STORY OF THE MONTH
The journey to protect children in mountainous areas
Author: Nguyen Thu Hue – Social Worker
Photos by: Trinh Thao My – Nguyen Thi Thom – Nong Hong Hanh (SR Assistants in Area Development Offices)
Child Protection (CP) is one of the fundamental programmes of ChildFund Vietnam. Over the past years, the implementation of child rights in ethnic minority-inhabited areas supported by ChildFund Vietnam in three mountainous provinces of Cao Bang, Hoa Binh and Bac Kan has contributed greatly to the increased public awareness, responsibility, knowledge, and skills to prevent child abuse and violence in the locality. This achievement would not be possible without the dedication of our veteran CP team members who have been with ChildFund for many years. To celebrate the Month of Action for Children in 2022, we recently sat down with three of them and discovered many amazing stories from their journey with ChildFund Vietnam.
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Thinking back on 13 years ago, Le Ngoc Bao – Specialist Team Leader of Child Rights and Child Protection recalled: “You can say I have been destined to join ChildFund. Before that, I have had the privilege to engage in numerous organisations’ programmes related to children and youth. It is by no surprise that I find myself sticking with ChildFund for a long time, as it is here that I have found my passion, as well as colleagues and friends who shared the same love for working with and for children. Those are the exact reasons why I have chosen to commit and devote myself to ChildFund all these years.”
Photo: Le Ngoc Bao in his early days with ChildFund
Those were the starting days marking Bao’s CP journey with ChildFund. However, the road to the solid CP system we have today was not always smooth sailing. Bao shared: “Previously, ChildFund’s activities in Vietnam regarding CP were not clearly defined. In project areas at that time, not only was the community’s understanding about CP limited but CP also did not receive due attention from local authorities and society.”
Overcoming these challenges were no small task, but Bao and his team members have, together, learnt and gathered experiences from different child-focused organisations to define the model on promoting child’s rights and CP. After several years of hard work and with great support from Sydney Office’s advisors, the CP team can now take pride in having built a standard model in supporting CP system and community-based CP mechanism to accompany partners in both central and local levels as they continue to improve in the coming time.
The CP journey in mountainous areas have always been more challenging, particularly since the community’s awareness of CP is still limited. Fortunately, on his journey, Bao has always had colleagues to support him in the community. Bui Xuan Hoe – a Child Protection Project Technical Officer who has accompanied ChildFund for 19 years told us about his memorable moments:
Photo: Bui Xuan Hoe on one of his field trips
“In 2006, a specialised project on CP was first launched in the community. To prepare for the project design, I have, along with my partner at the time – the Committee for Population, Family and Children (CPFC) of Bach Thong district – conducted a needs assessment in the district’s communes. When we worked with the Chairman of the commune’s People’s Committee, he claimed that the commune’s CP work has been well carried out without ChildFund’s support and suggested ChildFund to switch to supporting the people in capital, plants, livestock, constructions of schools, health stations, etc. Despite his strong determination, I patiently explained to him about our project. Finally, the survey was carried out as planned and the target groups were fully consulted. After that, ChildFund coordinated with the District People’s Committee to organise a Workshop to share the survey results and found that there were indeed many crucial issues that children are facing related to child abuse and violence. Consequently, ChildFund’s CP projects were implemented in this commune from 2006 to 2018.”
Also involved with CP team at ChildFund since the early days, Tran Van Tu – Project Coordinator of CP Project – shared with us about his challenging yet joyful beginning: “My most unforgettable memory was when I took part in communication events on CP at night in communes between 2008 – 2010. In those days, the people and children did not have access to many sources of information, therefore they were always excited to take part in our communication events. There were children and adults coming from far away villages (approximately 8-10km from the commune’s centre) since 5pm and waited until 7pm for the event to start”.
Photo: Tran Van Tu sharing in an Annual Team Meeting
Despite all the opportunities and challenges, the three men always feel a sense of pride in their work.
