Accomplishments

Since its founding, EFTP has had several notable accomplishments, such as:

1. Propagate the spirit of good work ethic

   During the EFTP trip to Vietnam in 2006, members made an effort to set up meetings with college students to propagate the spirit of good work ethic. They relayed the message that “the investment of foreign companies will bring employment opportunities and will help improve the living standards of the students and their families. This is a permanent escape from poverty and an advancement opportunity that the students can play an active role in making it happen. Though propagating the spirit of good work ethic will not yield immediate results, EFTP has and will continue to relay the above message to the students and to ask them to pass this message on to their acquaintances.



2. Send volunteers to Vietnam to teach English

   During our meetings with students in 2006, we were informed that it was very difficult to learn English, and we were then asked to help them acquire an adequate proficiency in this language, especially in the area of pronunciation and communication. To answer their needs, we set up on our website a "Learning English” page. We also wrote an English Grammar manual (written in Vietnamese and English) to be distributed free of charge to any student who was interested in learning English. We will continue to develop more learning materials—also to be distributed free of charge—to improve their English proficiency. Since correct pronunciation cannot be taught effectively through books, we sent our first volunteer, Jaclene Le, to Vietnam in the summer of 2006 to try teaching English at Trung Tâm M?c V? Dòng Chúa C?u Th?, Saigon. Upon her return, Jaclyn told us that she really loved her students and wished to be able to assist them still in the future by informing her friends of this program. We were quite elated by her attitude since it has always been our wish to build a connection between the students in the U.S. and those in Vietnam. Our happiness further increased when the priest in charge of the program informed us that, in addition to raising the English proficiency of the students, our English program also helped to boost the students’ confidence, enabling them to become more social and outgoing. Being outgoing is a very important factor in communication especially in communication with foreigners because shyness and introversion may lead to communication barriers and misunderstanding between parties.
   
   In 2007, EFTP sent volunteers to teach English in the three regions of Vietnam—North, Central, and South—for five weeks. The program concentrated on teaching pronunciation and communication, and approximately 600 students were taught. To speed up the learning process and to make learning fun, EFTP utilized different teaching methods. EFTP taught phonetics so that the students could continue learning new vocabulary even after the close of the program. This method will help ensure their continual progress in capturing the new language. From the evaluation of the program received from the students, we were very excited to know that they have found it to be very valuable and that they love the creative teaching methods used in the program.



3. Set up computer centers for students to use free of charge

   EFTP has provided equipment to create two computer centers for students: one at the center provided by the Archbishop of Ha Noi and one at the humanitarian center in rural Thach Bich. Recognizing the importance of computers in the propagation of knowledge, EFTP desires to have more financial resources to expand their assistance in this area.



4. Provide scholarships to students

   EFTP has provided scholarships to the students since its inception in late 2005. Students that received assistance from EFTP were referred by the priests and monks that reside in Vietnam. These individuals follow the progress of the students on behalf of EFTP.



5. Provide financial assistance to the handicapped and vocational centers

   Since its inception, EFTP has continued to provide help to various centers for the handicapped as well as to vocational centers. For example, the Humanitarian Center in Thach Bich that provides training to the children of farmers who can no longer follow in the footsteps of their parents when the area become more industrialized ,or the training center of Chua Tay Linh that provides training in computer and embroidery to deaf students. Other centers are Mai Am Thien An, Mai Am Hoa Mau Don, Trung Tam Khiem Thi Bung Sang,...