Shared language, new connections in Vietnam

When CWS staff visited the Pa U #2 satellite kindergarten in Mu Chi village in Vietnam in June, they were greeted by song.

It wasn’t just the song that was so important, though. It was the fact that the song was sung in the La Hu language by the teachers at the school. Pa U is a commune high in the mountains in the far northwest of Vietnam where La Hu families live. The La Hu are an ethnic minority in Vietnam who have a tradition of nomadic cultivation. Their livelihoods are tied to the forest and remote living. Most teachers who work in the region are from the Kinh majority ethnic group. They do not speak the same language as the La Hu, so it is difficult for them to approach families and convince parents to send their children to school.

Our team in Vietnam helped lead La Hu language sessions for teachers so that they could learn to communicate with the families in their communities. Bui Thi Tien, Deputy Headmistress, told us, “CWS has helped our school so much with a training course for our teachers to learn the La Hu language on weekends. This is a meaningful activity!”

Bui Thi Thap, a teacher standing nearby, added, “At the beginning, our knowledge of the La Hu vocabulary was so limited! Almost none, I would say. So, we were very eager to join the training course, even though it lasted several months and was taught on the weekends. The curriculum was good, as it was based on our stated needs. We are now much more confident in communicating with people in the village.”

For CWS Vietnam, there’s nothing more valuable than when our team’s efforts are reciprocated with teachers’ and children’s appreciation in this out-of-the-way village!