The Milk Program
"Before going to school, I tightened my belly with a belt, so I don't feel hungry..."
We provide milk to undernourished children.
In Memory of Mr. Vũ Xuân Thông (1928-2021)
The inspiration for the Milk Program came to Aimee Do and Hong Omori when they were traveling around Vietnam, visiting the students who lived in poverty. They noticed children in rural areas were undernourished and lacked the proper nutrition for their daily activities. These children were going to school but not able to focus and keep up with their schoolwork. To meet the need the VEF launched the Milk Program in 2017 to provide the pasteurized milk to those students.
The generosity of our donors made possible to accomplish our mission. To date we have purchased more than 25,000 milk boxes benefiting many needed children in Lam Dong, Vietnam.
Our goal is to raise $12,000 USD a year to provide milk to 100 students.
The cost to help a child drinking milk every day for 12 months is $120.
For the past four years, a collaboration was launched with the Ozanam chapter, led by Reverend Trần Công Dụ, from the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Da Lat, to buy and deliver milk to the students every month. Because of this collaboration, children are able to drink fresh, pasteurized milk on a daily basis. We have witnessed them steadily becoming healthier and are performing better at school. Today, the program supplies milk on a daily basis to over 30 children in Da Lat.
When Mai Phuong was seven years old and in 2nd grade, she was less than 3 feet (91 cm) tall; which would be an average height for a three-year-old in the US. She has been on the Milk Program since 2018.
Today, Mai Phuong is in 5th grade; she and her friends in the program are growing steadily in height and weight, and performing well in school.
The smiles on the faces of the children warm our hearts.
A Special Thanks to Reverend Tran Cong Du for His Leadership
