Earlier this week, Fulbright University Vietnam and Christina Noble Children’s Foundation (CNCF for short) have signed a memorandum of understanding to establish the Christina Noble – Fulbright Scholarship. Accordingly, 1,320,000,000 VND were donated to the scholarship for eleven (11) incoming students of Class of 2026. Established though the generosity and commitment of Christina Noble Children’s Foundation, the scholarship is created specifically for students who come from significantly disadvantaged financial backgrounds.
The MOU signing ceremony to establish the Christina Noble – Fulbright Scholarship
Originally, the scholarship awards 120,000,000 VND/student to five (05) incoming students of Class of 2026. However, after receiving the applications of eleven (11) students, Ms. Helenita Noble – CEO of the Christina Noble Children’s Foundation and also the daughter of the founder, Mdm. Christina Noble – has decided to grant the scholarships to all of the eleven students in need. She shared that it was impossible to pick among these bright and resilient future changemakers, and that CNCF is extremely proud to support throughout their education with Fulbright University Vietnam.
“Education is the movement from darkness into light. Education gives children a real chance in the world, a sense of worth, hope and an opportunity for real change. Ultimately, education gives children the tools to define their own futures – and for many is the key to breaking generational cycles of struggle and in doing so – building strong and sustainable communities.” – Ms. Helenita Noble remarked.
Ms. Helenita Noble – CEO of the Christina Noble Children’s Foundation
In addition to Fulbright’s Financial Aid package, this scholarship will help students in their daily expenses such as food and meals. Ms. Dam Bich Thuy, Fulbright University Vietnam’s President added: “At Fulbright, we deeply believe in the principle of equal access to opportunities for all Vietnamese students no matter which family they were born into. […] Financial difficulty should not be the reason to pull the students back from a good university education.”
This scholarship bears even more meaning as it was initiated by two of the former students at Fulbright School of Public Policy and Management: Mr. Nguyen Thanh Nha (MPP1, currently serving as the Director of Programme Development and Strategic Partnerships at CNCF) and Mr. Le The Son (MPP2, currently serving as Senior Financial Aid Officer at Fulbright).
Graduated from the Master of Public Policy Program at Fulbright 14 years ago, Mr. Nha was deeply moved by the lessons from Dr. Vu Thanh Tu Anh and Lecturer Nguyen Xuan Thanh on poverty alleviation, which he now vouches as a life-changing milestone that turned the trajectory of his career path, pushed him to be more community-minded and work for the betterment of the society. More than anyone else, he truly understands the importance of education and the need for investing in the young minds because he too, was once in the shoes of these students.
Mr. Nguyen Thanh Nha, former FSPPM student, Class of MPP1, currently serving as the Director of Programme Development and Strategic Partnerships at CNCF
“I am forever grateful for these two years at Fulbright, and I have always been looking for a way to give back,” Mr. Nha shared.
Looking towards future collaborations between CNCF and Fulbright, Mr. Nha hopes to create more opportunities for the students via potentially a mentorship program, enabling them to take charge of their own quest in lives, persevere through the adversities and eventually, give back to the community. Like their university journeys at Fulbright, this is just a start.
About Christina Noble Children’s Foundation:
The Christina Noble Children’s Foundation (CNCF) is dedicated to serving the physical, medical, educational and emotional needs of vulnerable children. We believe that every child is an individual who deserves love, respect and freedom from all forms of abuse and exploitation. We establish long-term relationships with the children we support and empower them to live happy, emotionally rich, and independent lives.
CNCF’s programmes address poverty at a grassroots level with a long term focus on providing a nurturing and stimulating environment for all round personal development. Since arriving in Vietnam (1989) and Mongolia (1997), Christina and her foundation have established over 169 projects providing education, healthcare and community development humanitarian services to vulnerable and destitute children and their families and poor rural communities. To date these projects have assisted almost 900,000 children and collectively have impacted the lives of over 1,000,000 children and adults.
