BEACHWOOD, Ohio — Reading children’s books with their mother is a cherished childhood memory for 18-year-old Viet Nguyen and his 19-year-old brother, Nam.
“Because it was a way for us to spend time together and also it was a big factor in helping us learn English and make us really who we are today,” Nam said.
The teens live in Beachwood.
But they were born in different European countries, have Vietnamese parents, and grew up in the Cleveland area.
After a family trip to Vietnam in 2013, they realized how lucky they are.
“Just saw how there were kids just like us, the same age as us, pretty much looked just like us, but they had a completely different lifestyle. They didn’t have the same things that we had,” Viet said.
The family trip to Vietnam inspired them to get involved with the Vietnam Book Drive Project.
It’s a nonprofit that's been around since 2007.
The goal is to promote higher education in Vietnam through access to English textbooks about engineering and science.
The brothers brought that mission to Beachwood in 2014 and joined the expanded part of the program called the “Vietnam Book Drive for Kids.”
Over the years, the pair have collected and donated over 7,000 English children’s books with help from the Cleveland Public Library.
“Even though it seems like a lot of books. We still need more and every bit counts,” Nam said.
“This book drive, it is a meaningful organization because it helps kids in need. But it’s also a chance for me and my brother to connect a bit more to our roots,” Viet said.
One of the leaders at the Vietnam Book Drive Project is Dr. Thu Duong.
She started the Vietnam Book Drive for Kids.
“We only had like one textbook a year. I never experienced reading a children’s English book at all,” she said.
She came to the United States in 2011 to earn her Ph.D. at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
Duong grew up in Vietnam and even though she learned English as a child, she said her biggest hurdle when coming to America was the language barrier.
“I was in shock because of how fast and then how quickly people can speak and explain the idea,” Duong said.
To help bridge the gap, the Vietnam Book Drive Project has distributed over 10,000 books to 16 Vietnamese provinces with the help of more than 36 partner libraries.
It’s an expensive and complicated shipping process and done in partnership with the Embassy of Vietnam in Washington D.C. and the Consulate of Vietnam in New York.
Last year, the organization held a science festival for elementary students.
The hope is to make it an annual educational event.
“So, I hope the kids in Vietnam are going to have a chance to read the book and in turn, they’re going to pay it forward for the next generation and be a stronger community globally,” Duong said.
Her wish is to give every Vietnamese child the opportunity to cultivate a life-long love for reading.
She wants to empower them to become the next generation of leaders and change-makers, all through the power of education.
“One kid like me can make such an impact. If we can empower much more kids, we can have a major (impact). We can help everybody and I find it so meaningful in doing such work. I feel like my life is much more meaningful when I can just do something to help the community," Duong said.
For Viet and Nam, they hope others realize that anyone who wants to make a difference can with some dedication and passion.
“People really do resonate with your story when you really believe in it," Viet said.
If you'd like to donate money or books toward the book drive in the Cleveland area, email Viet Nguyen at vietn2612@gmail.com.
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January 01, 2021 at 10:00PM
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