New kitchen facility provides safe meals for mountain children in Vietnam

The Hy Vong Fund and Honda Trading Vietnam Co., Ltd. built a modern, permanent kitchen for the Na Chac school site at Na Hang Kindergarten in Tuyen Quang Province.

This new facility replaced a makeshift kitchen made of rusted iron and rotting wood that teachers and students used for more than 20 years. The Na Chac school site is located over 20 kilometers from the center of Na Hang on a steep hillside.

It serves nearly 40 children, mostly from the Dao ethnic group. Because many students live several kilometers away in the forest, the school's semi-boarding meals are essential for parents to feel comfortable sending their children to class. The old kitchen, built in 2003, suffered from leaks and dampness, which posed food safety risks and caused food to cool quickly during the winter. The new kitchen project cost 274 million VND.

The funding covered construction and equipment such as industrial rice cookers, gas stoves, and food grinders. The facility follows school kitchen standards to ensure a one-way workflow and minimize cross-contamination. Takahashi Ryo, General Director of Honda Trading Vietnam Co., Ltd., stated that the project aims to provide children with nutritious meals and improve their physical health. This initiative is part of the "School Light" program launched by the Hy Vong Fund in 2018 to improve facilities in remote areas.

The program has supported the construction or renovation of more than 760 school sites across Vietnam to date. The fund is also working with local authorities to build a similar kitchen for the Na Chao school site.