In a landmark initiative this August, The Dariu Foundation (TDF) unveiled two state-of-the-art makerspaces in Vietnam’s Vinh Long Province, marking a significant stride in our commitment to democratize access to cutting-edge technology and digital literacy for rural students.

These innovative hubs, equipped with an array of advanced tools including 3D printers, laser cutters, and CNC machines, stand as beacons of creativity and innovation. They offer local students an unparalleled opportunity to immerse themselves in the world of digital fabrication and technological exploration.

Educators and students alike have embraced these new facilities with enthusiasm, recognizing their potential to transform learning experiences. Within these dynamic environments, students are already diving into the realms of coding, 3D modeling, and robotics, tackling real-world challenges with newfound technological prowess.

However, the impact of these makerspaces extends far beyond the realm of technology. They serve as crucibles for cultivating essential 21st-century skills. By nurturing creativity, honing critical thinking, and developing problem-solving abilities, TDF’s initiative is laying the groundwork for a future where the youth of Vinh Long Province are not just consumers of technology, but innovative creators and problem solvers.

As we witness the palpable excitement and engagement among students, it becomes clear that these makerspaces are more than just facilities—they are gateways to opportunity, catalysts for change, and stepping stones towards a brighter, more technologically empowered future for rural Vietnam.

Digital Summer Bootcamp ignites creativity and innovation in Mekong Delta

In July 2024, nearly 100 talented young people participated in a dynamic two-week Digital Summer Bootcamp in Can Tho, Vietnam, where they were part of an exciting transformation. Selected from a competitive pool of 500 applicants, these students embarked on a journey of creativity and innovation. The program was jointly organized by the ICT School of Can Tho University (CICT), its Youth Union and The Dariu Foundation, with the aim of cultivating the next generation of tech innovators.

Throughout the bootcamp, students engaged in hands-on learning experiences and worked in teams of 5-6 to bring their creative ideas to life. Guided by experienced university student mentors, participants explored design thinking workshops, mastered 3D modeling with Sketch-up, and prototyped their concepts using a mix of digital equipment and recycled materials.

The bootcamp culminated in a lively showcase where the top 10 projects were presented to a panel of judges. Among the standout innovations were a beach cleaning machine, a mobile firefighting robot, and a pet grooming and cleaning device, all of which highlighted the exceptional talent and ingenuity of the young participants. These projects demonstrated the potential of technology to address societal challenges and contribute to a better future.

Beyond technical skills, the bootcamp fostered essential 21st century skills such as teamwork, problem solving, and critical thinking. By equipping young people with the tools and knowledge to innovate, the program empowered them to contribute to a more sustainable and technologically advanced society.

A lot has happened in 2023; we trained around 500,000 students in digital literacy, entered into two new long-term partnerships with Swisscontact and Bread for the World, expanded our Code Club activities and launched our latest project, the MAKERSPACES. 

We also signed two long-term partnerships with Bread for the World, a global development and relief organisation based in Germany, and Swisscontact, a leading Swiss organisation, that implements skills development projects in developing and emerging countries.

You can read about all this and more in our newly published Annual Report online.

The Digital Literacy Initiative project was officially launched early April at the Crowne Plaza Vientiane, marking the beginning of its implementation in Laos. The event featured a panel discussion titled “Current Situation of Future Outlook of ICT in the Education Sector in Laos,” which emphasized the project’s goals and importance to the country’s digital landscape.

The project is funded by the Dariu Foundation and Bread for the World and implemented in partnership with Swisscontact and the Lao Ministry of Education and Sports.

Its primary goal is to equip young people with essential digital skills for the emerging digital economy. This will be achieved through basic coding and programming classes, coding clubs, and digital entrepreneurship courses in high schools and technical and vocational colleges.

We are delighted to announce that our planned expansion is now well underway. On 18 January, the Dariu Foundation, in partnership with Swisscontact and in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports and the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training, launched the Digital Literacy Initiative programme in Phnom Penh. The event was attended by H.E. Dr Oum Romny, Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, Daniel Keller, Vice President of the Dariu Foundation, Markus Bürli, Director of Cooperation of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation in Cambodia, and Philippe Schneuwly, CEO of Swisscontact. The two-year programme (2024-2025) aims to improve the education of young people preparing to enter the labour market within 1-2 years. Students from high schools and technical and vocational schools in Siem Reap and Battambang provinces will benefit from this programme, which will empower underprivileged youth to participate in the digital economy.

In early December 2023, The Dariu Foundation organized the annual Impossible Bootcamp 2023 in collaboration with its local partners in Vinh Long province. The event attracted over 250 participants from 10 different provinces.

