Those in attendance at the inauguration ceremony included representatives from Thang Binh district, Quang Nam province and US Consulate in Vietnam; actress of Vietnamese origin Kieu Chinh- VCF representative who settled in the US and is a founding member and currently VCF Co-chair; Mr. Sam Russell- Head of VCF Project Office in Vietnam and Ms. Vien Phuong Lan – architect and chief assistant to VCF Project Office along with FedEX representatives.
In her speech, Madame Kieu Trinh thanked the donors for working hand in hand with VCF over the past 23 years as well as local authorities and other parties involved in the project.
The fourth VCF-funded project in Quang Nam has a total investment capital of VND3.282 billion, of which US$100,000 comes from the VCF and the rest from the local budget’s counterpart capital.
Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Primary School was built on a common school construction model financed by VCF in Vietnam, including a two-storey building with 8 classrooms and 2 auxiliary rooms meeting standards set by the Vietnam education sector.
Kieu Chinh, one of the VCF founders was a famed movie star in South Vietnam before 1975. Later, she settled in the US and continued to act in Hollywood.
VCF was established in 1993 with initial members- Mr. Lewis Puller – Veteran, Mr. Terry Anderson- war journalist and Kieu Chinh. In 1995, the fund completed the building of the first school in Dong Ha - Quang Tri with the financial assistance from a mutual friend – Mr. James Kimsey, founder of AOL Company.
The desire and the initial goal of the VCF founders are to build 50 schools for children across the country, particularly for those in war-affected areas. However, thanks to the support of numerous parties, the 51st school is about to be completed and put into use.
VCF will continue to make greater efforts to replace deteriorated schools with spacious classrooms for children in disadvantaged areas throughout Vietnam.
Some photos featuring the inauguration ceremony of Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Primary School:
Kieu Chinh- President, Co-founder and Co-chair of the non-profit organization, Vietnam Children’s Fund (VCF) delivers a speech at the inauguration ceremony
