Estée Lauder Scholars Program

THE ESTÉE LAUDER SCHOLARS PROGRAM
VIETNAM
When Mrs. Estée and
Mr. Joseph Lauder
founded The Estée
Lauder Company in
1946, they inspired a
commitment to
“Bringing the Best to
Everyone We Touch.”
Today, The Estée Lauder
Companies is touching
the lives of young women
in the Mekong Delta
through a unique privatepublic partnership with
The Asia Foundation’s
Women’s Empowerment
Program – creating The
Estée Lauder Scholars.
The Estée Lauder Companies is pleased to support
this program so the girls in Vietnam have opportunities for higher education and empowerment,
which are priorities for both The Estée Lauder
Companies and The Asia Foundation. These funds
will support three-year scholarships for 70 girls from
low-income families to complete secondary school,
grades 10-12.
Vietnam has made strides during the last decade to
improve the quality of public education and increasing enrollment rates. Although primary education is
officially free in Vietnam, families must still pay for
books and learning materials, uniforms, transportation, and school building maintenance costs. This is
an often overwhelming burden for poor families,
especially as education for girls is
often seen as a less valuable
investment than for boys. If families cannot afford to educate all of
their children, many choose to
send their boys to school and
keep their girls at home. As a
result, many girls drop out after
primary school. In the Mekong
Delta, more than 70 percent of
school drop-outs are girls, and
many of them regress to illiteracy
after leaving school. Without an
education, poor girls are vulnerable to human trafficking and
other exploitive or abusive situations. Many young women
become trapped in a vicious cycle
of poverty, illiteracy and ill-health. The Estée Lauder
Scholars will have the chance to escape this trap and
have a far better life.
The Asia Foundation’s Women’s Empowerment
Program is a natural partner for the Company. The
Women's Empowerment program designs and
implements cutting-edge programs to empower girls
and women and help them reach their potential.
These programs educate girls; provide vocational
and business skills training for poor women; facilitate access to credit to enable women to start and
grow a business; train women in leadership skills
and encourage them to run for elected office; educate women voters; and help to combat trafficking
in persons and violence against women.
The Estée Lauder Scholars Program will expand The Asia Foundation education efforts on-the-ground in
Vietnam. Since 2004, the Foundation has provided tuition and basic educational materials for nearly 400
highly motivated, aspiring young girls, making it possible for them to attend primary and secondary school
in Vietnam. The Estée Lauder Scholars are currently being selected. Tran Thi Thanh and Huyynh Ngoc
Huyen (pictured below) are two examples of some of the selected students.
Tran Thi Thanh
Huynh Ngoc Huyen
OUR DONORS MAKE OUR PROGRAMS POSSIBLE
With contributions from private individuals, corporations, foundations, and public funders, we are able to create exciting new models and expand successful programs that are
making a significant difference in the lives of girls and women across the Asia-Pacific
region. To support our programs, please visit the Women’s Empowerment Program page
at: www.asiafoundation.org.
The Asia Foundation is a non-profit, non-governmental international development organization
committed to the development of a peaceful, prosperous, just, and open Asia-Pacific region.
The Foundation has been on-the-ground for almost 60 years working to improve governance,
law, and civil society; women's empowerment; economic reform and development; sustainable
development and the environment; and international relations. The Asia Foundation operates
through a network of 18 field offices throughout Asia, an office in Washington, DC, and its headquarters in San Francisco.
HEADQUARTERS
465 California Street,
9th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94104 USA
Tel: (415) 982-4640
Fax: (415) 392-8863
info@asiafound.org
WASHINGTON, DC
1779 Massachusetts Ave., NW
Suite 815
Washington, D.C. 20036 USA
Tel: (202) 588-9420
Fax: (202) 588-9409
info@asiafound-dc.org
10/2010