MESSAGE FROM COUNTRY DIRECTOR
Dear beloved colleagues,
The first days of the new financial year 2022-2023 have just begun! And I am writing these lines in Bac Kan. There is no better feeling than to visit the projects, meet the partners, and especially meet the dear colleagues in the three ADOs after more than two challenging years of COVID-19.
Photo: Ms. BĂch LiĂȘn visiting an S4D clubhouse during her field trip to HĂČa BĂŹnh with Ms. Micaela Cronnin, board member of ChildFund Australia in June 2022.
At the start of the new exciting financial year, on behalf of the SMT, I would like to express my sincere thanks to all of you who have always been persistent, committed and united together, jointly overcoming the difficult time of the pandemic, quickly adapting and responding to new requirements to steer the organisation towards the unwavering goal of supporting disadvantaged children and communities.
The year 21-22 continued to witness our strong progress in cooperation with Government agencies at all levels, especially the central level, not only in the field of Child Protection but also Education. At the provincial level, the cooperation of departments such as the Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs has become much more proactive and concrete.
We have also continuously expanded and strengthened our partnerships with local NGOs such as the Vietnam Association for the Protection of Children’s Rights (VACR) and the Action to the Community Development Institute (ACDC), community-based organisations and networks of peer organisations such as Leave No One Behind (LNOB) or Gender-based Violence Prevention Network (GBVNET). Na Ri Districtâs Organisation of People with Disabilities with our support has made steady progress in the past year, better serving the interests of children with disabilities and families of people with disabilities.
Photo: Ms. BĂch LiĂȘn in Bac Kan Children’s Forum 2022
Our Swipe Safe flagship program has also left a big mark. With our experience in implementing projects on online safety, we had the honor to become one of the key collaborator of the nationwide competition on Information Security that attracts the participation of nearly 600,000 secondary school students across the country.
ChildFund Australia’s strategy and ChildFund Vietnam’s strategic outline have been well developed through careful consultation with partners at all levels, children and the community.
There have been many other great achievements that each of you in all positions contributes to each and every day.
FY22-23 will be a transformative year, marking the beginning of the new Strategy 2022-2025 with many pivotal changes in our approaches in project development, partnerships and fundraising.
Photo: Ms. BĂch LiĂȘn meeting with local partners during her trip to Cao Báș±ng in July, 2022
We will continue to prioritise the three key program sectors of Child Protection & Child Participation, Education and Health, while promoting a multi-sectoral, inclusive and SEL based approaches where Gender, Disability, Women’s Rights and Youth Participation will be more integrated and defined. The project âSafe and supportive semi-boarding school for studentsâ is a good example of a multi-sectoral approach with interventions ranging from Education, SEL, Health to Child Protection targeted at children at both primary and secondary schools. For the Child Protection sector, strengthening Child Protection system and Child Protection online will continue to be our priorities in the coming year.
This financial year will certainly bring more challenges as we have many ambitions to innovate in terms of program quality, diversifying funding sources, developing partnerships and localisation. Yet, Iâm confident that we will have a lot of exciting things to look forward to together. Given the combined strength and positive energy we have, along with the core values ââof the organisation âRespect â Integrity â Collaboration â Change â Empowerment â ââExcellenceâ, we will surely succeed!
Once again, thank you for your continued commitment and efforts. Wishing all members of ChildFund Vietnam family health, peace and lots of energy for a new financial year!
TIN TIN TICK & TALK
VISIT FROM A SPECIAL GUEST
On the last few days of June, ChildFund Vietnam was thrilled to welcome the first foreign visitor since the Covid-19 pandemic. This occasion was made even more special as the first guest was Ms. Micaela Cronin, a board member of ChildFund Australia.
Her visit started with a trip to Suoi Hoa commune, Hoa Binh province, where Ms. Micaela and her husband was first invited to join a monthly meeting of the Commune Child Protection Standing Board and observe how child protection work was carried out at the commune level. They then visited the Sport for Development (S4D) clubhouse and had an exciting chat with rugby coaches about their teams and the program. Next, the group observed a communication event of the Swipe Safe project, where children were seen discussing the topic of online abuse. The trip concluded with a visit to Trung Hoa Primary & Secondary School, where the group was greeted by the principal and introduced to colourful wall paintings about online safety done by the students and teachers as part of the Swipe Safe project.
The next day, Ms. Micaela was warmly welcomed in the Hanoi office and enjoyed a fun, meaningful tea break with the staff. Here, she expressed her appreciation for ChildFund Vietnamâs work and discussed with the team some ideas for the future.
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ChildFund Vietnam participates in the Kick-off ceremony for the Month of action for children
News by: Communications team
On 31 May at Hanoi Children’s Palace, the kick-off ceremony for the Action Month for Children and Starting of Summer 2022 was co-organised by the Ministry of Labour…
On 31 May at Hanoi Children’s Palace, the kick-off ceremony for the Action Month for Children and Starting of Summer 2022 was co-organised by the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs, the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, The Central Team Council, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Hanoi People’s Committee and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Vietnam.
