The Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs has ordered its subdivision, the Administration for Protection and Care of Children, to set up a new project to provide free milk for young children.

The Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) December 26 ordered its subdivision, the Administration for Protection and Care of Children, to set up a new project to provide free milk for young children.

Plans for the “Providing milk to pupils” project must then be quickly submitted to the government for approval, MoLISA added.

The project was formerly titled “Six Million Glasses of Milk for Vietnamese Kids Fund,” launched by the Vietnam Dairy Products Company, the National Fund for Vietnamese Children, the Ministry of Education and Training, and the National Institute of Nutrition.

Speaking at a meeting to review the Six Million Glasses program, MoLISA Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan said the fund provided only around 50,000 servings of milk to students in 30 primary schools; and disadvantaged children including orphans, disabled and undernourished toddlers nationwide.

MoLISA has therefore asked its subdivision to rework the project to allow more disadvantaged children to benefit.

The program was first established in 2003 with investment of US$150 million aimed at providing free milk to primary children and first graders.

VietNamNet/SGGP