“Until now, what I am most proud of in my work in the Bac Kan Office is whenever there is a child-related issue (violence or abuse), our partners from district to commune and village levels – would call us to consult on how to resolve the situation. I am honored to be known and trusted by partners both within and outside our project areas to provide advice and technical support related to child protection”, Hoe said.
For Tu, the greatest motivation is the recognition of authorities at all levels for the CP model that he and his colleagues have taken effort to build up. He said: “I am proud to have made my contribution together with ChildFund and my colleagues to create CP models that were recognised by local authorities at all levels. During the launching ceremony for the Month of Action for Children and Starting of Summer 2022, Ms. Quach Thi Kieu – Director of the Department of Labor – Invalids and Social Affairs of Hoa Binh province has shared that all NGOs, including ChildFund, have made significant contributions to the province’s CP work”.
As for Bao, the past 13-year journey at ChildFund has always been a meaningful one: “I am proud to devote myself to ChildFund – an organisation that has allowed me to do what I love, recognised my contributions and given me a working environment where there are like-minded colleagues with the same values and passion.”
TIN TIN TICK & TALK
2nd feedback Workshop on supporting children in the transition from preschool to primary school
News by: Dinh Thi Thu Ha – Project Officer
On 7 May, ChildFund Vietnam successfully organised the “2nd feedback Workshop on supporting children in the transition from preschool to primary school…
On 7 May, ChildFund Vietnam successfully organised the “2nd feedback Workshop on supporting children in the transition from preschool to primary school, disability and gender” with the participation of leaders from the Department of Education and Training and 50 school leaders, teachers from kindergartens, primary schools and secondary schools in Kim Boi district, Hoa Binh province.
Within the framework of the project “Ready for primary school”, the workshop is an opportunity for members to share past achievements, improve knowledge and skills in implementing school development plans, discuss difficulties faced by schools as well as solutions for the upcoming school year.
After the initial successes, ChildFund Vietnam will continue to support the Department of Education and Training and Hoa Binh province to replicate the good results throughout the province.
ChildFund Vietnam supports VACR to organise an experience sharing workshop on child protection
News by: Nguyen Thi Bien – Project Officer
On 13 May, the Experience Sharing Workshop on Child Protection was organised by the Vietnam Association for the Protection of Child’s Rights (VACR)…
On 13 May, the Experience Sharing Workshop on Child Protection was organised by the Vietnam Association for the Protection of Child’s Rights (VACR) with the support of ChildFund Vietnam. This collaborative activity aims to strengthen the Association’s capacity on child protection. 30 participants were lawyers, jurists, community counselors, people’s jurors to protect children’s rights and child protection officers in the community.
Through lively sharing sessions, members discussed the action plan to implement the Association’s strategy in child protection and learned from the experience of the Ho Chi Minh City lawyer network with the expectation of building a similar network in the North.
Bac Kan students taking on the “Golden bell challenge” on online safety
News by: Hoang Ngoc Linh – Project Officer
Grade 9 students of Duc Xuan Secondary School recently participated in the “Golden Bell Challenge”, testing their knowledge of online safety through multiple choice…
Grade 9 students of Duc Xuan Secondary School recently participated in the “Golden Bell Challenge”, testing their knowledge of online safety through multiple choice questions on reality of Internet use in Vietnam, benefits and risks of using the Internet in Vietnam, policies and rules on Internet safety in school, procedures to respond to online incidents, etc.
This activity is under the program “Golden Bell Challenge – Communicating Online Safety to Children” organised by the school with the support of ChildFund Vietnam for the school year 2021-2022. On the same day, a drawing contest on online safety was held with positive participation from the students.
Guidance on the “Maternal and child monitoring book” and micronutrients provision for pregnant women in Hoa Binh province
News by: Ung Thi Hien – Project Officer
Thanks to the support of the project “Equal access to quality health services for mothers and children in mountainous…
Thanks to the support of the project “Equal access to quality health services for mothers and children in mountainous areas period 2019-2022”, pregnant women in Kim Boi and Tan Lac districts, Hoa Binh province are now given the “Maternal and Child Health Monitoring book” as well as guidance on how to use it at their monthly pregnancy check-ups at local clinics.