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Attending the event were 1,200 delegates, including Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, Minister of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung and nearly 700 children representing over 25 million children in the country.
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Also at the ceremony, ChildFund was honoured to join other child-focused organisations in Vietnam in contributing to a photo exhibition with the theme of the Action Month: “Joining hands to care, educate and protect children”.
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After the event, Ms. Nguyen Thi Bich Lien, Country Director of ChildFund Vietnam shared: “The kick-off ceremony of the ‘Action Month for Children and Starting of Summer 2022’ was very impressive and professional! The cool weather makes it perfect for the participation of students not only from Hanoi but also representatives from other cities and provinces. The presence of the Prime Minister and other senior leaders of the government at the ceremony showed the government’s special care and priority for children, especially disadvantaged children. The most emotional moment of the ceremony was when the leaders gave gifts to support children who had become orphans after the Covid pandemic and representatives of groups of children with extremely difficult circumstances.
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ChildFund Vietnam continues to affirm our strong commitment in accompanying the government, families, schools and society with practical support projects, contributing to improving the living environment, learning and development of Vietnamese children, especially disadvantaged children in ethnic minority areas, and ensuring that all children have a peaceful childhood and the opportunity to develop to their full potential.”
First aid training for ethnic minority communities in Cao Bang province
News by: Luc Van Viet – Project Officer
From 23 May to 4 June, the project âImproved resilience of ethnic minority communities in Cao Bang, Vietnamâ organised 4 first aid training courses…
From 23 May to 4 June, the project âImproved resilience of ethnic minority communities in Cao Bang, Vietnamâ organised 4 first aid training courses for 74 people who are members of the Committee for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) at the commune level, commune officials and teachers from 7 primary & secondary schools in 4 project communes.
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After the course, trainees are provided with first aid knowledge and necessary skills to handle dangerous situations that often occur in their community such as bone fractures, drowning, electric shock, animal bites, etc. In addition, this knowledge will also be applied by the DRR Board as part of its rescue responsibility.
Leave no one behind (LNOB) network held a meeting at ChildFund Vietnam’s office
News by: Pham Thi Thanh Van – Partnership and Localisation Specialist
On 16 June, a meeting of members of the LNOB (Leave no one behind) network was held at ChildFund Vietnam office…
On 16 June, a meeting of members of the LNOB (Leave no one behind) network was held at ChildFund Vietnam office.
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In this first face-to-face meeting after a long period of working online, ChildFund Vietnam welcomed representatives from the Management and Sustainable Development Institute (MSD Vietnam) – coordinator of the network , Save the Children in Vietnam, World Vision Vietnam, Helvetas Vietnam, ActionAid Vietnam and VUFO NGO Resource Centre.
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Members updated on the report on noteworthy activities of the LNOB network in 2020-2021, discussed the plan for the Community survey project on the implementation of several sustainable development goals (SDGs) in Vietnam, and build a capacity building roadmap for network members. The Community survey project is one of the commitments of ChildFund and network members in promoting the participation and monitoring role of the local people, especially disadvantaged groups, in the implementation of SDGs in Vietnam. In addition, the plan to attract more civil society organisations (CSOs) to join the network was also discussed at the meeting.
Buses carrying communication messages on the National Child Helpline 111
News by: Nguyen Thi Bien – Project Officer
These days you may come across colourful buses carrying the communications message on the National Child Helpline 111 strolling on the bustling streets of Hanoi…
These days you may come across colourful buses carrying the communications message on the National Child Helpline 111 strolling on the bustling streets of Hanoi city or on the main roads in provinces of Hoa Binh, Bac Kan and Cao Bang.
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Given 120 bus trips per day through the distance of 2,400km within Hanoi inner city and around 15,000 travelling hours across the three Northern mountainous provinces, the bus advertising activity is expected to contribute to raising awareness of individuals, families and community on the prevention, recognition and reporting of violence and abuses against children.
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Bus advertising is an activity within the project âStrengthening child protection system effectivenessâ co-implemented by Department of Childrenâs Affairs and ChildFund Vietnam in the period from 2021 to 2024.
Workshop announcing the results of project “Improving the child protection system effectiveness”
News by: Communications team
The workshop attracted the participation of nearly 150 delegates from Department of Childrenâs Affairs, Departments of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs…
“I highly appreciate the implementation of the child protection system model from the residential community level, to the commune and district levels, especially in the three provinces with less favourable socio-economic circumstances compared to other ones in the country,â said Mr. Dang Hoa Nam, Director of the Department of Childrenâs Affairs at the Workshop announcing the results of the project “Improving the effectiveness of the child protection system” organised by ChildFund Vietnam and local partners on the morning of June 24.
