The American School

The David Warner Kindergarten has been serving the village of A Xing for two years now. For the locals it's known simply as The American School, and it's doing good work.

Nutritious meals. This is an area where malnutrition is a very real problem. The school has a kitchen: Kindergartners get a nutritious lunch without having to go home mid-day. This also allows their parents to continue working (most are farmers, and may work some distance from the village). And the lunch program isn't limited to the Kindergartners: other parents bring their children to the school at lunch time, knowing that their little ones will get at least one healthy meal that day.

Landmine awareness. Unexploded ordnance (UXO) is a significant danger in the A Xing area. Trouble is, all the awareness materials were in Vietnamese... and many Montagnards in the region don't speak Vietnamese. The Kindergarten -- the first NGO project in this region -- brought the problem to light for PeaceTrees. They've secured a State Department grant to provide landmine awareness training to the local population in the local language. This is, quite literally, saving lives.

Preparation for successful schooling. Children in the A Xing area often speak only their tribal language. This puts them at a great disadvantage when they start primary school, which is conducted in Vietnamese. The Kindergarten gives them a running start at the unfamiliar language, and a chance at academic success.

I leave for Vietnam one week from tomorrow. I can't wait to get to A Xing and see our American School -- David's school -- and the good work that's being done.