HSBC Vietnam And VinaCapital Foundation To Implement “Brighter Path Girls’ Club Digital Learning Platform” To Empower Ethnic Minority Female Students

HSBC Vietnam in collaboration with VinaCapital Foundation (VCF) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to implement the “Brighter Path Girls’ Club Digital Learning Platform” (e-BPGC) project to provide financial education for rural ethnic minority female students in high schools across Vietnam over the next 2 years. The project aims to optimize the power of advanced communications technology to empower and equip disadvantaged ethnic girls with critical financial understanding, which results in increasing women’s economic involvement in Vietnam.

On October 11, Mr. Tim Evans – CEO of HSBC Vietnam and Mr. Rad Kivette – CEO of VinaCapital Foundation signed the MOU to launch the Digital Learning Platform for Brighter Path Girls’ Clubs – an initiative of VCF’s Brighter Path program. HSBC Vietnam donates $225,344 USD to VCF to build a digital learning platform for an initial 11 high schools, improving financial capabilities for 2,530 ethnic minority high school students in Vietnam.

The financial capability curriculum is uniquely built for ethnic minority female high school students with local distinctive cultures, covering four components: (1) budgeting and financial management, (2) understanding of financial services and products, (3) being a smart consumer, and (4) setting goals. Project-based contests will also strengthen the learning process. The signing ceremony also celebrates the International Day of the Girl, celebrated today October 11, with the theme “Digital Generation,” providing access to educational technology for disadvantaged, marginalized, and underserved girls.

“The gender gaps within ethnic minority groups have traditionally been quite large which was sadly prevented many women from this segment of society from developing themselves to their fullest potential which in turn has impeded the ability of many minority communities from lifting themselves out of poverty”, Mr. Tim Evans, CEO of HSBC Vietnam shared, “To bridge these significant gaps, for years, HSBC is honored to actively support the Brighter Path program run by the VinaCapital Foundation which aims to equip ethnic minority girls with fundamental financial knowledge that is essential to helping them to be financially responsible in their decisions and choices. We believe that being financially aware also helps create self-confidence, self-awareness and increased determination to succeed. Through this meaningful initiative, we hope to actively support the development and empowerment of ethnic minority girls who in turn will have the opportunity become active participants in the future sustainable economic growth of their own families and communities, thereby helping create a better future for all”.

“Studies from around the world prove that in underdeveloped communities educating girls in key topics like entrepreneurship and business management is the best investment we can make to begin to reduce generational poverty, improve health, build the middle class and ensure the rights of women,” states Rad Kivette, CEO of VinaCapital Foundation. “It is VinaCapital Foundation’s honor to partner with HSBC Vietnam to provide quality education opportunities in ethnic communities for vulnerable, disadvantaged and often marginalized ethnic high school girls. This program is designed to ensure that the students are empowered and equipped with financial competencies to contribute to their local economies. With the precious support of HSBC Vietnam – for which we are very grateful, this project will prepare and enable ethnic high school girls to become strong independent women who contribute substantially to the economic growth of Vietnam.”

Along with a history of substantial support in several program areas, HSBC, since 2014, has supported the Brighter Path ethnic girls’ empowerment program development. HSBC Vietnam and VCF have provided scholarships for 75 ethnic minority girls to pursue higher education and piloted the Brighter Path Girls’ Club project concept in Thai Nguyen from September 2020 to January 2021. This donation to implement the e-BPGC project confirms HSBC’s strong dual commitment to both the development of underserved communities where they work as well as to the promotion of women’s and girls’ inclusion in that development process.