Student Projects – Page 2

Help Bring Food & Medical Supplies to Vietnam

What is happening in Vietnam?
Vietnam has been battling with the fourth wave of COVID-19 since the end of April. The highly transmissible Delta variant spread rapidly throughout the city of Saigon due to the lack of vaccines available to the population; the city is now accounting for the majority of the rising cases in the country and has been put under a total lockdown since August 23.

Despite these strict measures, the number of infections continues to rise, with an average of 12,700 new daily cases and 300 daily deaths.

Additionally, residents are forbidden to leave their homes even to shop for food or necessities, causing a food shortage and overall scarcity of essential items for many. The severity of the situation is worsening with every passing day and there is an urgent need for critical life-saving supplies.

“Everyone is struggling to survive. If they don’t already have COVID , they struggle to have food.”

Our plan

AASuccess – a non-profit 501(c)3 organization – is joining forces with our trusted business partners and philanthropic stakeholders, in both the United States and Vietnam, to raise donations to help those affected by COVID-19 in Saigon. We are in need of your assistance to raise $50,000. Your contribution will be concentrated to the following areas of critical need:

– Priority 1: $35,000 raised will be dedicated for the purchase of food and basic necessities (including masks and feminine hygiene products). We are working with trusted local community groups and international charity organizations to acquire and distribute these much-needed supplies to the families and those most vulnerable who are unable to obtain these items due to the city’s lockdown.

– Priority 2: $15,000 will be used for the purchase of critical medical supplies. This will be done in close partnership with East West International Medical Company, who is dedicated to helping Saigon combat the spread and illness of the Delta variant.

100% of the proceeds will be donated by AASuccess non-profit and our affiliates.

What YOU can do:
Please donate and share across your network and social media. We are asking our supporters, backers, partners, alumni, donors, and all who are passionate about Vietnam to join us in this meaningful effort. Whether that be by donating to our cause or spreading the word, we are grateful for any support you can provide to help bring these necessities to families and those who are in the most severe of situations in Vietnam.

We can only accomplish this with YOUR support.

UPDATES:

As of the end of December, 2021, we have successfully raised $25,000! A big thank you to all the warm support from donors and supporters in the US. We are quickly transferring this amount to Vietnam via our trusted partner organizations, Com Am Long and Lasan Vietnam Organization, to disburse this money.

Our journey does not end here. We are half way through our goal and still need your help. Please continue to support this endeavor by donating via: https://www.gofundme.com/f/join-AAS-to-bring-food-medical-supplies-to-vietnam. Thank you!

Afghan Refugee Aid Project

On August 15, 2021, Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, fell under Taliban control. Since then, Afghans have been attempting to flee the country in search of safety and a better life. Due to this, there has been a refugee crisis and supplies are in high demand. We want to give care packages in hopes to support them in this time of need. These care packages would have essential items such as toiletries, first aid supplies, and sustenance. This project is significant to us because as second generation immigrants, we empathize with the refugee’s search for a better life. In this time of isolation, it is crucial that we are there for each other.

Timeline: July – September 2021
Key Members: Nathan Nguyen. Supervising Mentor: Dave Nguyen & Jim Kelman. Team Members: Aashee Balani, Alice Cao-Dao, Kathleen Pham
Goal: Create 5 care packages to sponsor and aid 5 families. We contacted the Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area, an official organization that relocates families in the DMV area. The care packages provide essential house supplies for the refugees. In addition, we want to show awareness towards their mental health by providing thoughtful letters translated in Dari and Pashto and coloring books with art supplies for the kids. As for our quantitative result, we want the care packages to provide some necessities for the refugees and to create a sense of care and awareness by including thoughtful letters written by students. As for our team, we hope this project will increase our communication skills, teamwork, and time management.
How: We teamed up with Lutheran Social Services, a non-profit that also has the same idea to support the Afghani refugees. The baseline package contain a toothbrush, toothpaste, towel, socks, water, oatmeal, pads, bandages, granola bars, hand sanitizer, hand soap, comb, masks, plates, utensils, paper towels/napkins, masks coloring books, art supplies.
Result-To-Date: The care packages have been delivered to Lutheran Social Services on September 28,2021.

School Supplies to Vietnam

The School Supplies to Vietnam Project aims to raise in-kind and financial donations to provide school supplies to children in rural areas of Vietnam. There are 6 types of school supplies that students need the most: pens, pencils, scissors, erasers, rulers, and pencil sharpeners.

