Overview
Brighter Path empowers the brightest disadvantaged rural ethnic minority girls in Vietnam through formal and informal education and training.Rural ethnic minority girls and women are the most disadvantaged, marginalized, underserved, and vulnerable group in Vietnam due to practical and cultural barriers. Lack of education, child marriage and child labor, limited economic opportunities, little resources, poor access to healthcare services, trafficking, abuse, no encouragement to improve and little knowledge of their legal rights obstruct ethnic women and girls’ opportunities for development.
The Brighter Path program selects the most academically talented ethnic minority female scholars and provides them with full high school and university scholarships for 7 to 10 years. Personal mentoring, informal education and an annual life skill training weekend are highlights of the program. The goal of the Brighter Path program is to ease financial pressure for committed families of underserved but bright ethnic girls who desire to stay in school.
The program also initiated the Brighter Path Girls’ Club to improve and empower a large number of disadvantaged ethnic minority female students through after-school club activities focused on the four important core knowledge gaps: sexual and reproductive health, leadership skill-building, financial literacy and understanding legal rights. The broad-based education program combines classroom, community activity and a digital platform to promote the core subjects and a desire to educate others in the community.
Brighter Path creates a supportive and empowering environment so that ethnic girls can receive their formal education, as well as equip them with essential skills and knowledge to control their own lives and futures, ensure their rights and become “game-changers” in their community.
Our Achievements since inception
Since inception, the program has supported:
- 1344 scholars
How does the program operate?
VCF, in cooperation with Vu A Dinh (VAD), a local NGO and the Provincial Department of Education and Training (DOET), finds the brightest ethnic minority girls and provides them with full high school and university scholarships. The scholarship candidates are recommended and initially screened by DOET. A Scholarship Panel including VCF and VAD program team is established for scholar recruitment. The application process includes essay writing and a final interview with the Scholarship Panel.
To be eligible for the scholarship, the scholar must demonstrate high academic excellence, understand and value education, come from disadvantaged family backgrounds who live at or below the national poverty threshold. Brighter Path beneficiaries also commit to devise a plan to assist in their home community’s development within 5 years of university graduation. Qualified scholars and their families have to agree to the written scholarship offers and commitments. VCF also works with government agencies including the Department of Education and Training, Youth Union and Women Union in implementing the program throughout the years.
In addition to the scholarship, Brighter Path creates opportunities and empowering environment for the scholars to contribute to their personal and professional development and be inspired by female leaders through academic, personal counseling and guidance as well as bi-weekly online empowering workshop, training and mentoring. Every year, Brighter Path scholars are convened in the Empowerment Workshop meeting that includes life skills training, leadership training, sexual and reproductive health education, communication education, an opportunity to examine past success, meet inspiring successful leaders and program donors.
Journey of Pride and Transformation
Ro Cham Ling (Jrai ethnic group, Gia Lai province) – 1 of 49 ethnic minority female students joining the Brighter Path program.
