Winnie Wong, Mastercard Country Manager for Vietnam, Cambodia & Laos.

Could you tell us the idea and the motivation for Mastercard to implement the initiative "Delivery for Good" in Việt Nam?

The pandemic has left children among the most vulnerable victims, as their lives are profoundly affected by the socioeconomic impacts. For those already in disadvantaged or vulnerable situations, the influence of the pandemic might be even more severe, as many are plunged into further hardship due to the loss of their loved ones or have their guardians unemployed for a long period. 

The idea for the initiative “Delivery for Good” in partnership with Grab and UNICEF starts with the aim to support the basic needs of thousands of children and families to help them overcome this harsh period. This is led by our global principle of “Doing Well by Doing Good,” to transform lives and inspire those around us by driving sustainable change on a local level. 

We at Mastercard believe in what is called “the network effect,” as the network remains the foundation of our business and operation.

We have a firm understanding that we are stronger as a connected whole than isolated. Across the world, we’re collaborating with like-minded partners to roll out initiatives that help the communities that we are part of.

This partnership with Grab and UNICEF initiative is part of our global mission and commitment, as well as our Priceless Causes global platform, which is designed to bring people, businesses, and opportunities together to create sustainable social impact. Looking at the situation faced by many children and families across the nation, we thought: What better way to do so than to inspire and include our Mastercard network cardholders?

By partnering with Grab Vietnam, with every VNĐ200,000 spent on the Grab app with a Mastercard card, we are pledging VNĐ200,000 to the initiative to provide more than 5,000 food and essential packages for children and families in need. By involving cardholders, we’re offering them a way to give back to society. This ensures we can collectively make an even greater and lasting impact. 

Do you plan to expand and launch any similar programs in the coming years in Việt Nam?

The most recent wave of the COVID-19 outbreak has left such adverse effects that many have yet to recover. With Delivery for Good successfully proving its positive impact, Mastercard is motivated to further extend our meaningful initiative this year in the hope of providing much-needed support to more and more people in Việt Nam, especially with Tết (Lunar New Year) right around the corner. 

In early 2022, with the new partnership between Mastercard, UNICEF and Central Retail, the Delivery for Good initiative plans to continue delivering relief packages to children and families suffering from heavy financial burdens due to the pandemic.

After nearly two full years of COVID-driven hardship, with these packages of food and essentials, we hope to bring the holiday spirit to the most vulnerable households, so that every family can enjoy a brighter new year. 

Moving forward, we are looking to expand Priceless Causes in the coming year in the country and we will continue to look for new collaborations with key players in the public and private sectors to roll out initiatives that will create a financially and digitally inclusive society while making a lasting social impact.

Could you share more about the commitment and activities of the initiative on a worldwide scale?

Priceless Causes is our global platform dedicated to connecting people, businesses and opportunities, offering our cardholders a way to give back, to make an impact and to start something “Priceless” through meaningful social causes that they are passionate about. 

With Mastercard’s global commitment to “Doing Well by Doing Good” being at the heart of the operation, Priceless Causes has enabled meaningful projects on an international scale from using Mastercard’s technology to create digital vaccination records for children in the poorest countries, providing school meals where they are needed, empowering, and educating girls in STEM subjects, and speeding up the coronavirus response and treatment. 

Just as easy as swiping your card, with Priceless Causes, Mastercard cardholders have the option to donate to meaningful cause and project of their choice, and by that, we can ensure that each donation has a positive impact on the community and society, whether locally or globally. 

By expanding “Priceless Causes” to Việt Nam, what is Mastercard committed to bringing to the Vietnamese community? 

Mastercard, as a global payments technology company, has also focused on helping build a more connected world. Despite the challenges we’ve endured since the onset of the pandemic, we have never lost sight of our purpose that is to power an inclusive, digital economy, where the company’s resources and technology can be used to directly benefit the lives of individuals, families and communities. 

The “Delivery for Good” initiative is a good example of how Mastercard’s Priceless Causes global platform offers a chance to leverage our world-class payment mechanism in support of philanthropic causes across the world, as well as an opportunity to engage Mastercard’s network of partners to drive a community for change; in which, our cardholders will play the crucial role. In order to do so, we are constantly working to explore further potential solutions and charitable collaborations to extend our meaningful impact and commitment to the community.

What matters most is safety, health and opportunities. We'll keep enabling payment technology and donations that have a positive influence on the world we share.