AFAR FOUNDATION
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Mission Statement
The AFAR Foundation was created in 2011 by the Alumni of the Alexandre de Rhodes Center Saigon 1960-1975 to continue the social activism ideal they inherited from the founder of the center, Father Henri Forest. The main focus of activities lies in providing assistance in education for under-privileged children and students in Vietnam, in the form of financial aid as well as moral and spiritual guidance provided by alumni currently living in Vietnam, with the ultimate hope that these children will become productive and contributing members of society.
About This Cause
THE CHALLENGE: Many Vietnamese youths at all level of education are experiencing significant financial difficulties, from primary school to university level, due to lack of overall resources, public as well as private. Being able to complete some degree of education will open more doors in the workplace for them as adults. Sadly, many of them do not have the chance to attend school at all or have to drop out of schools to start working to earn a living at a very young age, well before 18 years old, leading to an entire life of struggle. OUR HELP: AFAR Foundation focuses its efforts in providing help to these youths to advance their education as far as feasible, to give them a better chance of becoming productive and contributing members of society. The help which we provide encompasses not only financial means but also counseling and guidance on basic human values and virtues and strong moral character. AFF motto “ Esto Vir “ or “ Be a Man” put the emphasis clearly on the development of the basic and universal human values: kindness, justice, honesty, respect, equality, compassion… Our goal is to pass on these values to all recipients of our help with the hope that they will carry on and propagate our vision and mission. OUR STORY: THE AFAR FOUNDATION AFAR stands for “ Anciens du Foyer Alexandre de Rhodes” or the “Association of Former Students of the Alexander de Rhodes Center” in Saigon, Vietnam from 1960 to 1975. This center was created by the Jesuit Order in Saigon to provide for a selected number of Saigon University students an environment suitable for the pursuit of their studies while putting great emphasis on the development of the total person, professionally and morally, to be ready later to effectively serve society and the homeland. The Foyer motto is “ Esto Vir” or “ Be a Man”, an oath that all newly accepted students to the Foyer have to take. The students while staying at the center for their 4-6 years in the university are required to participate in other activities, charitable activities one week-end per month, conducting free health clinics, building shelters, distributing gifts… to the disadvantaged in the areas surrounding Saigon. Continuing the same spirit, the AFAR Association established in 2010 the AFAR Foundation (AFF) as an instrument to carry on its tradition of serving the poor and the less fortunate Following are the main characteristics of AFF: ◾Goals: planning and executing charitable activities ◾Guiding principles: - Non- profit - Totally voluntary - Nondiscriminatory to religion, race, gender, geography… ◾Organization : - Members: all former students of AFAR Center are de facto members of AFF. - Board of Directors: elected by AFAR members, in charge of fundraising, planning and executing all AFF activities. ◾Financials: the fund comes from contributions of AFAR members and the public at large. All AFF members donate their time and resources for the management the Foundation and its activities. No member receives any compensation. PROGRAMS: 1- SHELTERS: Currently, AFF is supporting financially 2 shelters which harbor children who are orphans, homeless or disadvantaged and provide them with an opportunity to go to school. – MÁI ẤM MAI LIÊN : located in Saigon, run by Catholic nuns, with currently 18 residents from 3rd grade to 12th grade. AFF provides 8 scholarships ( primary and secondary education are not free) and also contributes to its foods budget. The Foundation also provides help with the physical structures of the shelter, it had recently installed a water filter system for the unit and remodeled the dormitory. – MÁI ẤM HOA HỒNG NHỎ: This shelter is located in My Tho, a city south of Saigon, run by Catholic nuns, with about 18 disadvantaged children residents. The Foundation is providing 8 scholarships and also helps with the foods budget. Recently, AFF has contributed to the remodel of the shelter as well as the sanitary facilities. 2- SCHOLARSHIPS AFF Foundation is currently helping poor undergrad students with scholarships to defray part of their costs. At CanTho University, there are 12 scholarships and at Hue-DaNang there are 7. all are managed by AFF alumni in the area. All scholarships recipients are selected after a rigorous interview carried out by AFAR members currently residing in the area. The criteria for selection include proven needs for financial support, excellent academic records and strong moral character. Once selected, they will receive financial aid for the remaining time in college, up to 4 years, to defray part of their college costs. They are interviewed at the end of each academic year and must meet the same criteria in order to continue to receive their scholarships. During the time they are receiving aid, recipients meet with AFAR members in VN on a quarterly basis for Q&A, also to understand more about the “ Esto Vir” spirit, with the hope they will continue to spread the spirit around them once they move on, to help ameliorate the whole society. 3- NIGHT CLASS – Lớp Học Tình Thương Hòa Hảo This free night class is located in Saigon and run by a volunteer teacher and his all-volunteer staff. It offers children from poor families who cannot afford the cost of regular day time classes one last chance to learn how to read and write. Most of these children work during the day to earn a living and attend this free class at night. They are given a free dinner on- site, cooked by the staff before class time. There is about 100-120 children in this program, organized into different levels. AFF helps this program with a monetary donation quarterly.