Homeless children in Ho Chi Minh City have been given an opportunity to learn many kinds of sport from their foreign coaches, as part of a French charitable program.

Poussières de Vie is a charity aimed at providing help and education for the most disadvantaged children in the southern hub through a series of lessons on sports, foreign languages, and computer science.

Apart from local volunteers, several foreigners have also contributed their parts to the assistance of the homeless kids.

Theo Castrogiovanni, Lucie Bayle, and Noemie Guillet, all 24 and from France, have been active contributors to the organization.

Having just graduated from their universities, the three have signed up for the charitable activities before starting a career in their home country.

Besides teaching French and English classes, the foreigners also show the children how to play a variety of sports every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning at Phu Tho Sports Center in District 11.

Despite not being professional athletes, the coaches teach lessons that are always helpful and interesting, such as taekwondo, volleyball, swimming, rugby, and others.

According to Castrogiovanni, he learned to play many types of sport when he was a student.

The French instructor stressed that it is more important that the kids have fun during their lessons.

However, those who are lazy and fail to follow the instructions of their coaches are also disciplined with push-ups, he added.

As language poses a communication barrier between the instructors and students, several Vietnamese volunteers have assisted in the interpretation.

Nguyen Van Hieu, 19, who has grown up from Poussières de Vie, has returned to help his ‘brothers’ and is currently a teaching assistant in the classes of the three French coaches.

“The instructors are very enthusiastic, approachable, and understanding, having a sincere love for the underprivileged children. They teach not only sports but also life lessons,” Hieu stated.

Not just for a better résumé 

Like other young people in France, Castrogiovanni, Bayle, and Guillet spend one year after their gradation traveling and partaking in community service across the world.

The three come from different parts of the European nation but quickly became best friends after their first meeting in Vietnam.

According to Guillet, French youths between 18 and 25 years old often sign up for helpful activities to facilitate their job-seeking in the future.

However, not a better résumé but the journey and experience are what really matter, Guillet underlined.

Bayle also expressed her joy at being able to teach the Vietnamese children, considering her time at the charity a precious memory.

Meanwhile, Castrogiovanni stated he had worked at a supermarket back in his hometown for a long time to save up for a trip to Vietnam.

The foreigner had spent six months working at the Poussières de Vie office in the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum before coming to Ho Chi Minh City.

He has lived and worked in the southern hub for two weeks while his two female friends have been here for more than half a year.

Founded in 2002 by Patrick Desir and Oliver Petiot, who are both from France, Poussières de Vie is based in Kon Tum and Ho Chi Minh City, supplying help to thousands of homeless children.