Bicycles are given to disadvantaged students in Duy Xuyên district in the central Quảng Nam Province. A total of 55 bicycles, valued at VNĐ100 million, were presented to secondary school students in two districts of Duy Xuyên and Phước Sơn in the province with support from not-for-profit charity Lifestart Foundation (Australia). — Photo courtesy of Lifestart Foundation

QUẢNG NAM — Another round of new bicycles has been delivered to disadvantaged students in the underprivileged districts of Phước Sơn and Duy Xuyên districts in the central province by the not-for-profit charity Lifestart Foundation (Australia), in partnership with the provincial Union of Friendship Organisations.

Lifestart Foundation said the programme provided a total of 55 bicycles, valued at VNĐ100 million (US$3900), to help secondary school students facing hardships in the two districts.

All students in the mountainous Phước Sơn District belong to the Giẻ Triêng ethnic group.

According to a report from the province, Phước Sơn and Duy Xuyên are still struggling with disadvantages, finding it hard to learn and to get in to classes.

The mountainous district of Phước Sơn alone is one of the six impoverished districts of the province, as defined by the Multi-dimensional Poverty Index for the period from 2021 to 2025.

The district has 27 schools at all levels with over 8,000 students, 75 per cent of whom are from ethnic communities.

The primary goal of this initiative is to facilitate easier school commuting for these students who come from families facing significant financial burdens, including single-parent families, orphans, families with illnesses or unstable job conditions, low-income earners and parents working far from home.

Living in remote villages, these students faced exhausting daily journeys to and from school, either being forced to walk long distances, or needing to beg lifts.

Karen Leonard OAM, founder of Lifestart Foundation, said: "Apart from supporting disadvantaged students with Lifestart Foundation Education Scholarships, we are thrilled to provide transportation to the broader community. The provision of much-needed bicycles will enable these students to travel to school safely and conveniently, maximising their learning potential. We also hope this provision will motivate them to overcome life's difficulties."

The bicycle donation for disadvantaged students in the province is one of many community projects undertaken by Lifestart Foundation every year.

In 2023, the Foundation provided bicycles to students in the Phước Sơn and Nam Giang districts, donated smart televisions and facilitated clean water systems in remote schools across Quảng Nam, along with presenting gift sets to Ca Dong ethnic students and milk to disadvantaged patients at the province General Hospital.

Earlier this year, they donated essential items to ethnic minority students at Phan Châu Trinh Secondary School, while also awarding General Medicine and Residency Scholarships to exceptionally talented students from central Việt Nam.

The charity plans to continue to support many more community projects, including installing clean water systems in remote districts of Bắc Trà My and Phước Sơn.

Last year, more than 2,500 children from kindergartens and primary schools in the mountainous districts of Tiên Phước, Quế Sơn, Nông Sơn and Phước Sơn were able to access clean and drinkable water thanks to new systems installed with support from the Lifestart Foundation. — VNS