When Mrs. Estée and Mr. Joseph Lauder founded The Estée Lauder Company in 1946, they inspired a commitment to “Bringing the Best to Everyone We Touch.” Today, The Estée Lauder Companies is touching the lives of young women in the Mekong Delta through a unique private- public partnership with The Asia Foundation’s Women’s Empowerment Program – creating The Estée Lauder Scholars. The Estée Lauder Companies is pleased to support this program so the girls in Vietnam have opportu- nities for higher education and empowerment, which are priorities for both The Estée Lauder Companies and The Asia Foundation. These funds will support three-year scholarships for 70 girls from low-income families to complete secondary school, grades 10-12. Vietnam has made strides during the last decade to improve the quality of public education and increas- ing enrollment rates. Although primary education is officially free in Vietnam, families must still pay for books and learning materials, uniforms, transporta- tion, and school building maintenance costs. This is an often overwhelming burden for poor families, especially as education for girls is often seen as a less valuable investment than for boys. If fami- lies cannot afford to educate all of their children, many choose to send their boys to school and keep their girls at home. As a result, many girls drop out after primary school. In the Mekong Delta, more than 70 percent of school drop-outs are girls, and many of them regress to illiteracy after leaving school. Without an education, poor girls are vulnera- ble to human trafficking and other exploitive or abusive situa- tions. Many young women become trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty, illiteracy and ill-health. The Estée Lauder Scholars will have the chance to escape this trap and have a far better life. The Asia Foundation’s Women’s Empowerment Program is a natural partner for the Company. The Women's Empowerment program designs and implements cutting-edge programs to empower girls and women and help them reach their potential. These programs educate girls; provide vocational and business skills training for poor women; facili- tate access to credit to enable women to start and grow a business; train women in leadership skills and encourage them to run for elected office; edu- cate women voters; and help to combat trafficking in persons and violence against women. VIETNAM THE ESTÉE LAUDER SCHOLARS PROGRAM