22 November 2004

Hanoi, Vietnam: Ten students from the Hoa Sua Vocational Training School for Disadvantaged Youth in Hanoi received the UNV Ambassador Award recognizing their academic achievements.

In a ceremony held on Saturday, 20 November, Koen Van Acoleyen, UNV’s Programme Officer in Viet Nam, presented the annual award on behalf of UNV’s Honorary Ambassador Takehito Nakata of Japan.

“These awards recognize the important contribution of the school management and teachers, the volunteers who have committed to the disadvantaged youth’s training and employment, and the effort of the students who have overcome their difficult circumstances,” says Koen Van Acoleyen.

Designed to recognize students who excel, the award was initiated by Honorary Ambassador Nakata when he toured the school in August 2002. “My humble contribution to these awards is one way to encourage these young people to study and to work for a better life and push poverty a step behind,” said Honorary Ambassador Nakata during his 2002 visit.

Hoa Sua School was established in April 1995 by a group of retired teachers. The school provides vocational training opportunities in Asian and European cooking, catering, patisserie, baking, restaurant service, industrial sewing and small business management for disadvantaged youth in Viet Nam’s capital city.

The UNV programme in Viet Nam supported Hoa Sua School from 1998 to 2003. The project placed seven UN Volunteers to assist school management in adopting new administrative practices, a new training curriculum, evaluation systems and the establishment of a multi-support network. The school’s management has also been further strengthened through specialized assignments under the UNV-administered Corporate/Private Sector Volunteers in financial management and marketing.

In the last eight years, more than 1,100 students have graduated from the school and are now working full-time with businesses throughout Hanoi. Hoa Sua School is expanding its activities to reach communities outside of the capital, as well as taking on students from youth care centres throughout the country.

Background on the UNV Ambassador Award:
Takehito Nakata became the first Honorary Ambassador for UNV in 1993 following the death of his son, Atsuhito Nakata. In April 1992, Atsuhito was shot and killed during the course of his duties as a UNV District Electoral Supervisor with the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC). This event led Mr. Nakata to abandon his import-export career to follow in his son's footsteps by promoting human rights and the work of the United Nations in the international community.