Created by the residents of NTU Banyan Hall, Cor Gratuiti was an overseas community engagement project (OCEP) aimed to engage students in Vietnam through the collaboration with ECO Vietnam Group (EVG), a non-profit organisation. The team hoped to build a new library in a chosen community, as well as provide educational opportunities for the students.
Planning began in 2019 – the team researched various organisations in Vietnam before partnering with EVG. EVG’s mission is to improve the local community’s lives and provide quality knowledge and education to underprivileged children from remote areas in the country resonated with the team, leading to their collaboration. The library had been designed to include materials on knowledge and technology, which would benefit people from the more rural areas.
However, the team faced a setback in their plans to build a library in the area due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After careful consideration, Cor Gratuiti then diverted their resources towards virtual content and turned the project into a Youth Expedition Project Goes Online (YEP-GO) initiative, allowing them to develop online classes and skilled volunteering through EVG.
In 2021, the team conducted a virtual OCEP programme through ZOOM, where eight volunteers connected with 38 students ranging from primary school to high school levels, with the EVG facilitators bridging the language gap between the volunteers and beneficiaries. Class content included English grammar, various topics in science and educational games on the online platform Scratch.
Despite the stumbling block they faced, the Cor Gratuiti team was able to switch gears and focus on online educational content. This allowed them to achieve their goal of serving an overseas underprivileged community and the team hope that what they have shared would be of use to their beneficiaries.
Alone, you go faster; but together, we go further. Kaelyn Wong, President of Cor Gratuiti 2020-2021
About Cor Gratuiti
Banyan Hall of Residence’s OCEP, Cor Gratuiti was launched in 2019, and it aims to build a community of like-minded students working together to aid disadvantaged communities in Vietnam.
