Fund delivers free milk to needy kids

Da Nang (VNA) - The "Fund of One Million Glasses of Milk" officially started charity activities on July 5 by providing free milk for poor children in the central city of Da Nang.

More than 3,000 disadvantaged kids in the city are expected to benefit from the fund initiated by the National Fund for Vietnamese Children and Vietnam Dairy Products Joint Stock Company (Vinamilk).

Former Vice State President Nguyen Thi Binh, president of the National Fund for Vietnamese Children Council, joined Vinamilk in delivering the product to the children.

The project, to which Vinamilk pledged products worth at least 3 billion VND, will ensure the distribution of 20 free milk boxes to each of 50,000 needy kids in 14 cities and provinces nationwide in July and August.

According to the National Nutrition Institute's 2007 report, one-third of Vietnamese children under five suffer from stunted growth, while one in five is underweight.

Milk usage per capita in Vietnam is among the lowest in the region and world. A Vietnamese drinks an average of 6 litres of milk a year, compared to 22 litres in Thailand and 26 litres in China.