Tôn Tất Anh Vũ, Manulife Vietnam representative, donates the meals to students of the Lasan Tân Hưng Charity School. —  Photo courtesy of Manulife Vietnam

HCM CITY — Manulife Vietnam has collaborated with Bông Sen Charity Foundation to donate nearly VNĐ230 million (US$9,400) to the La San Tân Hưng Charity School, providing nourishing lunches for pupils.

Located in a small alley of Lê Văn Lương Street in District 7, the charity school is the second home for nearly 130 students from migrated and underprivileged families seeking knowledge, as public schools are unaffordable.

“They are people from various backgrounds, striving to build lives in HCM City, but struggling to make ends meet," said Frère Lê Văn Tùng on behalf of La San school.

"This harsh reality forces parents to work day and night. At the same time, their children wander the streets selling lottery tickets, shining shoes and taking all sorts of odd jobs to help support the family's economy. 

"If their stomachs are empty, how can they focus on education? We’re doing our best to build a place that can nurture these youngsters and hopefully bring a better future for them."

Understanding their difficulties, and especially with the Lunar New Year (Tết) approaching, philanthropists have partnered with La San Tân Hưng Charity School to carry out practical activities such as donating books and clothing, with the hope of helping these students study with peace of mind.

Among them, Manulife Vietnam - through the partnership with Bông Sen Charity Foundation - has just donated meals to this school to serve lunch for students there.

Representatives of La San Tân Hưng also express their appreciation for Manulife Vietnam’s recent organisation of a meaningful trip for their students to the Saigon Botanical Zoo, enriching their minds through practical experiences.

Students of La San Tân Hưng school enjoying lunch. —  Photo courtesy of Manulife Vietnam

CEO of Manulife Vietnam Tina Nguyễn said: “By supporting La San Tân Hưng school in recent activities, we aim to inspire children further to pursue knowledge, guiding them on the right track to become responsible citizens.

"In the future, we hope to continually demonstrate our commitment to the community, collaboratively working towards a better Việt Nam. This is our overarching goal in the journey towards sustainable development in Việt Nam.” 

These impactful activities originated from the “MOVE for the community” initiative across Manulife Asia. Employees of this insurance company collectively logged 35 million steps during the initiative, resulting in multiple practical supports for the community.

Apart from the 10,000 meals donated to La San Tân Hưng Charity School, the initiative also sponsored 2,600 healthcare packages for immigrants in Singapore; provided 1,000 waterproof jackets for children from disadvantaged backgrounds in Hong Kong; donated 900 school supplies to students in the Philippines; upgraded facilities of a sewing workshop for women from disadvantaged backgrounds in Malaysia to help increase their income.

In Việt Nam, the Canadian insurance company has implemented numerous practical community activities during 2023, including providing computer room equipment for children in remote areas, planting over 30,000 endemic trees in ecological forests across the country, and maintaining consistent sponsorship for the Manulife Danang International Marathon over multiple years.

All of these efforts aim to raise awareness of environmental and social issues while fostering stronger connections between the company and local communities. — VNS