Participants at the programme (Photo VNA)
HCM City (VNA) - Businesses pledged to sponsor nearly 80 billion VND (3.43 million USD) for the National Fund for Vietnamese Children (NFVC) under agreements signed at a programme in Ho Chi Minh City on December 8 with the attendance of Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh.
The sponsors include Long Thanh Golf Investment and Trading J.S.C, IMEX Pan-Pacific Co. Ltd., and AIA Life Insurance Company Limited.
Addressing the programme, Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh, who is also Chairwoman of the NFVC Sponsorship Council, said the protection, care and education of children is a priority goal of the Party and State.
Vietnam is the first country in Asia and second in the world to ratify the 1990 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, she added.
The establishment of the National Fund for Vietnamese Children in May 1992 has contributed to increasing social resources to protect, care for, and educate children, Thinh said.
Since then, the fund has mobilised nearly 6.5 trillion VND (278.9 million USD) and supported 30 million needy children, including those with disabilities.
In 2018, the fund has raised over 100 billion VND (4.29 million USD) to help 80,000 underprivileged children, she noted.
There are still 1.5 million children from disadvantaged backgrounds in the country and nearly 2.5 million could drop out of school, she said.
In 2019, the fund will strive to mobilise 110 billion VND (4.72 million USD) and support 110,000 disadvantaged children.
To realise this target, the fund needs support from businesses and sponsors, the Vice President said.-VNA
