Tran Quoc Huan, deputy general director of FrieslandCampina (right) received the Prime Minister's Certificate of Merit for helping disadvantaged children through its Den Dom Dom (Firefly) programme.

BINH DUONG (Biz Hub) – Dairy company FrieslandCampina Vietnam has received the Prime Minister's Certificate of Merit for helping disadvantaged children through its Den Dom Dom (Firefly) programme.

The programme, initiated in 2002, seeks to help stop disadvantaged children from dropping out of school and build new schools in remote areas and offer scholarships to local children.

Under the programme, the Dutch company has built 10 schools at a cost of more than VND30 billion (US$1.4 million) in remote areas in Quang Binh, Gia Lai, Ca Mau, Binh Phuoc, Kon Tum, and Lai Chau and 20,000 scholarships to poor children.

On October 10 it inaugurated its 11th school -- Loc An C in Lam Dong Province – built with assistance of VND1 billion ($47,619) from Belgium-based Live and Give Organisation.

Tran Quoc Huan, deputy general director of FrieslandCampina, said: "We hope sincerely it will not be just our programme and becomes a social movement that appeals to people and businesses and helps them discharge their responsibility to society."—VNS