Brighter Path program organizes the national annual empowerment meeting for ethnic minority girls

On June 9th, 2022, Vu A Dinh Scholarship Fund and VinaCapital Foundation convene the Brighter Path Merit Scholars in Da Lat city for the ethnic minority girl students. This is an annual meeting for the girl students of the Brighter Path program, which supports the disadvantaged ethnic minority girl students who are always making efforts in their studies. The girls are awarded scholarships for 7 years of study (3 years of high school and 4 years of university). The scholarships create opportunities for the girls to improve knowledge and skills to build a bright future for themselves, and at the same time become a resource contributing to the development of their homeland and villages – where ethnic minority communities are living.

The program is the creation of Madam Truong My Hoa – Former Vice President of Vietnam and Chairwoman of Vu A Dinh Scholarship Fund and Mr. Don Lam – Co-Founder and CEO of VinaCapital, Chairman of the Board of VinaCapital Foundation, and Ms. Robin King Austin – Co-Founder and Vice Chairwoman of the Board of VinaCapital Foundation to empower and enable bright ethnic female scholars to improve themselves and their communities.

In the academic years of 2020-2021 and 2021-2022, all the Brighter Path students enthusiastically participated in their schools’ social activities while consistently achieving excellent grades. Noticeably, many of them joined hands in pandemic prevention and supported the frontline forces during the Covid-19 outbreak such as producing face shields and providing medical supplies and necessities to poor people, supporting vaccination campaigns, and more.

After 2 years of not being able to see each other because of the pandemic, this year’s Empowerment Meeting with the theme of ‘Reunion’ will bring all the scholars back together to the Brighter Path family in the “Blossom City – Da Lat,” to evaluate the past, learn new soft skills to overcome obstacles and prepare themselves for the new school year ahead. The Empowerment Meeting 2022 consists of a series of workshops and cultural activities held over four days to provide the girls with essential skills to prepare for career development and personal growth. The workshop sessions will cover topics such as career orientation, personal financial management, and how to deal with sexual harassment, sexual abuse, and fraud. The girls will also visit historical locations and explore the charming nature of Da Lat city. This year’s Empowerment Meeting workshops will feature inspiring speeches from experts such as Ms. Tran Le Phuong Thao – Regional Talent Acquisition Lead, Asia of PepsiCo; Ms. Bui Thi My Trang – Head of Corporate Sustainability of HSBC Vietnam, and Ph.D. Le Thi Linh Trang.

Studies from around the world prove that in underdeveloped communities educating girls on key educational topics is the best investment one can make to reduce generational poverty, improve health, build the middle class and ensure the rights of women. Vu A Dinh Scholarship Fund and VinaCapital Foundation, together with our dedicated partners and donors, work diligently to ensure our commitment to a more resilient Vietnam where our bright ethnic female students are empowered to become strong and confident proponents of economic growth in their community, transforming their lives and the lives of others.

The goal of the Brighter Path program is to reduce poverty in Vietnam through education and training. Starting in 2010, the program has provided fully-funded scholarships and essential skills training to 100 disadvantaged ethnic female students across the country. The first 50 scholars of the program’s first group have graduated from university and college and are actively contributing to sustainable improvements in their local communities. The program does not only directly improve the lives of these primary beneficiaries but improves their families and rural communities.

For the Class of 2022, the Brighter Path’s formal education scholarship portion of the program is fully funded by REE Corporation, VinaCapital, Vietnam Access America, and CanCham Vietnam. The 2022 Empowerment Meeting is supported by The Gate Wine & Dining, The Uni – Tea Coffee & Cake, Tuan Viet Shoes, Million Property Service Trading Company Ltd., Golf Valley Hotel, Soul of a Nation, and Saigon Da Lat Eye Hospital.