A Special First Day of School
Located far from the hustle and bustle of Ben Tre city, Bao Thanh Elementary School in Ba Tri district, Ben Tre province, is nestled in a remote area. This school is one of 45 schools in socially and economically disadvantaged coastal and island communes across Vietnam. According to Mr. Pham Ngoc Toan, the principal, out of 752 students enrolled for the 2024-2025 academic year, 145 students come from households classified as poor or near-poor. Many students face exceptional financial challenges, which may force them to discontinue their education due to their parents’ inability to afford school fees.
The school consists of a main campus and three branches, all of which are in dire need of renovation and upgrading. Despite these challenges, through the school’s dedication and with support from parents, Bao Thanh Elementary School welcomed its students for the new 2024-2025 academic year, just like any other school across the country.
Vinamilk & Vietnam Children’s Fund representatives (left) present a symbolic donation of more than 135,000 boxes of milk to Ben Tre Province’s Department of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs representative on the first day of school, September 5th.
To motivate and encourage students in their pursuit of knowledge, Vinamilk and the Vietnam Children’s Fund (VCF) joined forces to organize a unique first day of school celebration. Not only was the school decorated with more vibrant flags and flowers than in previous years, but each student also received nearly 17,000 boxes of fresh Vinamilk milk through the Vietnam Milk Fund program (also known as the Milk Fund) and special gifts to mark the new academic year.
30 students from Bao Thanh School who have excelled academically despite facing challenges received scholarships and gifts for the new school year from Vinamilk and the Vietnam Children’s Fund.
“Due to financial constraints, the majority of our students face nutritional deficiencies. When I visited the branch schools located far from the town center, I was deeply saddened to see that our students were significantly shorter than their peers. The milk provided by the Milk Fund program is a tremendous source of encouragement for our students, and we, as teachers, share in their joy. We hope that regular milk consumption will help our students meet their nutritional needs, and through this program, parents will also recognize the importance of milk in promoting optimal physical and intellectual development,” said Mr. Toan.
Mr. Do Thanh Tuan, Vinamilk’s Director of External Relations, presents 30 scholarships and new school year gifts to students who have overcome challenges to excel in their studies.
In addition to the milk support, Vinamilk also presented the school with the “Vươn cao Việt Nam” bookcase, containing nearly 1,000 books and notebooks, hundreds of school supplies, and five laptops to enhance the students’ computer literacy and provide access to the vast information available on the internet. This bookcase is a result of the internal campaign “Donate a New Book, Welcome a Student to School,” in which Vinamilk employees generously contributed.
A special first day of school filled with joy and gifts from the Milk Fund and Vinamilk for the students of Ben Tre province.
On this occasion, the VCF and Vinamilk also presented 30 scholarships to students from disadvantaged backgrounds who have demonstrated academic excellence despite their challenges. Each scholarship included cash and essential school supplies such as backpacks, notebooks, and Vinamilk water bottles.
Moreover, the students enjoyed a lively first day of school with engaging activities organized by Vinamilk employees, including creative painting, career-themed dress-up, sports games, and quizzes with prizes.
Phan Van Kiet, a student at Bao Thanh Elementary School, excitedly shared, “Today is the first time I’ve attended such a fun and gift-filled first day of school. I love receiving milk the most because it tastes great. I also received a new backpack from Vinamilk, and now I have a new bag, new books, and new notebooks for school. I am thrilled and extremely grateful to everyone!”
Students explore the new bookcase donated by Vinamilk at the school library.
Half a Million Boxes of Milk Accompany Students to School
This support extended beyond the 750 students of Bao Thanh Elementary School. This year, more than 2,000 underprivileged children in Ben Tre province received over 135,000 boxes of milk through the Vietnam Milk Fund program. Since the beginning of 2024, the program has distributed nearly 490,000 nutritional products to more than 6,700 students facing financial challenges. Notably, in the lead-up to the new academic year, Vinamilk completed the distribution of nearly 200,000 boxes of milk to underprivileged schools in the provinces of Dien Bien, Hung Yen, Binh Duong, Ben Tre, Can Tho, and Hanoi.
