Lai plans to complete high school!

The boy in this picture is Ho Van Lai. He is fortunate to have received a full set of textbooks and notebooks that are part of a scholarship that you have supported through PeaceTrees VietNam. Lai is one of 150 young landmine victims and/or children of landmine victims who received the scholarship this year. Each scholarship includes text books, notebooks, fabric for uniform and part of school fees that will ensure these students can continue studying.

Lai is now 20 years old, but he was injured in an explosive accident 11 years ago. Two other boys died in the accident, another had minor injuries, and Lai was severely injured. He lost both feet and one hand. His other hand was injured. He has had 10 surgeries since the accident. Because of his injuries, he fell behind his classmates and spent 3 years in a school for disabled children, but is now in a main stream high school.

Since the accident happened, his family has faced many difficulties. Income of the whole family is from his father’s fishing and his mother’s animal husbandry activities, and earns them approximately $65 per month. This is not sufficient to cover their expenses. Besides Lai, his parents support his brother and sister who are studying at university and high school, respectively.

Such assistance like PeaceTrees’ annual scholarship is really meaningful not only to Lai but also his family. To ensure his independence, Lai’s top priority is his education. Because of this, he tried his best to go back to school after the accident, though not many people at that time believed he could do it. With the help from the scholarship, Lai was able to move to Dong Ha city in Quang Tri Province, Vietnam, where is 13km away from his hometown in Gio Viet commune. He now rents a small room and attends a mainstream high school. For him, studying is the only thing that makes him happy and the only way to help him have a better life.

Thank you Neil for supporting a year of education for Lai!