Loreto Vietnam Australia Program – Ground Breaking Ceremony for Sunrise Special School 2

A long awaited day arrived morning of the 20th February, when LVAP, joined by Australian Consul Graeme Swift and Vice Consul Chantelle Woodford, made the first dig into the grounds where a remarkable plan is now to construct Sunrise Special School 2. Soon to be a place of schooling for intellectually challenged children in vocational training, this project holds a strong objective to inspire our disadvantaged but deserving children, to claim recognition as they assert ambition and meaning in life. It is a goal of Loreto Program to give them support to make contributions in their community.


Eight years following the establishment of its preceding campus, ground breaking for Sunrise Special School 2 resonated emotionally with LVAP as they were joined by their friends and devoted supporters alongside the school community and governing departments of Tan Phu District. Not only did the morning carry enormous significance for the partnership between LVAP and Sunrise Special School, but it was a day representing the commitment Australia and Vietnam have for each other. Through the years of driving these two projects and many others, LVAP has had admirable support from the Australian community: AUSAID, LoretoFest and AUSCHAM, to achieve the milestone it has reached on this day. 

                               



With over 700 intellectually disabled children in need of educational support there is a waiting list of over 300 children for enrolment into Sunrise Special School 1:


• continuing ‘informal’ child care groups lack focus on special education in the community;


• a lack of incentive by many parents of intellectually disabled children in encouraging their disabled child to attend school;


• an inclining number of older intellectually disabled students lack ongoing assistance for life development.

Hopes are for Sunrise Special School 2 to alleviate these problems in close collaboration with LVAP. The campus will include a component for hearing impaired students and be comprised of numerous classrooms to carry classes in areas such as cooking, hospitality, music, computer education, tailoring, woodwork, art, handicrafts and horticulture. Through vocational training, the children will be lead to prospects of entering mainstream schooling and working environments and our faith extends to the community to embrace and reinforce this gift of this possibility.