There’s no big step from dream to reality for Tim and the daring people at Maison Chance. As I was back to Village Chance after my first visit a few months before, I have been pleasantly surprised indeed to hear that the two rooms on the block B ground floor,previously inoccupied, were now filled with the laughter and singing of children aged between 6 to 72 months.
Maison Chance today offers free education to about 150 children each year. The school consists of 5 classes for the 5 grades of primary school in Vietnam.
Until recently, Village Chance still owned two empty rooms on the ground floor. Maison Chance intended to convert them into a kindergarten.
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Most children in Vietnam start attending school at the early age of 2. Some beneficiaries of the association have young children and struggle to pay the kindergarten fees. This is where Maison Chance decided to help.
Besides, Maison Chance is very much aware that providing some adequate facilities for disabled children is always positive and adds human value to the community.
This is why the kindergarten will be open to these children. They will be taught together with the non-disabled children and will be able to go on to primary school on site. This project, which had been exposed to me by my guide, a beneficiary from MaisonChance, is not indeed mere project anymore. As I watch a single photo showing two young children carrying their backpack and going to school along with their mothers in wheelchairs, I suddenly understand the need and significance of these 2 preschool classrooms at Village Chance.
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The two rooms, totalling 130m2, are clean and well-ventilated. Educational material and furniture are suitable and designed for 50 children or so aged between 6 months and 6 years old. The kindergarten has 6 employees: one manager, 2 teachers, 2 childcare assistants and a cook, and is supervised by the department of education at MaisonChance.
The staff are dedicated to the global development (physical as well as intellectual) of the children. Classes are organized byachievement levels (different age groups then share the same room) and according to the family model, thereby offering the children an environment which encourages them to develop their social skills. Activities are selected to give the children any opportunity to learn, while playing, not only language skills, but also mathematics, science, music, drawing…and moral values as well, which will give them an edge in their future independent life.
Children are welcome 6 days a week from 7 am to 5 pm. Along with learning, playing and recess time, they are provided with two main meals and morning tea.The daily meals are balanced and menus put together with the help of specializedsoftware. All ingredients are provided by suppliers who hold a food safety certificate.
At the end of our visit at MaisonChance, my friends and I say goodbye with a sense of joyand pride, for small contributions from everyone have come together to bring a smile to many faces, especially to those who live in challenging conditions.
Project office of Maison Chance Vietnam