On November 22, 2015, at block G3 in National University of Civil Engineering, the 2nd Merali Scholarship Ceremony was held to award 40 female students with difficulties who are studying engineering. The scholarship is sponsored by The Merali Foundation through The Asia Foundation. Center for Education and Development (CED) in collaboration with National University of Civil Engineering hosted the ceremony.
This was the second scholarship ceremony since Ms Yasmin Merali’s, Director of The Merali Foundation, last visit in September. This year’s scholarship program is supporting 40 female students with difficulties selected from faculties having low rate of female students, which are: Architecture and Planning, Economic and Construction Management, Civil & Industrial Construction, Environmental & Engineering Science, Road & Bridge Construction, Economic & Urban Management, Economy and Highway Construction. The scholarship of 13 million VND per year would be awarded to each students till graduation as long as her grades are good.
Since 2012, the Merali Scholarship has been supporting financially and in training soft skills, extra activities, experiences as well as providing opportunities of internships, volunteers and career orientation for 100 female students with difficulties studying in engineering field, which rarely has women, in Vietnam National University in Hanoi, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, and National University of Civil Engineering.Till July 2015, there were 33 female students graduated and 42% of them had stable jobs a month after.
Different from many other scholarship program, the Merali Scholarship is for female students with difficulties who are studying engineering and will support them through their university years, prepare them for future jobs in Vietnam’s competitive labour market.
Below are some pictures of the ceremony:
Overall view of the ceremony 
Mr Bui Quang Trung, head of Office of Political and Students Affairs, National University of Civil Engineering, is giving a speech 
Mr Vu Anh Minh, Deputy Director of CED, is evaluating the ability of Merali scholarship recipients year 2015 – 2016 
Mr Filip Graovac, The Asia Foundation’s Deputy Country Representative in Vietnam, is giving a speech. 
Representatives are giving certificates and flowers to the scholarship recipients 
The Asia Foundation’s representative is giving certificates to scholarship recipients 
Representatives are giving flowers to scholarship recipients 
CED’s representative is giving certificates to scholarship recipients 
The students with scholarship program’s staffs 
Ms Nguyen Thi Thu, one of the scholarship recipients, is giving a speech 
40 female students with the scholarship program’s staffs
