The East Meets West organization offered scholarships totaling VND13.8 billion ($168,102) to nearly 3,000 underprivileged students nationwide in the 2015-2016 academic year, heard a conference in the central city of Danang on June 24. Students from families listed in the poorest 10% of the populations in seven central localities have benefited from SPELL (Scholarship Program to Enhance Literacy and Learning), which was set up in 2004 to grant long-term scholarships to poor students, helping them pursue education and secure a brighter future. In the 2015-2016 academic year, 100% of the beneficiary students passed the entrance exam to high schools, while 97% successful in high school graduation exam and 35% entered universities. Eighty students under the program also won provincial, regional and national contests for outstanding students. Meanwhile, the SPELL Goes To College program, set up in 2011, gave VND5 billion in scholarship to 223 students to help them pay university tuitions and living cost. The program also held activities for the students to help other underprivileged people in the community, together with social skill training courses. The East Meets West, also known as Thrive Network, is an international non-governmental organization pioneering evidence-based programs and technologies in health, water and sanitation, and education for underserved populations in Asia and Africa. (vietnamplus.vn Jun 25)
