Xom Dua of Southern California: Project Nha Trang

Xom Dua (Palm Sangha) is an organization that follows the teachings of the Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk known throughout the world for teaching “The Art of Mindful Living.”  Based in southern California, we practice Understanding and Love by supporting the education of poor children living in small villages far from the big cities in Vietnam.  Because of their distances from the cities, these small villages often do not receive funds from the government to build schools or provide the basic necessities for early education.

Our Purpose:

Xom Dua seeks to help children between the ages of 3 and 6 because we believe that the early years of education form the foundation for all future learning.  Oftentimes, the children in these villages do not attend school because their parents cannot afford the fees or need them to begin work to feed the family.  If by the time the children get to six and have not attended school, most of them end up illiterate and must remain at home without hope of a better life.

For those children who are able to attend these classes, they receive not only education but also a glass of milk in the morning, a lunch, and a bowl of soup in the afternoon—this sustenance helps to prepare their minds for learning and to keep their bodies free from illnesses.  (In Vietnam, not all children get to eat lunch at school, which can present problems for the families who must feed them during the day.)

Classes in Gio Linh and Nha Trang:

Through our Understanding and Love initiative, we have supported three classes in Gia Mon village of Gio Linh district, between 1996 and 2001.  After we had built a school building for the children, we left Gio Linh.  Since 2002, we have been supporting classes in Nha Trang.  In total, there are 8 classes in 5 villages. 
(At right: The Khanh Dong Kindergarten.)

Additionally, at the beginning of 2007, a generous donor gave through Xom Dua the funding to build a school building with two rooms for children ages 3 to 5 in Ninh Thuong village of Ninh Hoa district.  This school provides lunches for the children.  We hope that you will help us sustain the new school for these children.

Normally, each class has 30 or more children.  For one month, each class costs $200 U.S., including the lunches.  The breakdown of the cost is as follows: the monthly salary for one teacher and one assistant is $50 U.S. (2 X $25), and the tuition and meals for the children total $150 U.S.  The parents of the children help when they can.  For $5 U.S. (the price of a drink at Starbucks), a child can eat lunch at the school for one month.

Other Projects supported by Xom Dua:

1.     We help to provide food and medication for monasteries throughout Vietnam.  These monasteries train people to become monks and nuns to guide others to live with Understanding and Love. 

2.     We provide scholarships to qualified students from small villages to attend Medical School in Ho Chi Minh City.  Each scholarship that Xom Dua grants is $100-200 U.S.  (At right: A medical student sponsored by Xom Dua.)

3.      We provide scholarships to excellent primary and secondary school students whose families are too poor to keep them in school.  We are currently working with students in Khanh Hoa; without these scholarships, many students simply drop out of school.  Each scholarship that Xom Dua grants is $70 U.S.

If you have any questions about Xom Dua or would like to help, please contact one of the following:

Quyen (Vietnamese and English):
(714) 963-8086
E-mail: xomduacali@yahoo.com

Steve Le (Omprakash Representative):
(562) 884-2903
E-mail: steve@omprakash.org