School milk is a national programme and an effort to improve the nutritional status of children at preschool and elementary ages. The right nutritional supplements will help contribute to improve children's health and physique at school age - the golden age for development. With the participation of the whole society, millions of students across the country have been given better nutritional care and have benefited from the School Milk Programme.
The School Milk Programme is being implemented in the form of socialisation with funding sourced from the State budget, businesses and parents. Of which, Vinamilk is an active business partner in 23 provinces and cities, bringing milk to more than 3.3 million preschool and elementary pupils. At first, many children were surprised at the new activity, but in just a short time, drinking milk is now a familiar, happy and relaxing moment because they not only enjoy the delicious drink with their friends but also learn many new things.
The pupils are instructed how to check the expiry date on a milk carton, shake it well before drinking to make it taste better, or learn to fold the box and place it in the correct place so that it can be easily collected and handled. These activities also help children to raise their awareness of environmental protection.
With the skillful hands of the teachers and the creativity of the pupils from Cu Chi Town 2 Kindergarten in Ho Chi Minh City, milk boxes have been turned into lovely toys such as colourful cars, trains, and airplanes.
The School Milk Programme is especially meaningful for mountainous, remote and isolated areas where economic conditions are still difficult.
Many parents there sometimes can't afford the daily milk needs of their children. Therefore, the programme helps children have better nutrition and also brings the simple joy of drinking milk to many children.
In the central province of Quang Nam, the School Milk Programme has been implemented in six mountainous districts. In Quang Ngai, more than 58,000 preschool and primary pupils in the mountainous districts of Son Tay, Son Ha, Tay Tra, Tra Bong, Ba To and Minh Long have benefited from this programme. The funding is provided from the provincial budget and Vinamilk is the supplier, with no additional contribution needed from parents.
According to Ms. Le Thi Tuong Vy, Principal of Hoa Hong Kindergarten in Quang Ngai province, 85% of pupils here are from ethnic minorities, many have not had the opportunity to access milk, so when the programme was implemented, the children were all drinking it and participating in interesting activities at school.
Over the past few years, the School Milk Programme has really become an integral part of educational activities in many provinces and cities, contributing to helping millions of school-aged children receive better nutritional care for their comprehensive physical and intellectual development.