On the first day of school, students participated in various creative and fun activities organized by Vinamilk employees.
Speaking at the event, Mr. Do Thanh Tuan, Vinamilk’s Director of External Relations, shared the joy of the students’ first day of school. “I hope that Vinamilk’s support will help them feel the community’s care for their education and well-being, inspiring them to persevere and overcome challenges. For the past 17 years, Vinamilk believes that the greatest value the Vietnam Milk Fund program has bestowed is the dreams and motivation it has ignited in these young minds, empowering them to reach greater heights in the future,” Mr. Tuan expressed.
According to Mr. Dinh Tien Hai, Director of the VCF, even after many years, the program continues to bring joy to children who may be experiencing their first festive first day of school or their first taste of milk.
“Since the inception of the Vietnam Milk Fund program with Vinamilk, the VCF never imagined that this partnership would endure for so long. As we continue our journey, we realize that there are still many places where children need our care and support. We hope that this program will persist for many more years, enabling us to reach out to more underprivileged children and share the love and support they deserve,” emphasized Mr. Hai.
As part of this program, Vinamilk and the VCF also visited and presented milk to students at the Ben Tre Center for Disabled Children (in Huu Dinh commune, Chau Thanh district, Ben Tre province) on the first day of school. The center provides care, rehabilitation training, academic education, and vocational training for approximately 300 hearing-impaired, visually impaired, and intellectually disabled children. This center has been a beneficiary of the Milk Fund program for the past 14 years. In 2024 alone, the students at the center received over 23,400 boxes of milk from Vinamilk.
The new school year begins with smiles for the students of Bao Thanh Elementary School.
Established in 2008, the Vietnam Milk Fund program is a long-term and consistent initiative jointly implemented by Vinamilk and the VCF. To date, it remains one of the most extensive children’s nutrition care programs in Vietnam, providing long-term support to enhance the health and physical development of children through improved nutrition. The program has distributed over 42 million nutritional products, valued at more than VND 200 billion, to more than half a million underprivileged children across all 63 provinces and cities, including remote areas, islands, and border regions.
Additional Information:
About Vinamilk:
Founded in 1976, Vinamilk is the leading dairy company in Vietnam and ranks 6th in the world by brand value (as assessed by Brand Finance). With a vast production network of 16 modern factories and 15 farms that meet global standards in Vietnam and abroad, Vinamilk not only dominates the domestic market for dairy and dairy product brands but also exports to more than 60 countries and territories.
Vinamilk is committed to its mission of “Caring for the Nutrition of Vietnamese People” and continuously invests in research and development to apply the latest scientific achievements to its product development and community healthcare initiatives. Notable programs include the 17-year-long Vietnam Milk Fund, sponsoring over 500 successful heart surgeries, collaborating with medical associations and leading hospitals to organize scientific and technical workshops and provide medical training for 12,000 healthcare staff nationwide, and offering free nutritional consultations to thousands of elderly people and underprivileged children across Vietnam.
The Vietnam Children’s Fund is the only state-owned fund established on May 4, 1992, according to the Law on Protection, Care, and Education of Children (now amended as the Law on Children 2016). The fund’s function is to mobilize voluntary contributions from organizations, individuals, and international sponsors and, if necessary, support from the state budget to implement prioritized goals for children as determined by the state. The VCF has a Patronage Council, currently chaired by Madam Vo Thi Anh Xuan, Vice President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, and Mr. Dao Ngoc Dung, Minister of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs, as Vice President. The council comprises 22 members who are influential and respected individuals, including leaders of ministries, sectors, corporations, and large enterprises. In nearly 32 years of operation, the VCF has mobilized over VND 7,900 billion, supporting over 35 million underprivileged and special circumstances children nationwide. Operating under the motto of “Dedication – Transparency – Timeliness – Participation,” the VCF has mobilized over VND 1,700 billion and hundreds of thousands of tons of goods to support over 7.6 million underprivileged and special circumstances children across Vietnam.
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