Nhi became a GEMS (Girls Empowerment Mekong Scholarship) in 2016 when she was 12 years old. Her parents work far away from home, leaving her to be raised by her grandmother and uncle. After Nhi’s grandmother was diagnosed with a heart tumor, the financial burden fell solely on her uncle.
Their economic circumstances worsened with the Covid-19 pandemic. Nhi was on the edge of dropping out of school to help her family as they struggled to scrape by.
Unlike other children in similar circumstances, she is grateful she can still attend school.
As a GEMS Scholar, Nhi feels more secure financially. She received support to continue attending school and opportunities to build workforce readiness skills for a brighter future. Education support covers school fees, uniforms, supplies, books, tutoring, health insurance, internet access, and tablet.
With access to the internet and a tablet, Nhi expanded her digital literacy. She loved using Pacific Links Foundation’s GLOW online learning platform to self-learn English, attending Summer Camps and workshops to build her soft skills and learn about career paths, and practicing English with native English speakers. These opportunities helped Nhi develop her confidence, manage her emotions, especially during hard times, improve herself, and build good self-study habits. She even built up the courage to participate in her school’s talent show, something she had never dreamt of doing before, even though she loves to dance. Nhi actively participated in GEMS activities because she believes these are valuable opportunities that she is fortunate to have. Nhi will carry these experiences in her “backpack” throughout her life.
Because of the support Nhi received as a GEMS Scholar, she consistently achieved excellent grades in school (9.5 out of 10). Nhi won an award as the best student in Geography in her hometown, second place in a book reading competition, and many other awards at school.
Today, at 18 years old, Nhi is a confident and determined young woman who never let her circumstances define her. She is currently in an online software engineering program while working to support her grandmother. Nhi received a 3-year scholarship after an introduction from Pacific Links Foundation. She wants to become an engineer because of the flexibility and opportunities for growth. Nhi believes that if she tries her best, she can become a successful engineer.
With your support, Pacific Links Foundation provides long-term education and workforce readiness skills development to over 1,500 disadvantaged like Nhi every year.
Nhi shared, “My efforts to pursue an education will not be wasted. Education will help me have a brighter tomorrow and overcome my economic circumstances.”
