HELPING HAND: A donor signs an agreement to contribute to the Vừ A Dính Scholarship Fund in HCM City on January 5. — VNS Photo Nguyễn Diệp

HCM CITY — An art exchange programme "Hành trình mùa Xuân lên rừng xuống biển" (Spring journey up the forest down to the sea) presenting 130 scholarships to children orphaned by the COVID-19 pandemic will be broadcast live on HCM City Television's HTV9 channel at 8.30am today.

Trương Mỹ Hoa, former vice president of Việt Nam and the chairwoman of the scholarship fund, said at a press conference in HCM City earlier this week that the programme would review the achievements of the Hồ Chí Minh Communist Youth Union’s Vừ A Dính Scholarship Fund and the Club for Beloved Hoàng Sa (Paracel) and Trường Sa (Spratly) archipelagos.

The scholarships worth VNĐ6 million (US$263) each will be given to children orphaned in the pandemic in 17 southern provinces and cities through the fund’s new project “Vòng tay yêu thương” (Loving arms).

They are expected to be a source of encouragement for the children, Hoa said.

“We will continue making efforts to deliver more scholarships and carry out projects to support needy children and vulnerable people affected by the pandemic,” she said.

The programme will also present awards to outstanding individuals and organisations making significant contributions to charitable activities, and receive donations from businesses and private benefactors.

Established in 1999, the fund was named after Vừ A Dính (1934-1949), an ethnic Mông in the northern mountainous province of Điện Biên. He received the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces in 2000.

For more than 20 years, the fund has provided tens of thousands of scholarships to students in difficult circumstances.

It is carrying out projects such as Ươm mầm tương lai (Nurturing the Future), Mở đường đến tương lai (Opening Paths to the Future), Chắp cánh ước mơ (Giving Wings to Your Dreams), Thắp sáng tương lai (Brighten The Future), and Hỗ trợ sinh viên (Supporting Students).

They reflect humanitarian and social values and responsibility towards the community.

Last year, the fund received total donations worth nearly VNĐ65 billion ($2.85 million) and gave nearly 7,000 scholarships to outstanding ethnic minority students.

In 2009, the Vừ A Dính Award was launched to honor outstanding individuals and organisations that contribute to the development of mountainous regions and ethnic minority areas, and outstanding ethnic people making important contributions to the community.

Launched in 2014, the Club for Beloved Hoàng Sa and Trường Sa supports fishermen and soldiers protecting the country’s sovereignty in the East Sea by donating houses, and offering scholarships and healthcare support for their children.

At the press conference, the fund’s organisers received donations of more than VNĐ53 billion from 46 domestic and foreign donors, including 16 organisations. — VNS