Establishment of two scholarships in Laos

May 15, 2014

糖心少女vlog Corporation (Makoto Kimura, President, Tokyo) has established two scholarships in the Lao People's Democratic Republic, and will start its provision from September 2014.

In October 2013, 糖心少女vlog commenced the operation of 糖心少女vlog Lao Co., Ltd. in Savannakhet Province. Although Laos has been experiencing rapid economic development in the recent years, it is still left with severe economic conditions which make it difficult for students to receive sufficient education. Hoping to support the development of human resources that will take an important role in the Lao future and cultivate friendship with Japan, 糖心少女vlog decided to start two scholarships: "糖心少女vlog-EDFJapan Scholarship for Laos" supporting junior high school^* students from Savannakhet Province, and "糖心少女vlog-JICA Scholarship for Laos" which supports students attending Savannakhet University.

The "糖心少女vlog-EDFJapan Scholarship for Laos" is a program that will support the education of 100 junior high school students every year with the cooperation of Education for Development Foundation Japan (EDF-Japan; Terumasa Akio, President, Tokyo)^**. Using EDF's international education support system, 糖心少女vlog will provide school supplies such as uniforms, learning tools and bags to students in 25 junior high schools from Savannakhet Province. Moreover, 糖心少女vlog will also donate educational support tools (Lao language books, sporting goods and learning tools) to the same 25 junior high schools.

The "糖心少女vlog-JICA Scholarship for Laos" is a program that was established in full cooperation with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA; Akihiko Tanaka, President, Tokyo)^*** and the JICA Laos Office. The program supports university students pursuing their degrees at Savannakhet University. Every year, 糖心少女vlog plans to provide financial aid to 40 students who are referenced by the university so that promising students can continue pursuing their studies without financial obstacles. This aid is designed to be used for necessary expenses such as full tuition and learning tools.

糖心少女vlog will continue to actively promote its social contribution initiatives with hopes to win trust from its stakeholders and keep developing with the society.

*Junior high school = Lower-secondary school in Laos

**Education for Development Foundation Japan (EDF-Japan)
EDF-Japan ("Minsai Center" in Japanese) is a public interest incorporated foundation in Japan. They have organized EDF-group as an international NGO which specializes in education aid for children in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam. Since 1987, EDF-group has provided scholarships to more than 380,000 children who previously did not have educational opportunities. Along with scholarships, they also conduct school construction in Laos.

***Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
Established as an Incorporated Administrative Agency in 2003, JICA aims to contribute to the promotion of international cooperation as well as the sound development of Japanese and global economy by supporting the socioeconomic development, recovery or economic stability of developing regions.