About 500 poor and underprivileged students in northern Phu Tho province on December 8 received free milk from the Vietnam Rising Milk Fund.

In its fifth year of operation, the fund is supported by the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA), the Vietnam Children Sponsoring Fund and the Vietnam Dairy Products Joint Stock Company (Vinamilk).

The free delivery of milk, equivalent to 42,000 glasses in Phu Tho province, marked the fund’s last stop on this year’s journey.

Addressing the ceremony, MoLISA Minister Pham Thi Hai Chuyen highlighted the contribution of the fund to providing opportunities for needy children nationwide to have regular milk, improving their physical and mental condition.

She said she hopes the Milk Fund will run for many more years to help the children in Phu Tho province and the country at large.

According to Vinamilk’s Director of Public Relations Bui Thi Huong, over the past five years, the fund has provided free milk worth 75 billion VND (3.52 million USD) to 286,000 underprivileged children at children’s care centres located in 58 provinces and cities nationwide.

In 2013, despite the economic downturn, the fund donated hundreds of thousands of glasses of milk worth 6 billion VND (282,000 USD).-VNA