At Hùng Vương High School for the Gifted, Lê Nguyễn Ái Vân, now president of the school’s “Seventh wish” Club, has helped expand student-led fundraising and outreach programmes across the mountainous area.
Vân first encountered the club more than two years ago when she saw members standing at the school gate offering hugs, encouragement and small gifts to students sitting entrance exams. The gesture prompted her to join as part of the content team before eventually taking on the leadership role.
Under her coordination, the club has launched initiatives including “Sharing love - A full Tet” and the “Mid-Autumn Festival for Children” programme. Organising the Mid-Autumn campaign proved challenging. Despite sending numerous proposals to potential donors and businesses, the club initially received limited responses, raising concerns about funding shortfalls.
After a month of sustained outreach, the group secured around 50 million VND (approximately $2,000) in cash and in-kind contributions. By the 2025 Mid-Autumn Festival, improved fundraising enabled a larger-scale event featuring lion dances and performances. Gifts were delivered to children at Gia Lai Provincial Children’s Hospital, shelters for disadvantaged and disabled individuals, and students facing financial hardship received scholarships.
Vân said charity work does not require waiting until one has abundant resources. “As long as you are proactive and willing to devote your time and effort, helping others is not difficult,” she said.
Alongside her volunteer commitments, Vân participates in environmental clean-ups, tree planting and preparing free meals for low-income workers. She has won a consolation prize in the provincial Literature Olympiad for the 2023–2024 academic year and has been recognised as an outstanding student for 11 consecutive years.
Huỳnh Anh Quân, a Logistics Team member of the Seventh Wish Club, described Vân as a responsible leader who inspires unity and motivates members to tackle demanding tasks.
At A Sanh High School in Ia Krái Commune, another student, Trần Thị Nguyễn Hà, has also built a sustainable charity model through the Green Volunteer Club, which she founded in November 2024.
Hà’s interest in community work began in 2023 when she joined a summer volunteer campaign in Ia Krái Commune. After witnessing children’s joy upon receiving gifts, she decided to deepen her involvement in charity activities.
To generate stable funding, Hà introduced the “Loving Breakfast” initiative after early fundraising efforts proved inconsistent. Initially, participation was low and academic pressures discouraged members. She responded by forming a Communications Team and seeking teachers’ support to promote the club’s activities.
The initiative now operates twice weekly, selling mixed noodles and milk tea to raise funds. Additional sales during extracurricular school events supplement the club’s income, creating a steady financial base.
With the funds raised, the Green Volunteer Club has provided essential gifts to disadvantaged students at the school and across Ia Krái Commune. In 2025, through the “Moonlight in the Village” programme, the club partnered with the local Youth Union to deliver 300 gifts to children in Yom and De Lung 2 villages.
Like Vân, Hà has balanced social work with academic excellence. She has been an outstanding student for 11 consecutive years, earned the “Three-Good Student” title at school level for two consecutive years, and was recognised as an exemplary youth in her commune in 2024.
Through sustained grassroots initiatives, both students exemplify a growing culture of youth-led community engagement in Vietnam’s schools, demonstrating that organised compassion can take root early, and endure.
