They are students studying at Quy Nhon University’s Department of Psychology, Education, and Social Work. They voluntarily joined the volunteer club for social works and raised fund for charitable activities.
Raising fund
The club includes 60 members with two-third studying at the Department of Psychology, Education, and Social Work. Joining the club, therefore, offered them not only opportunities to work as volunteers but extracurricular lessons.
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The club members play with students of Kim Dong primary school. Photo H.Y |
Being set up in late 2008, the club has faced many difficulties, particularly the expenditure. Alongside the financial assistance from different sources, the club members have to raise fund by selling books, newspapers, flowers.
The club members are often divided into small groups and they sell flowers along the main streets and in front of the university’s entrance on the occasion of Vietnamese Teachers’ Day (Nov.20), International Women’s Day (Mar.8), and Vietnamese Women’s Day (Oct.20).
After such occasions, the amount of money will be put into the club’s fund for its activities.
Students living in the dormitory have no TVs to watch; thus, the club members sell newspapers to students from 6 am every day. About 150 newspapers of all kinds are averagely sold each day. The money collected from selling newspapers is also used for the fund.
Alongside these, the club members often raise fund by collecting old clothes and books. “When the summer holiday comes, students usually tidy up their places and get rid of old clothes and books,” said Pham Thi Huong, the club’s chairwoman. “We go and collect them and present them to orphans or disadvantaged people and children.”
Doing volunteer works
The club has organized many activities since it was set up two years ago, such as raising fund for visually impaired children and disabled kids at Dong Tam Social Sponsoring Centre, organizing the mid-Autumn festival for students at Kim Dong primary school.
Also, its members often visit Quy Hoa Leprosy and Dermatology Hospital and other social sponsoring centers to help children every month.
“When the centre has something difficult, the club is ready to help the centre,” said vice director of Dong Tam Centre, Nguyen Nhon. “The club members, for example, helped the centre tidy up rooms and build three new rooms last year.”
What they’ve done is aimed at helping unfortunate and disadvantaged people and offering themselves chances to experience the reality.
“The club focuses on not only social work but the knowledge which is useful for students,” said Tran Thi Thuy Trang, a club member.
Huong said the club only hoped that its activities would create opportunities for people to do charitable work and offer a new look on those who do social work.
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