Delegates cut the ribbon to inaugurate the Nghien Loan 2 boarding school for ethnic minority students in Nghien Loan commune, Pac Nam District, Bac Kan Province on November 20. — Photo courtesy of Cargill

Cargill’s Viet Nam School Project has built 99 schools in rural and remote villages of 50 provinces over the past 23 years, making a positive impact on local communities in Viet Nam.

Nghien Loan 2 boarding school for ethnic minority students is the 99th school that was inaugurated in Nghien Loan commune, Pac Nam District, Bac Kan Province on November 20. The company will realise its goal of building 100 schools in Viet Nam by 2020 when it inaugurates the final school in central Nghe An Province in December 2020.

“In Viet Nam, we have focused our efforts on improving education facilities to those who had no or limited access to it. Spanning three decades, the objectives of the project continue to be relevant in the current context, addressing the infrastructural gaps and challenges to support quality in education," said Nguyen Ba Luan, country president for Cargill in Vietnam.

"In the 99 schools inaugurated to date, we see the future of Viet Nam in the faces of the 15,000 school children we reach each year. Cargill is committed to continuing our support of Vietnamese communities, creating jobs and remaining an integral part of the culture and success of this country for years to come," said Luan.

With this, Cargill has achieved its objective of increasing access to education, improving enrollment and teacher retention and supporting stronger learning environments in Viet Nam. The investment in education across Viet Nam directly translates to improved employment, health and nutrition for the country’s students and their families, according to an independent impact study published by Think Through Consulting.

Started in 1997, Cargill's Vietnam School Project aimed to support students in rural Viet Nam by providing students access to quality education in a safe and conducive environment. — VNS