development funds support education, health care in asia

The Asian Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN) is Asia’s top social investment network. It aims to strengthen health care and education in the region. It also works to ensure that resources are deployed as effectively as possible.

The network invests in programs meant to improve maternal, newborn and child health, as well as programs that support access to education.

Chevron is one of the corporations that has contributed to the pooled funds that AVPN manages.

For example, funding from Chevron helps expand access to mental health care for young people throughout the region. Poor mental health is one of the largest contributors to disability, and treatment gaps persist in many areas.

The AVPN funds programs that work to improve access to education for girls from low-income families and disadvantaged groups.

These programs—particularly those in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM)—support local economies. They also help break glass ceilings. According to a 2020 UNICEF report, women’s participation in STEM careers could shrink the gender pay gap and boost women’s cumulative earnings by $299 billion in this decade.

The AVPN has granted funds to six organizations that are working to create and run STEM programs for girls across Asia.

The Women’s Organization for Socio-Cultural Awareness is one of these organizations.

Its STEM education program Life Lab works to educate girls in conflict-affected areas of India. Lewitt Somarajan, the organization’s founder, explained that it can be difficult for funds to reach certain areas.

“But the unrestricted funding from the STEM fund allowed us to work in locations that are extremely rural and require the kind of intervention we can bring,” he said.