Seeing people consult with farmers about pesticide protection made Ly very interested and she hoped to be able to do the same job as them one day.

Dream for the homeland

Neàng Kim Ly was born in Mang Ro village, Van Giao commune (Tinh Bien district, An Giang province) where the plains meet the hills and mountains. People live mainly on rice fields, planting fruit trees and breeding cattle . Like many people in the area, Ly’s mother left home to work far away in Long An to work as a seamstress. She hoped to earn more, but can only send home 2 million VND a month. to earn more. Ly’s father has been working as a bricklayer and farming on 2.5 “công ruộng” (1 công ruộng= 360 m2) – earning about 3-3.5 million VND per month.

Their total income is about 5 million VND per month. That money was not enough to cover the cost of studying for two school-age children. “Sometimes my mother doesn’t earn not enough money to pay tuition for my sister and I. If she pays for me, then she doesn’t have enough money for my younger sister,” Ly shared that her parents have to be very careful and meticulous to cover the tuition two girls.

 Kym Ly’s mother (left) has worked far from home since Ly was in 8th grade., Eevery year she just returns home only once or twice – usually for times on Tet holiday. Ly has had to be independent while taking on her mother’s role in the household to take care of her younger sister.

When Ly was younger, she would play in the fields in front of her house and was delighted by all of the people harvesting rice. She was also impressed with the image by the engineers who were dedicated to providing crop protection products to the farmers.  Ly became interested in that and she now hopes to grow up to be able to do the same job as them. That nostalgic feeling makes Ly love the countryside even more.

While growing up, Ly would witness the constant flooding which would affect her family and her community. She felt like she needed to do something. At the time of the university entrance exam, Ly decided to take it and found success in the field of Plant Protection in the Faculty of Agriculture – Natural Resources at An Giang University. She believes that this is the field that can help her homeland.

The more she learn about her field, the more interested she becomes. “I can understand the fields, the rice, and some plants and insects. I know how they can harms the trees and how to protect crops,” she said. Ly also took part in field trips to the field and studied models and programs about rice fields “.

During study at school, Ly usually focuses on practice sessions and experiments. She sometimes asks her friends for help. Ly said: “Despite the difficulties – I still try. I want to go back to my hometown to make a living and , help the farmers improve their lives. ” Ly says she wants to work at some companies after graduation and then start her own company to make fertilizer when she has the opportunity.

Received Teillon Ludlow scholarship

A new opportunity came to Ly when she learned of the Teillon- Ludlow Sscholarship. Ly applied and interviewed for it, in the hopes of earning an annual amount of receiving financial support and a variety of soft skills training opportunities “I am very happy to receive the Teillon- Ludlow Sscholarship. My first thought was that I have now reduced the burden on my parents. From now on, my family’s struggle will be less difficult. “, Ly is happy when she remembers the moments she learned that her name was on the list of scholarship recipients.

 With the amount of 13 million VND per year received from the scholarship, Ly can pay her tuition and her living expenses without having to ask her parents. Ly has participated in lessons for soft skills training, information technology, and foreign languages., She has met young Asian business leaders and made many new friends. Ly has changed from a shy girl, lacking confidence in communication to a bold and more open-minded girl. “The Scholarships is very meaningful to me, as it has helped me to overcome many difficulties in life and become more confident.” Ly shared.

Kim Ly (left out side) received Teillon Ludlow scholarship year 2015-2016.

Ly said that she appreciated Mr. Teillon and Ms. Ludlow’s hearts for creating this meaningful scholarship, which helps girls in difficult circumstances, overcome their mental and physical barriers to follow their dreams. “I hope the scholarship program will expand to other universities to help more students,” Ly said.

Teillon-Ludlow is a scholarship funded by Meredith Ludlow and Marc Teillon for 80 disadvantaged girls who are studying Information Technology or Agriculture at Can Tho or An Giang Universities. They receive scholarships until graduation. Each scholarship recipient will be supported with 13 million VND per year to cover tuition fees, living expenses, uniforms, and educational materials. Scholarship recipients also participate in many interactive activities, skills training sessions, and language lessons to help them grow and learn.

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