VIETNAM CHILDREN'S FUND UPDATE

The Lewis B. Puller, Jr. Elementary School is located in Dong Ha, Quang Tri Province on the old DMZ. It was dedicated in April, 1995, the 20th anniversary of the end of the war. 565 children currently attend the school in three shifts.

The second school is being located in Ninh Binh, an area that was an American flyway into the interior of Vietnam and one of the hardest hit during the war. The village was totally devastated and although progress has been made to reestablish the villages, in Vietnam starting over is a long process. Vietnam has a deep tradition of education and once had one of the highest literacy rates in the world. It is of great concern to the people that currently there is no school at all for the youngest children. The school at Ninh Binh will service 150-200 children. It is being constructed with a grant from the Gannett Foundation. Plans for this school are currently under review by the engineer who works pro bono for the Vietnam Children's Fund. Construction is expected to begin shortly.

Sites for the third and fourth schools have been selected. The third school will be located in Tra Vinh in the Delta which is a poor area where many of the Hmuong reside. The Fund hopes to break ground for this school in September but weather is always a consideration in Vietnam

It is expected the fourth school will be constructed at Son La, in the north, halfway to Dien Bien Phu.