| Phan Gia Man (R), assistant CEO of Van Phat Hung Corp., hands over a cheque for VND600.6 million to Nguyen Anh Tuan, Headmaster of Can Tho University at the exchange program in Can Tho on Tuesday - Photo: Huynh Kim |
So far 337 students of the university have received the interest-free loans totaling VND1.7 billion from the Mekong Program.
Tuyet Giang, a student from the faculty of trade law, said, “This is such a meaningful program for students. Thanks to the interest-free loan, I don’t need to work many part-time jobs to earn money for school fees and have more time to study.”
Giang and other students also registered to be volunteers for the Saigon Times Foundation – STF under the Saigon Times Group at the ceremony at the university on Tuesday.
Phan Gia Man, assistant CEO of Van Phat Hung Corp., said the company would also assist financially with the Mekong Program’s project to build 20 cement bridges to replace the traditional foot bridges in rural areas of Ca Mau Province. The project expects to be finished after the Lunar New Year. Van Phat Hung Corp. has donated VND4 billion to this program.
STF started the Mekong Program in September 2009. Its purpose is to provide interest-free loans to students in the Mekong Delta to pay their school fees. After graduation these students will return the money to the program to make loans available for other students.
Up to now, 615 students from Can Tho University, Cuu Long University, An Giang University and Ca Mau Community College have borrowed over VND3 billion, 121 of them for the second time.
