On 4 December 2021, Ms Robyn Mudie, the Australian Ambassador to Vietnam, formally announced the Australian Alumni Grants Funds (AAGF) during a welcome home ceremony for recently returned Australia Awards (AAS) alumni. AAGF will provide AUD350,000 in funding for alumni-led projects, with application open until mid-January 2022.
On the morning of December 4th, the Australian Ambassador to Vietnam, Ms Robyn Mudie, attends the welcome home ceremony for more than 70 AAS alumni (Photo: Australian Embassy)
The AAGF will provide AUD350,000 (VND5.6 billion) in funding for alumni-led projects that contribute to Vietnam’s ongoing development in various sectors. Ambassador Mudie encourages alumni to develop projects where they can make a difference by contributing to organisational and community changes, and strengthening linkages between Australia and Vietnam.
According to Ms. Mudie, upon completing their studies and return to Vietnam, it is important that alumni have the opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills they accumulated in Australia to realise their ambitions. “The AAGF helps you integrate your professional knowledge and skills, contribute to organisational change, and strengthen linkages between Australian and Vietnam,” saif Ambassador Mudie.
At the ceremony, Prof. MD. Duong Minh Cuong, who received funding to help identify predictors of malaria treatment failures, a prevalent disease among ethnic minorities in Vietnam, and to assist in preparing for Vietnam’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout, said: “The Australian Alumni Grants Fund has enabled me to apply the modern knowledge and skills that I gained from Australian universities to implement projects to improve human health and health education in Vietnam.”
Currently, there are over 70,000 alumni of Australian academic institutions living in Vietnam. They are working in central and provincial governments, NGOs, academic institutions and the private sector, while making amazing contributions across various fields.
Since 2017, more than AUD1.7 million has been awarded to over 140 alumni projects that support Vietnam’s social and economic development, that address issues in gender equality, disability, education, agriculture and rural development, governance and economic growth, water and sanitation, climate change, health, regional stability and human rights.
Source: Vietnam Times – Mai Anh
