunteers commit to accompanying and supporting efforts to bring books to more villages, becoming pioneers for the community.
• Participating in community projects helps young people develop important skills such as leadership, teamwork, and time management, and helps them mature in their work and lives.

Connecting the community through interaction

• Interactive activities such as sending messages of love and donating books create connections and strengthen relationships among community members. This is an opportunity for the community to act together, share responsibility, and work towards a common goal.
• The project spreads the values of sharing and empathy, helping each individual develop a deeper awareness of social responsibility. They not only contribute materially but also convey love and care, creating a warm environment.
• The project connects charitable organisations, businesses, schools, and like-minded individuals, creating opportunities to collaborate and develop other community initiatives, thereby increasing effectiveness and expanding the scope of impact.

Quantitative Results

The project mobilised total sponsorship and implementation funding of up to VND 150 million, including 45 sets of textbooks from Year 1 to Year 9 and 900 books and stories across various genres. In addition, the programme donated 600 lined and grid exercise books, 2,000 writing pens, 20 computer headphones, 6 library bookshelves, and 1 55-inch TV, together with VND 7 million in cash. In terms of communications, the project achieved 72,356 reaches on The Viet Projects' Facebook page and 81,900 reaches from media ambassadors, generated 41,300 visits, 12,600 content interactions, and attracted an additional 3,520 Facebook followers. These figures clearly reflect the scale of the project's impact and its level of reach.

The "The Reading Station for Children" project has significant potential to scale to other localities, thanks to its notable characteristics of feasibility, ease of application, and ability to sustain itself. The project not only provides books and learning equipment but also spreads the spirit of care and creates an education support network for disadvantaged areas.

Ability to self-replicate

The "The Reading Station for Children" project has a flexible structure that can easily be adapted from mountainous areas to educationally disadvantaged areas in lowland regions. With communication campaigns and community fundraising, the project does not require significant initial funding but relies on community participation, helping the model sustain and develop sustainably.

The "5 Messages for 1 Book" campaign is a typical example of how the project develops through enthusiastic community participation. This method is simple but has strong reach due to its interactive nature and humanitarian meaning. When the campaign succeeds in one area, its message can easily spread, as it is universal and easy to understand, and can be applied in many other localities.

Easy for other organisations/individuals to learn from and apply

The "The Reading Station for Children" model is a flexible model that is easy to learn from and apply. The implementation process is simple and can be adapted to each locality, and through social media and digital communications, any organisation can call for community donations. Whether a business, non-governmental organisation, or small volunteer group, organisations can implement the project at low cost but with high effectiveness.

The project is also an ideal model for schools, particularly those in disadvantaged areas, to organise similar activities themselves to improve learning conditions. A key factor is the ability to mobilise participation from multiple parties, including students, teachers, parents, businesses, and community donors. The openness and accessibility of the model make it a feasible solution that many localities can learn from and apply effectively.