Light of Knowledge at the Border

LIGHT OF KNOWLEDGE AT THE BORDER

In Đăk Huýt village, Quảng Trực commune, Lâm Đồng (formerly Đăk Nông)

“We just need a place to read books… so we don't spend our days knowing nothing but phones and TV…” – the words of an ethnic minority child in Đăk Huýt village.

I/ PROJECT SUMMARY

The Y Tam Library project will build the first space for learning and community activities in Đăk Huýt village, a remote border village in the Central Highlands.

The project serves about 1,000 ethnic minority children who are growing up amid geographic isolation, a lack of basic materials and a dependence on phones and TV. The library will be a place where they can learn English, computer skills, life skills, talents and the arts, and build a habit of reading.

Total budget: 669,954,000 VND (six hundred sixty-nine million, nine hundred fifty-four thousand dong).

With this sum, we will give the children a modern “house of knowledge”, where knowledge replaces screens, hope replaces distance, and the future is lit up.

II/ BACKGROUND: A STORY FROM THE BORDER

Đăk Huýt village lies deep in the forested mountains of the Central Highlands, more than 40 km of winding mountain road from the district center. The more than 1,000 ethnic minority children here have never had a shared community space, a library, or a place to study together after school.

The children spend 3–5 hours a day glued to phones and TV, the only “friends” their families have. A reading habit barely exists. One child shared wistfully: “I only know how to watch TV and use the phone. I want to read, but there are no books and nowhere to sit and read. I dream of learning English and computers so that one day I can become a teacher…”

The community library is a model with proven results around the world:

• Room to Read has supported more than 30,000 libraries, benefiting more than 60.3 million children worldwide since 2000 (including 17.1 million in 2025 alone).
• READ Global has built more than 120 READ Centers in remote areas of South Asia, helping more than 2.5 million people improve their reading and life skills and escape poverty sustainably.

The Y Tam Library will carry that same flame to Đăk Huýt village and help the children in ways close to their daily lives.

III/ LIBRARY GOALS

• Build and fully equip a library serving 1,000 children/year.
• After 12 months of operation: at least 800 children attending ≥ 2 sessions/week; phone/TV time down by 50% on average; clear improvement in reading and thinking skills.
• Hold 200 hours of free classes/year: English, computers, life skills, talents and the arts.
• Build a strong reading habit that helps the children rise up and reach out to the world on their own.

IV/ PROJECT CONTENT AND SCALE

• A solid, modern library with 4 functional areas: reading, computers, talents and the arts, and community activities.
• Fully equipped with bookshelves, tables, computers, a projector and wifi.
• Collecting thousands of age-appropriate books (in Vietnamese and English, on life skills, ethnic culture…).
• Regular activity programs led by Y Tam volunteers.

V/ CONSTRUCTION PLAN

Implementation (8–10 months) – construction begins once fundraising reaches 2/3 of the budget.

• Months 1–3: design, permits, fundraising.
• Months 4–6: construction & fit-out, while collecting books and recruiting volunteers.
• Months 7–10: inauguration and official opening.