Timeline: July – September 2021
Key Members: An Nguyen
Goal: Donate unused or mildly-used school supplies to children in Vietnam, and raise money for education equipment and tools. Via this project, we want to empower these students to complete their education, and enhance access to education in rural areas of Vietnam.
How: We contact people in our network to support us with in-kind and monetary donations.
Result-To-Date: We were able collect quite a few school supplies, and $300 from our friends and colleagues! All the supplies and money were sent back to Vietnam to our coordinator in Lao Cai, a small town in north Vietnam. We bought shoes, mugs, socks, and facility materials for one kindergarten, one elementary school, and one middle school. 100% of recipients are ethnic minorities in northern Vietnam.

Charity Project to Give Back to Dak Nong, Vietnam

As part of the giving back initiative of DELTA Success program, six Vietnamese students in the 2021 Spring Summer Program hosted their very first community project by providing cakes and gifts to villagers of Jun Ju, a small village in Dak Nong City. The poverty rate in this village has nearly doubled since the start of COVID-19.

Via this community project, the students want to raise awareness about poverty in Vietnam, and spread joy during the pandemic to this community.

Timeline: April – May 2021
Key Members: Thi Dau, Tam Cao, Quan Nguyen, Nhu Nguyen, Anh Le, Khanh Nguyen
Goal: Spread awareness about poverty through hands-on experience.
How:
- Sell recycled materials such as aluminum cans, papers, newspapers, and bottles to raise $25 (~ 500,000 VND)
- Buy ingredients to make sponge cake and lemonade, as well as other snacks and gifts
- Visit, give out cake, and play games with over 30 minority ethnic children in Jun Ju Village, Dak Nong
Result to date: Students worked together to make over 30 servings of cake and lemonade, and got ready for their charity trip! They visited Jun Ju Village to distribute the cakes and gifts. Together, they delivered the cakes to over 30 young children and talked to them about their lives.

Blog: https://blog.aasuccess.org/delta-students-charity-trip-to-jun-ju-village-in-central-highlands-vietnam/

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmX1uF2h51E

Donating to Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation

Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation (LDCRS) is a volunteer-run organization with a small paid staff. It is located in Falls Church, Virginia. It has placed 2,000 dogs and cats per year for adoption. This community project idea was to select, buy, and deliver necessities such as dog collars, toys, and food to help out LDCRF during COVID-19 pandemic. Through this humble contribution, we want to cheer them on their continuous work and dedication to animal welfare.

Timeline: December 2020 – March 2021
Key Lead: Nancy Cu
Goal: Provide necessities and resources for LDCRF in times of difficulties to help them with their work during these uncertain times and seek out future collaboration to foster youth involvement in animal welfare.
How: Nancy pitched her giving back idea to LDCRF to a Giving Back Committee to get funding approval for this project. She then contacted LDCRF to find out what they needed the most, and purchased those items on Amazon. Together with her mentor, Nancy delivered food, toys, and collars to LDCRF and had a meaningful conversation with the volunteers there to learn about future volunteer opportunities at this wonderful organization.
Result-To-Date: AASuccess funded $400 for this project. LDCRF was happy to receive the gifts. They expressed appreciation and thankfulness to all AASuccess members who have participated in this meaningful project.

Fundraiser for Victims of Typhoon Molave in Vietnam

Since early October 2020, Vietnam has been battered by storms, heavy rains, and floods which have affected more than a million people. Especially, Typhoon Molave had caused mass destruction in Vietnam, left millions of people without electricity, and damaged 56,000 houses. Specifically, many families in Quang Nam Province are living on roofs and struggling to survive as they have lost many things to this storm. Vietnam urgently needs money to recover.

AASuccess is partnering with the Lasan Vietnam Organization to raise money to help families recover and rebuild after suffering Typhoon Molave. Colby Pham, an AASuccess Level 1 student, volunteered to lead this fundraiser. All proceeds from the fundraiser are transferred to the Lasan Vietnam Organization.

Lasan is currently helping distribute supplies and fundraising money to support the victims of floods. Lasan Vietnam members are currently visiting multiple affected areas and communities in Quang Nam provinces to provide relief and necessities, as well as providing human resources to help the victims repair and rebuild their houses from the damages by the flood. The financial support from this fundraiser will provide clothes, food, water, and financial relief to more families that are affected by Molave.

Timeline: December 2020 – January 2021
Key Member: Colby Pham, AASuccess Level 1 Student
Goal: To fundraise at least $1000 to support people in the affected areas by Typhoon Molave in Vietnam.
How: Colby reached out to various AASuccess supporters to fundraise for the cause. He set up a fundraiser on AASuccess social media such as Facebook and Instagram, as well as reached out to his family and friends via mobile messages. He also met up with students in Vietnam and volunteers from Lasan Vietnam Organization to further understand the situations in affected areas and how we can help.
Result-To-Date: The fundraiser was a success. Not only did we exceeded the goal, but AASuccess also matches every dollars exceeding $400. Altogether, $2,080 was raised. Upon discussion with Lasan Vietnam Organization, we decided to use this fund to purchase uniforms and textbooks for students in the affected areas of Typhoon Molave in Vietnam during the 2021-2022 school year.

