Latest Foreign Assistance Briefs

-  The Singapore Business group in HCM City (SBG) has granted scholarships worth $45,000 to 270 Vietnamese university and senior high-school students. This is for the 12th year that SBG is providing financial assistance to students through its Education Fund, and so far 2,795 students have benefited to the tune of $413,000. “Although this year's economic climate has not been favorable, it is heartening that the Singapore business community has not forgotten the plight of the disadvantaged in Viet Nam," the business grouping's president, Norman Lim, said. “This has enabled Singapore businesses to thrive in this market.” (Vietnam News Oct 13)

- International humanitarian organization operating in Vietnam, Plan International will offer more support to Vietnamese girls via program “Because I am a girl” between now and 2016 through financing education. Under the five-year program, the organization will coordinate with local authorities to encourage Vietnamese girls, especially those in the mountainous and urban areas, to get involved in making decisions. The agency will also further finance education from pre-school to secondary degree. The program also aims at reducing the number of girls getting marriage at early ages as well as factors that can make negative physical and spiritual impacts on female juveniles while attending schools. (tuoitrenews.vn Oct 11)

- The U.S. government granted 20,000 personal protective suits on Oct 10 to help Vietnam’s animal health workers respond quickly to potential new outbreaks of avian influenza or other emerging pandemic threat. The $200,000 assistance package from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) comes at the request of Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, with technical support from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. These supplies, including 50,000 masks, 80,000 gloves, and 30,000 protective suits, are sent to provinces and cities at risk of bird flu or in greatest need of protective suits. The move aims to prevent human exposure to the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus, limit the risk of animal-to-human and human-to-human infections as well as help protect animal health workers and others involved in the prevention and response of A/H5N1 or other pandemic threats across Vietnam. The USAID has provided more than $48 million to fund Vietnam’s programs to combat avian influenza and 60,000 complete sets of personal protective equipment since 2005. (http://vietnam.usembassy.gov Oct 10, Lao Dong – Labor Oct 11 p3, Quan Doi Nhan Dan –People’s Army Oct 10)