It was organized around three different activities, including a robotics competition and a drone competition for high school students and an Impossible 2023 pitching competition for high school and university students.

Over 50 teams took part in the robotics and drone competitions, from which two outstanding teams were ultimately selected. Beyond the competition aspect, participants took part in a series of training sessions that equipped them with the skills to design, construct and program robots and drones for the joint competition.

13 outstanding projects took part in the Demoday & Pitching Contest. These teams underwent a rigorous two-month training and a subsequent two-month incubation and mentoring phase before earning their place in the final round. There are two selected projects: “Smart Device to Support Rice Farming”, developed by students from Vo Thi Sau Secondary School in Hau Giang, and “EduBin – Automatic Trash Scan (Recognition and Classification Solution)”, developed by students from the University of Technology and the University of Economics in Ho Chi Minh City.

In the last quarter of 2023, The Dariu Foundation and EPAM kicked off the partnership to provide new laptops enabling children to access digital/coding training in the Mekong Delta in terms of the EPAM e-Kid program.

With a joint effort by TDF and local partners, 60,000 students in Hau Giang province will be trained in each school year, of which around 240 – 400 students will benefit directly from EPAM’s grant this school year.

The grant will provide free-of-charge rental of laptops and enable access to basic computing/coding skills for children. In addition, under the eKid program, EPAM also commits to supporting the knowledge transfer, including volunteering and the provision of teaching materials by EPAM.

• Volunteering missions: EPAM supports and assists the partners in the deployment of employees. TDF will propose tasks for the volunteers to contribute to these programs, according to the conditions set by EPAM.

• Share of teaching materials: EPAM is willing to provide other teaching aids to support TDF in digital literacy.

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About EPAM eKids program

The EPAM eKids program was launched successfully at EPAM offices in 2015. The program’s goal is to boost interest in programming and expand learning opportunities for young children.

Based on the MIT Scratch Program, EPAM eKids, encourages children to engage with coding through hands-on challenges and close mentorship opportunities.

We act for good in the communities where we live and work by empowering students through the power of knowledge. Our commitment to supporting initiatives that serve underrepresented communities ensures we can help to provide learning opportunities for all. We use holistic education programs to share our highly skilled technical knowledge for the future. Just as we relentlessly pursue the best solution for our customers, our employees strive to make a difference in the lives of our students – the future tech leaders – by providing education, skills training and career experiences across our global locations.

The Qualcomm Wireless Reach Program is partnering with the Dariu Foundation in Vietnam to bring Snapdragon powered laptops with LTE connectivity to students so that they can improve their digital skills. Learn how Qualcomm and The Dariu Foundation are helping close the Digital Divide in Vietnam:

“Can you fit an interesting life between two book covers? Yes, but sometimes a lot of exciting things have to be left out. Also because paper can’t reproduce sound or movies.” Swiss journalist Mark van Huisseling came to this conclusion and developed a digital biography of Thomas Trüb, founder and president of The Dariu Foundation, to be viewed on laptop, tablet, smartphone et cetera.

The trilingual website “Life of Thomas” – German, French and English – is now online. In addition to a detailed portrait of Thomas Trüb (headline: “The last yuppie”, published in the NZZ am Sonntag magazine), there are numerous original sounds from “TT” and his companions, plenty of pictures plus music (including a song composed especially for Thomas) and a conversation with ChatGPT about what the entrepreneur Trüb would probably do today.

Between September and October 2023, TDF organized 10 school-based hackathons to train 800 Code Club students in project brainstorming (problem/solution finding) and creative thinking. The top 30 Code Club leaders (53% are girls) received advanced training, including leadership, critical thinking, problem solving, and project management. Each of them was supported and coached by a mentor from the university and a mentor from a relevant/IT company to enhance their strengths, learning potential, and career paths, especially in the technology sector.

Following these training workshops, 70 proposals for technology-based innovative ideas/solutions were submitted to TDF by October 2023. Of the 70 teams, 40 eligible teams (including 25 teams of secondary and high school students and 15 teams of university students) were selected to participate in the incubation boot camp.

The bootcamp is a two-month event where the participants will be teamed up with mentors (from universities and industry) who will guide them through the steps of starting a business, including developing initial ideas, testing hypotheses, customer journey, business model, etc. All teams will receive a small grant to build a prototype of their project that can be tested by customers. 

By mid-November, the top 12 teams will be selected to participate in the final round of the business model competition in early December 2023.

See more of the innovative projects the Code Club students develop here: https://dariu.org/digital-literacy-en/code-clubs-en/projekte-en/