Orphan Finds Support and Success Through Child Sponsorship

Van Cuong was born in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. For every child, their first happiness is having both parents. In the early years of Van Cuong’s life, he enjoyed this as well but he lost his beloved father in a devastating accident at work. The difficulties and burdens of raising and supporting a family fell on his mother. In 2013, at the age of nine, he was welcomed into Birla Hanoi Children’s Village, operated by Pearl S. Buck International Vietnam.

New Chance for a Better Life at Birla

Here he started a new life with the big Birla family. In his house there, there was only one foster mother for 16 siblings ranging in age from kindergarten to college. In the first days at the orphanage, everything was strange and new to him, thus Van Cuong was quiet, shy, and said few words. He was also dealing with the emotional trauma of losing his father. He gradually got accustomed to his new living environment and his foster siblings and housemothers. Despite his poor academic performance in school, he was always a very obedient, well-behaved, and hard-working boy.

Birla Orphanage is one of seven orphanages supported by Pearl S. Buck International. With the sponsorship and support of donors and philanthropists, Van Cuong and many other children get to live in beautiful houses with housemothers in a safe and sufficient environment filled with love. Van Cuong was sponsored in January 2014. The support he received from his child sponsor encouraged him and made him more optimistic and confident. Encouraging letters and monthly cash gifts have created such an intimate bonding between two strangers who live far away from each other but are now close at heart.

Loving Commitment of a Sponsor

The love and caring of his sponsor and dedicated housemothers have been a massive encouragement for Van Cuong to put more effort into his learning. From 4th to 6th Grade, he always achieved the Excellent Student title at school. Because he was hard-working and intelligent, he often received compliments from teachers and administrators at school. In 7th Grade, with the psychological changes of puberty, his studying took a hit. Still, thanks to the caring and encouragement of his housemothers and help from his foster siblings, Van Cuong Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. Nelson Mandela tried his best and progressed again at the beginning of 9th Grade. From then on, he continued with a good academic performance. In the last academic year, he obtained the title of Excellent Student once again. At present, he is studying in 12th Grade. During his 3 years at high school, his performance has been outstanding, hence he is often selected by the teachers to participate in the Excellent Students Competition in Math, Physics, and Chemistry. Apart from his remarkable academic achievements, Van Cuong is so energetic, active, and dynamic. At school, the boy always enthusiastically participates in all extra activities and clubs to get more experience and skills. In the orphanage, Van Cuong is a leader in taking part in programs and activities which are held by the orphanage and Pearl S. Buck International. His goal is to enter FPT University after graduating from high school. Van Cuong is trying his best in this 12th Grade year to achieve his aspirations.

Van Cuong’s Bright Future

Van Cuong has achieved so much and grown into a confident young man thanks to a lot of great caring, encouragement, and support through letters, photos, or small gifts given by his child sponsor. Knowing someone on the other side of the world who cares for and supports him is a huge motivation for him to overcome obstacles in life. He is motivated to pursue his aspirations, achieve his goals and become a helpful citizen in the future. Van Cuong’s current achievements and the efforts and achievements of all the other children are Pearl S. Buck International