facilitate collaboration between universities and the private sector by providing students experiential opportunities in preparation for STEM careers. The project hosts leadership forums to develop academic initiatives, scholarships and networking opportunities for women in STEM.

Women in STEM Leadership Forum

The first leadership forum for the Women in STEM Leadership Program was held at the University of Danang in Vietnam in August 2016 and attracted over several hundred participants. The forum featured female role models, inspired the transfer of knowledge and established paths to entrepreneurship through STEM Education for women in Vietnam.

Katy Wigal, BUILD-IT project director and associate director for Curricular Innovation at Arizona State University, stated “the Forum enabled open discussions on the roles of women in the high demand professions of math, engineering, technology and science. The insightsthey (female speakers) offered about their personal journeys were inspiring to a new generation of women.”

The USAID Vietnam Mission Director Michael Green also said that “increasing opportunities for women in these fields are critically important in realizing greater economic success and equality for women across the board.”

Report on Women-Owned Enterprises in Vietnam

In a recent report of a market study on women-owned enterprises in Vietnam, the IFC Asia Manager for Financial Institutions Group Advisory Services, Rachel Freeman, concluded that social and traditional expectations can sustain prejudices against female business owners and, in particular, young women.

Businesses traditionally can involve women, but these prejudices can have negative impacts against women and their businesses. From STEM to the business field, social and traditional expectations can infiltrate all aspects of society in Vietnam.

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