High school students donate school supplies to orphanages in Vietnam

The students from Clark High School started the club at the start of the last school year with the goal of making education more fair and equitable for everyone, said Robert Chondro, a program coordinator for the nonprofit.

Three students went to Vietnam during their summer break.

“We got to see some of the conditions that youth there lived in. They’re not as fortunate as we are right now,” Chondro said, talking about having the privilege of going to school with fully stocked supplies and learning in air-conditioned rooms. “We don’t have to worry about a lot of stuff.”

Hanna Hoang, a co-program coordinator for the nonprofit, visited the the city of Huế, where she visited three orphanages and donated $3,000 worth of school supplies.

Mai Lan Vu, another co-program coordinator, and Ryan Vu, the nonprofit’s fundraising coordinator, visited Ho Chi Minh City, where they donated $2,000 worth of supplies.

Both Hoang and Vu met up with Chondro in another city, Da Nang, where they visited four orphanages over the course of four days.

Each student bought supplies based on the orphanages’ needs. Many requested nontraditional supplies like secondhand phones, hygiene items, bedding and tissues.

Orphanages also requested textbooks in the second and third most popular languages in Vietnam – English and Korean.

Instead of bringing supplies bought in the U.S. over to Vietnam, they purchased as many supplies from Vietnam as they could, since the U.S. dollar “can go a long way” and buy more there, Chondro said.

Hoang said $3,000 filled up three semi-trucks worth of supplies.

In addition to donating internationally, the group also donates locally.

“In May, we donated $5,000 to the University Medical Center, which is a hospital here for children who couldn’t pay their insurance and pay for their bills. So, we want to continue doing that,” Chondro said.

The club started planning for next summer’s trip, with a club meeting on Tuesday.

Tristian Trinh, 15, is a new member of the club. He said the children that the nonprofit donated to last summer reminded him of his mother and the conditions she lived in during childhood before moving to the U.S.

“High school students often don’t know how to make a impact,” he said. But with this club, “I realized the impact they could have. When I heard the numbers (referring to the money donated), that could do a lot, especially in countries like Vietnam.”

“Last December, we did a gala and that was hugely successful. We raised over $20,000 that night thanks to, like, all the partners and people that came,” said Chondro.

In the future, the organization has plans to work with other high schools and expand the number of countries they assist.

“We wanted to expand to a new country every single year. So last year was Vietnam, and then this year, we want to focus on Vietnam and add another country, which would be Cambodia,” explained Chondro.

The nonprofit is also donating $4,500 to the Build a School Foundation, which would build a school in rural Cambodia.

English teacher Joyce Gorsuch, who advises the club, said, “Seeing what they’ve done and seeing the excitement of new members, I’m excited for this year.”

Giving to Kids documents events and donations on its Instagram.

Contact Annie Vong at avong@reviewjournal.com.