The Vu A Dinh scholarship fund, a foundation of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union for poor and well performing ethnic students, has to date received 500 million VND from the Unilever Vietnam Group.

The sum was unveiled during a recent visit by Truong My Hoa, Chairwoman of the fund, to the group’s office in Ho Chi Minh City .

Established in March 1999, the fund has granted more than 21,000 scholarships worth 1 million VND each to targeted students.

Initially, the fund provided 500 scholarships each year, and the number increased to 5,000 from 2008.

The fund has built four schools and six water supply facilities to Khmer ethnic students in southern Tra Vinh, Soc Trang and Tien Giang provinces, northern central Thanh Hoa province, and mountainous Ha Giang province.

Besides, the fund organised a number of activities, including free smile operation for children in northern Thai Nguyen province, provision of pens, books and uniforms, construction of compassion houses, and provision of gifts for HIV/AIDS kids.

The fund has been awarded Labour Order, third class, by the State President, on the occasion of its 10 th founding anniversary./.