Project Happy Feet Team was finally reunited yesterday even though we are still missing Ben who is flying in later today due to work commitments. After a day of shopping for jackets, stationery, shoes and a photocopier, today we are finally visiting some of the beneficiaries.
Our first stop was the Bac Phu Elementary School in the district of Suk Son. Nestled in the little village, the school provides basic education for some 819 students everyday. As the principal of the school, a 52-year-old Mdm Hoang Thi Dieu, welcomed the PHF Team into her office, we heard an orchestra of cheers and running footsteps – the students were assembling in the courtyard to welcome us. As they ran, they held up their red plastic chairs over their heads, creating a sea of red floating chairs. We were suitably amused.
The ceremony was a simple one; the team presented the study aids and photocopier machine to the students and the principal. We were pleasantly surprised when two of the students stood up and sang us lovely and chirpy tunes to extend their appreciation.
Their positivity and enthusiasm towards education is exponentially inspiring even though they are faced with such limited resources. The library is a makeshift extension containing not more than 200 textbooks and magazines and a handful of educational posters – all the resources are shared among the 819 students at the school.
Aloy asked the principal about her dreams for the school, and after 30 years of serving the school, the gracious woman smiled and said that all she wants is to build a playground in the school so that her students will be able to derive more joy out of coming to school.
As we left, we waved goodbye to the lovely woman who has dedicated her entire life to serving the students of the school. She said her thanks verbally but we all felt her deep appreciation through the warm handshake that she greeted us with as we first walked into the school. Sometimes, it is not about what you say, but what you do.
