The Vallet Foundation was created in 1999 by Professor Odon Vallet, a religious historian. He pledged the inheritance he received from his father to finance the education of needy students in France, Vietnam and Benin. In terms of excellence scholarships, the Vallet Foundation is the largest of its kind in the world. It has in 17 years awarded over 51,000 scholarships; several thousands of the former prize winners have graduated from the largest European and American schools and universities. In Benin, the Foundation established the largest network of libraries and language laboratories in French-speaking Africa.