In May 2023, Highlands Coffee arrived at De Ar Primary School in Mang Yang District, Gia Lai Province, to survey the project for building the “Boarding House for You “—a place where students from distant areas can stay during school days.
On March 15, 2024, the 39th brigade of red-shirted warriors from Highlands headed west to De Ar, bringing with them much love and many gifts to inaugurate the “Boarding House for You” project.
The “Love” We Brought Along
To prepare for this meaningful journey, alongside the 242,000,000 VND donated by the Highlands Coffee leadership for the boarding house project, Highlands Coffee also raised over 34,000,000 VND through a Flea Market event held at the Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City offices. Additionally, more than 42,000,000 VND was contributed by Highlands’ partners and suppliers, with 6,500,000 VND donated by Highlands’ Overhead employees. Thanks to these generous contributions, many useful gifts were provided to the students at De Ar Primary School, including:
- 570 gift packages consisting of notebooks, milk, and candies for the students at the school, with a total value of 47,555,000 VND.
- 13 sets of bunk beds, 26 sets of personal blankets, sheets, and pillows, as well as dining tables for the students, totaling over 36,000,000 VND.
- 25 personal care kits for the boarding students, worth 4,000,000 VND.
- More than 600 cups of Highlands Peach Tea served to the students and teachers.
- Additional gifts, including notebooks, teddy bears, and laptop bags sent by the Highlands team to the school.
Highlands Coffee came to the students at De Ar with heartfelt intentions and small gifts, but it was an honor and deeply moving to receive such a warm and sincere welcome from the teachers and students of De Ar Primary School. Under the intense heat of the Central Highlands, the school greeted us with a very formal ceremony, including a gong performance. This was undoubtedly one of the most emotional moments that the Highlands volunteer group experienced during this 2-day, 3-night journey.
Because what you give, lasts forever.
“”Respect and emotion were the first feelings when the convoy stopped at De Ar School, and we saw the students and the gong team standing under the scorching sun of the Central Highlands to welcome the Highlands volunteers.” – shared by Phương Thảo, a volunteer from the Expansion team.
When asked about the most impressive moment from the long journey, Thanh Sơn – from the Highlands Coffee Marketing team – shared with us: “The moment the boarding students were invited to receive their gifts – the way they carefully took off their slippers and walked barefoot onto the stage was so simple, yet it felt like a natural habit for them. It’s hard to put into words. I love it so much!”
One thing is certain: Highlands’ journey of support will continue and spread even further.