Cargill Vietnam has opened the 70th education facility built in Vietnam under the umbrella of ‘Cargill Cares’, an ongoing employee-led initiative that began in 1995.
The company sponsored the building of the Public Veterinary Clinic at the Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture & Forestry, which will serve as a community veterinary clinic to help train budding veterinary students.
The clinic, constructed at a cost of around US$50,000, will allow veterinary students to obtain hands-on experience while serving the urgent needs of animal farmers in nearby communities.
It comprises examination and medical storage rooms, and is outfitted with diagnostic and testing facilities.
Cargill will also share with students the latest science-based techniques in animal husbandry and welfare.
Cargill’s school-building program aims to provide access to education for students from low-income families in rural Vietnamese communities.
In addition to support from the corporation, funds are raised from Cargill’s employees, suppliers and customers.
So far, around VND 82 billion (US$3.8 million) has been raised for schools and education facilities that have been built in 44 provinces across Vietnam to educate some 13,000 students yearly.
Tran Nhat Thang, lecturer at the Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture & Forestry, said, “Cargill’s clinic is such a valuable asset to us. Previously, we had to work and teach under challenging conditions – deteriorating infrastructure, obsolete equipment, and students suffered from lack of practical, hands-on experience.”
“With the new clinic, these issues have all been resolved, and we now have the ability to train students with different animal species to broaden their expertise.”
Cargill has pledged to build 75 schools and education facilities in Vietnam to educate 15,000 students by 2015 – a year that also marks the company’s 20th year in Vietnam and 150th anniversary globally.