The below links show what Lasan Organization has been helping for this disaster.
https://lasanvn.org/hinh-anh/nhat-ky-hanh-trinh-den-voi-ba-con-vung-lu-quang-nam-ngay-3-giao-xu-ha-tan.html
https://lasanvn.org/chi-tiet/caritas-viet-nam-tham-va-khao-sat-lu-lut-mien-trung.html

Toy Drive Winter 2020

This community project idea was to select, buy, and wrap holiday gifts such as toys and clothes to give out to the children in need at Takoma, Maryland. Through this humble contribution, we want to spread happiness and joy during the 2020 holiday season.

Timeline: December 2020
Key Members: Nancy Cu and AASuccess members
Goal: Spread happiness to the underserved children during holiday season 2020
How: The AAS team came together on December 20 to wrap gifts to give to the 6 children that we have on the list. A person delivered all the gifts to the children’s house after that.
Result-To-Date: The children were happy to received the wrapped gifts. They expressed appreciation and thankfulness to all AASuccess members who have participated in this meaningful project.

Viet Technology Workshop

Four Viet College students, who are currently enrolled in AASuccess Work Readiness Program in Vietnam, engaged more than 25 peers in an innovative technology workshop that introduced the pros and cons of modern technology.

Timeline: October – November 2020
Key Members: Dung Nguyen, Phuong Tong, Nguyen Tran, and Nam Truong
Goal: Bring out a few important concepts about technology advancement and applications nowadays, such as cybersecurity, entertainment, education, finance, and healthcare, and advise people to be active creators and users of technology, not just merely passive consumers.
How: Host a workshop with at least 25 attendants
Result-To-Date: More than 30 students showed up at the workshop. Initial evaluations showed that the students, ranging from freshman through senior college, have growing concerns about the fast-paced development in new tech as well as how to sharpen their skills in order to get ahead of this 21st-century problem. The workshop concluded with a recommended course of action to explore ways to extend students’ initial experience with programming languages. It also included several strategies for encouraging the youths to pursue self-learning courses to enhance their knowledge in technology.

Scrapbook to Encourage Doctors during COVID-19

Tram and Truc’s community project idea was to make a scrapbook filled with positive and encouraging words to give out to healthcare providers at their local hospitals. Through this humble contribution, they want to encourage the doctors during the COVID-19 pandemic and express their appreciation for their work.

Timeline: August 2020 – October 2020
Key Members: Tran Le and Phuong Bui, 7th grader at Le Loi Secondary School
Goal: Spread positiveness and express appreciation to healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic
How: Making a scrapbook with photos of health care providers around the world and delivering it to a local doctor
Result-To-Date: “Dr. Dung was so happy to receive the scrapbook. He gave us two big bags of candies when we visited him. We had an interesting conversation with him, which helped us understand more about his job.”

Read for Needs

Student Deanna Morgan takes a stab at organizing an online tutoring program, which aims to support the Spanish-speaking community.

Please see below for her letter and project scope:

“My name is Deanna Morgan. I’m 16 years old, and I am a girl scout with the Nation’s Capital, troop 5153. Additionally, I am a new student at AASuccess. When I was little, I attended Rose Hill and became fluent in Spanish due to the Immersion program there. However, throughout my years at Rose Hill, I realized that many students in the Immersion program immigrated to the U.S and knew little to no English. They had a hard time learning in school, making friends, and speaking English to others.

This year, I have been currently working on gaining my Gold award which is the highest rank in girls scouts. For my Gold project, I decided that I wanted to help migrant children who only speak Spanish read and translate a book into English.

I would gather friends and volunteers who are taking Spanish in school or are native speakers to help tutor the children on Google Meets. My program will be three to four weeks on the weekend so that the kids can grasp the content fully. At the end of my program, the students will be able to analyze and comprehend the book in English.

In order to complete my project, I need native speaking students who like to learn English; they must range from the ages of 10 to 12. Attached below is a sign-up form if you know anyone in need of tutoring. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at deanna.morgan@aasuccess.org.

Thank you so much and I look forward to hearing from you. Be safe and stay healthy!”

Featured article: https://blog.aasuccess.org/diversity-at-aasuccess/

Link to apply as a student >>

Link to apply as a tutor >>