HCMC – South Korean conglomerate CJ Group yesterday, March 28, launched phase two of the “We are ABLE” project, an initiative to enhance education for ethnic minority children and promote women’s employment opportunities in Vietnam.
The project will be implemented for two years, seeking to raise public awareness of children’s education in ethnic minority groups and empower educational personnel in the provinces of Ninh Thuan, Cao Bang and Kon Tum.
CJ Group plans to provide US$250,000 for the second phase of the project.
During phase one, which started in 2019, the enrollment rate of ethnic minority students in the local lower secondary schools increased by 8%, whereas it was over 10% in the upper secondary schools.
Some 98.5% of the project’s participants said enhanced skills in communication and professional competence were helpful with regard to job opportunities.
Heekyung (Jo) Min, executive vice president and head of Corporate Social Responsibility of CJ CheilJedang, a CJ Group subsidiary, attributed the success of the project’s first phase to the dedicated participation of the students, teachers, parents, local communities and the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training.
The firm was committed to fully supporting the initiative so that “more children can be educated without discrimination and develop into talented people to lead the future of Vietnam,” she added.
Be Thi Hong Van, deputy director of the Ethnic Policy Department under the Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs, said, “The project is the first step toward building a supportive ecosystem, expanding educational and employment opportunities for ethnic minority women and girls.”
In 2014, CJ Group signed a strategic partnership with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, or UNESCO, to promote the global girls’ education campaign, focusing on developing countries.