The Handbook aims to monitor the health of mothers during pregnancy and newborn babies until they turn 5 years old. With this book, mothers can be fully aware of their children’s health conditions, thereby knowing whether the children are developing normally or are suffering from health issues.
In addition, every month, the project also provides micronutrients for about 500 pregnant women to take during pregnancy and up to 3 months after giving birth. Taking micronutrients helps pregnant women to have good health and ensures the healthy development of children from the womb, thus reducing the rate of child malnutrition.
Training on Social Emotional Learning for community facilitators
News by: Hoang Van Hung – Project Coordinator
From 22 to 24 May 2022, ChildFund Program Management Unit of Ngan Son district (Bac Kan province) and Thach An district (Cao Bang province) organised a training course on social emotional learning for nearly 20 community facilitators who are teachers and parents from 5 project schools…
From 22 to 24 May 2022, ChildFund Program Management Unit of Ngan Son district (Bac Kan province) and Thach An district (Cao Bang province) organised a training course on social emotional learning for nearly 20 community facilitators who are teachers and parents from 5 project schools. The training course provided knowledge and skills according to the curriculum of social emotional skills for students in grades 6 to 8 of ethnic minority semi-boarding schools and schools with semi-boarding students.
Key topics of focus include: Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Social Awareness, Relationship Management, and Responsible decision making to build foundations for social emotional knowledge and skills.
After this training, community facilitators will continue to practice their knowledge and develop a training plan on social emotional skills for students in the next school year.
ChildFund Vietnam participates in a series of events and exhibition at the “Children’s World” Festival
News by: Communications team
The 23rd “Children’s World” Festival took place from 27 May to 1 June 2022 with a series of exciting events, exhibition, and free performances for children at the Vietnam Art and Culture Exhibition Center, 2 Hoa Lu, Hanoi…
The 23rd “Children’s World” Festival took place from 27 May to 1 June 2022 with a series of exciting events, exhibition, and free performances for children at the Vietnam Art and Culture Exhibition Center, 2 Hoa Lu, Hanoi. This is an annual cultural and artistic activity organised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to create a healthy and fun learning opportunity for teenagers and children during the summer. Participating in this year’s event, ChildFund Vietnam is happy to share useful knowledge about child protection and online safety to children through lovely cartoons and a fun “Wheel of Fortune” game!
CULTURE CORNER
Stress Management Training in Hanoi Office
On 31 May, following its successes in Area Development Offices, an exciting Stress Management training session continued to be held at the Hanoi Office.
Under the guidance of two external trainers, Hanoi Office staff have gathered to learn and share about stress triggers, stress recognition signs and effective stress management tools, etc.
This training session was especially meaningful when Hanoi office staff had just gone through a long, stressful period of working from home and are entering the “new normal”.
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Culture of project areas: "Khâu nhục" Dish
Author: Ta Doanh Thu Hoai – Intern at Bac Kan Area Development Office
“Khau Nhuc” is a typical dish of the Tay and Nung ethnic groups in Bac Kan province – where ChildFund is operating. This is a dish usually made only on holidays and weddings.
“Khau Nhuc” is also known as “nam khau”, the name comes from the way the dish is arranged on the plate like a small hill. In Tay and Nung languages, “khau” means hill.
To make a good “Khau Nhuc”, it is necessary to use fresh pork, then cut into squares, boiled thoroughly, then taken out to cool and have the skin scraped off. Next, the meat will be poked until the fat runs out from the skin, this way the alcohol and vinegar marinate will be absorbed evenly. Finally, the meat is fried until golden brown in hot oil, then taken out to serve.
Depending on the region, the preparation process may slightly differ, but in general, “Khau Nhuc” will always have the same characteristics: soft, fatty with a delicously attractive fragrance.
DID YOU KNOW?
TOGETHER
May 2022
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