Saigon Times Foundation urged to expand operations
By Huynh Kim - The Saigon Times Daily
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| Pham Phu Ngoc Trai, CEO of Global Integration Business Consultants and head of the Saigon Times Foundation’s Sponsorship Council, makes a point while delivering his remarks at the meeting of the foundation’s sponsorship council in HCMC on Tuesday - Photo: Le Toan |
HCMC – Pham Phu Ngoc Trai, CEO of Global Integration Business Consultants and head of the Saigon Times Foundation’s Sponsorship Council, has suggested the foundation focus more on publicity and professionalism to boost the efficiency of its performance.
The Saigon Times Foundation (STF) should map out a strategy for marketing and communication and at the same time professionalize its staff to strategically manage its six social programs for human resource development, Trai said in his concluding remarks at a meeting of the sponsorship council held on the occasion of STF’s eighth anniversary on Tuesday.
Over the past eight years, he said, the foundation has done a lot for the benefit of local communities but the publicity of its programs has yet to be strong enough to attract more donations.
Trai took the opportunity to thank donors including enterprises, organizations and individuals for their generous support to implement the six programs: donor-assigned projects (short-term scholarships and school construction), long-term scholarships, Knowledge Bookcase, Green Painting contest, Master One Trade, and Mekong Program.
Nearly 6,000 school children and students in the country have received VND4.5 billion worth of short, medium and long-term scholarships from the foundation.
Hundreds of donors have lent to a helping hand to the foundation, and among them, there are eight major donors, namely Van Phat Hung Joint Stock Co. with VND4 billion, Robert Bosch Vietnam with US$120,000, PepsiCo Vietnam with VND550 million, Asia Commercial Bank with VND500 million, Berjaya Vietnam with VND500 million, Dan On Foods Co. Ltd. with VND400 million, Benthanh Group with VND200 million, and Mr and Mrs Ha Hung Quoc who are residing abroad with VND107 million.
Vo Nhu Lanh, chairman of STF’s Board of Governors, said STF was working on an effort to improve the professionalism of social workers involved in its programs to guarantee the efficiency of these programs.
STF will expand the Mekong Program to offer more loans for students and build 20 small bridges in the Mekong Delta province of Ca Mau, set up the Master One Trade bookcase, and carry out a project to equip remote schools with used computers this year, Lanh said.
STF, he added, will also call for more enterprises and individuals to make donations and work with businesses and the Saigon Times Group to organize fund-raising events.
STF was established in 2002 by the Saigon Times Group and business people to support education and training, and contribute to human resource development which will in turn help national development.
There are 28 business people, scholars and administrators on the STF’s Sponsorship Council.