VI/ DETAILED BUDGET (detailed image file attached) Total 669,954,000 VND

Below is the budget table for building the free Y Tam library

NO.	DESCRIPTION	SPECIFICATION	UNIT	Quantity	Unit price (per quote)	Unit price (estimated)	AMOUNT
1	Box steel 40×80, thick	1.4 mm	Bar	109	270.000₫		29.430.000₫
2	Box steel 60×120	1.4 mm	bar	9	700.000₫		6.300.000₫
3	Box steel 100×100	1.4 mm	bar	14	510.000₫		7.140.000₫
4	Round steel pi49	1.4 mm	bar	7	195.000₫		1.365.000₫
5	Round steel pi14	1.4 mm	bar	27	237.000₫		6.399.000₫
6	Steel 25×25	1.4 mm	bar	12		115.000₫	1.380.000₫
7	Steel 20×20	1.4 mm	bar	4		90.000₫	360.000₫
8	Box steel 50×100	1.4 mm	bar	25		380.000₫	9.500.000₫
9	Steel bar 18	18 mm	bar	20		320.000₫	6.400.000₫
10	Stirrups pi6	15 x 25	pcs	370		5.000₫	1.850.000₫
11	Stirrups pi6	20×20	pcs	150		5.000₫	750.000₫
12	Round steel pi12		bar	90	173.000₫		15.570.000₫
13	Round steel pi16		bar	9	300.000₫		2.700.000₫
14	I-beam	20×20	bar	19	2.530.000₫		48.070.000₫
15	I-beam	15×15	bar	2	1.700.000₫		3.400.000₫
16	Masonry sand		cubic meter	12	750.000₫		9.000.000₫
17	Bricks	pieces	thousand	3000	3.000₫		9.000.000₫
18	Crushed stone 1/2		cubic meter	14	520.000₫		7.280.000₫
19	Cement	50kg	Ton	7	1.950.000₫		13.650.000₫
20	Hoa Sen insulated roofing sheet		meter	185	180.000₫		33.300.000₫
21	PV roofing sheet	5.80m-4zem	sheet	15		550.000₫	8.250.000₫
22	PV roofing sheet	3.50m-4zem	sheet	28		360.000₫	10.080.000₫
23	Ridge cap sheet	30×30	meter	10		45.000₫	450.000₫
24	Front fascia sheet	20×20	meter	16		35.000₫	560.000₫
25	Panel boards	foam 3cm, 7 cm	sheet	72		180.000₫	12.960.000₫
26	Electrical equipment for the whole building	As required on site		1		50.000.000₫	50.000.000₫
27	Toilet		pcs	6	1.700.000₫		10.200.000₫
28	Hand-wash basin		pcs	11	250.000₫		2.750.000₫
29	Urinal		pcs	2	250.000₫		500.000₫
30	Shower head		pcs	4		1.000.000₫	4.000.000₫
31	Hand tap		pcs	15	180.000₫		2.700.000₫
32	Restroom fittings		pcs	4		180.000₫	720.000₫
33	Water tap		pcs	6		150.000₫	900.000₫
34	Biological septic tank		pcs	3		3.000.000₫	9.000.000₫
35	Water tank	2,000 liters	pcs	1		3.000.000₫	3.000.000₫
36	Welding and cutting discs		As needed for the building			2.000.000₫	2.000.000₫
37	Paint + x + auxiliary materials		As needed for the building			10.000.000₫	10.000.000₫
38	Restroom wall tiles		meter	74		180.000₫	13.320.000₫
39	–		meter	66		200.000₫	13.200.000₫
40	Floor tiles		meter	66		130.000₫	8.580.000₫
41	Covered kitchen		meter	54		170.000₫	9.180.000₫
42	Xinpolistin		meter	143		220.000₫	31.460.000₫
43	Site leveling			1			5.000.000₫
44	Labor costs for all work						191.000.000₫
45	Contingency costs 8-10%						57.300.000₫
	TOTAL						669.954.000₫

VII/ FUNDRAISING PLAN AND 100% TRANSPARENCY

• A separate fundraising account, with income and expenses published quarterly on our fanpage/website.
• Detailed reports (photos + videos) sent directly to sponsors.
• Sponsors are invited to the groundbreaking and opening ceremonies and are welcome to inspect the site at any time.
• Official partnership with the Quảng Trực Commune People's Committee.

VIII/ PROJECT SUSTAINABILITY

• The management board includes the Y Tam Board + representatives of the Commune People's Committee + 5–7 Y Tam volunteers.
• Ongoing funding: selling local products, a small café and clean vegetables grown on site by volunteers, plus regular sponsorship from businesses and the community.
• A commitment to operate for at least 10 years, with plans to expand according to actual needs.

IX/ EXPECTED BENEFITS

The Y Tam Library will be a second home for 1,000 children of the border area:

• Breaking free of screen dependence and making reading an independent habit.
• Reducing educational inequality and preserving ethnic cultural identity.
• Giving them life skills, English and computer skills – the keys that help them go far on their own.
• When the children can read, learn and dream, the whole village will change.

A HEARTFELT APPEAL

The children of Đăk Huýt village have nothing but love and a thirst for learning. All they need is a house of knowledge.

Every contribution you make today is a book, a lesson, a future.

Join Y Tam in lighting the Y Tam flame – the light of knowledge for our beloved border area.

Every contribution, large or small, is a valuable piece of the puzzle.

– PROJECT DONATION DETAILS:

Donors who wish to support the library construction can send contributions to:

Y TAM VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATION

Office address: 4/3 Núi Thành, Tân Bình Ward, Ho Chi Minh City

Phone: 098 567 4772

Account name: Đào Thị Minh Lệ

• MB Bank: 4772 (SWIFT code: MSCBVNVX)
• Techcombank: 1207110487 (SWIFT code: VTCBVNVX)

Note when transferring: please add “Donor's name + UHXDTV” so Y Tam can easily keep records.

Thank you for your compassion! From the bottom of their hearts, the 1,000 children of Đăk Huýt village and the Y Tam Volunteer Organization organizing team are deeply grateful!

Sincerely!