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The workshop attracted the participation of nearly 150 delegates from Department of Childrenâs Affairs, Departments of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs of three project provinces, representatives of domestic and international organisations, child welfare social workers in project communes, project technical partners and evaluation consultants, etc.
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During the workshop, participants discussed the project’s results and made recommendations to help ChildFund and local partners develop suitable projects for the next phase.
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The project “Improving the effectiveness of the child protection system” supported by ChildFund Vietnam was implemented in Tan Lac district, Hoa Binh province, Thach An district, Cao Bang province and Ngan Son, Na Ri districts of Bac Kan province from November 2019 to June 2022. With the goal of improving the effectiveness of the official child protection system and the community-based child protection system and enhancing the resilience of boys, girls and youth in the project areas, after three years of implementation, the project has achieved a number of encouraging results.
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ChildFund Vietnam co-organised the Children’s Forum of Hoa Binh ProvinceÂ
News by: Tran Van Tu – Project Coordinator
The annual Children’s Forum has become a tradition, marking the close cooperation between ChildFund Vietnam and the government agencies…
“Over the years, I’m very happy to see a lot of positive changes in the child forum, ranging from the professionalism of organising work to the participation and response of the leaders and the quality of children’s participation,” said Ms. Nguyen Thi Bich Lien, Country Director of ChildFund Vietnam at the Children’s Forum of Hoa Binh Province on the morning of June 29.
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The annual Children’s Forum has become a tradition, marking the close cooperation between ChildFund Vietnam and the government agencies.
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With the theme “Joining hands to protect children – Speak up to prevent child abuse and violence”, this year’s forum attracted the participation of delegates who are leaders of the Provincial People’s Committee, representatives of various agencies and organisations, namely Departments of Education, Justice, Fatherland Front, Provincial Youth Union, Provincial Police, Department of Culture – Sports and Tourism, Department of Labour – Invalids and Social Affairs, etc. and 280 children from 10 districts and cities representing more than 223,000 children living in Hoa Binh province.
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During the three days of the forum, after discussing issues of child rights and child protection in their living places and being trained in teamwork and questioning skills, children had a direct dialogue with leaders about issues of their concern, including school violence, child sexual abuse, child neglect and violence against children.
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The messages and recommendations given by the children at the forum will be taken into due consideration by local leaders in the process of policy making and planning for local socio-economic development in the future.
GĂC VÄN HĂA
Happy Work Anniversary!
This month, let’s send big congratulations to Ms. Dinh Thi Thu Ha – Education Project Officer and Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Hoai – Head of Finance on their reaching 25th and 20th year respectively of working at ChildFund. As the first few employees who laid the foundations for ChildFund Vietnam’s development in Vietnam, their love for the organisation and enthusiasm at work remain unchanged over the years. For all members in Hoa Binh Office, Ms. Ha has always been a respectable, caring and dedicated eldest sister and for those in Hanoi Office, Hoai’s familiar big laughs bring joy to everyone 
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Let’s look back at the beautiful and memorable moments of the Ha and Hoai at ChildFund and wish them both good health to continue accompanying ChildFund to new successes!
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Good Friday - ChildFund Employees and Child Safeguarding
On the occasion of the Action Month for Children, during last June’s Good Friday, ChildFund Vietnam staff in all offices had a good time discussing a seemingly familiar topic â Child Safeguaring in a new exciting way.
Through the joyful Quizizz game, humorous but meaningful plays demonstrated by ChildFund’s “actors” and lively discussions about hypothetical situations, the event contributed to raising awareness and the sense of responsibility of each employee in child safeguarding, protection and education.
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Culture of Project Areas: Wedding of the Muong People
Among 54 ethnic groups in Vietnam, the Muong have a population of more than one million people, mainly residing in Northern mountainous areas of Vietnam, notably Hoa Binh province â the project area of ChildFund Vietnam. It can be said that the cultural identity of the Muong has been associated with the culture of Hoa Binh province.
Muong culture is characterised by its own identities, expressed through lifestyles, traditional costume and beliefs. Among them, the wedding custom of the Muong is a unique cultural feature, with many different procedures compared to the wedding ceremony of other ethnic groups.
Like the wedding of the majority of ethnic groups, the pre-wedding ceremony is indispensable. However, for the Muong alone, the ceremony will always be held in the evening because the Muong considers this a good time of the day to wish for a harmonious and long-lasting relationship.
The special thing on the day of the Muong wedding ceremony is the “bargaining” between the groom’s and the bride’s family. At that time, the groom’s family must meet a number of conditions set forth by the bride’s family in order to be able to enter the house of the bride. In addition, the wedding ceremony also has the tradition of throwing banana flowers at the groom’s guests, resembling the wish for a healthy baby.
After the wedding day, the bride usually does not stay at her husband’s house, but returns to her own home. She only comes to her husband’s house during the day to help with the housework, then returning to her house at night. The bride tend to stay at their husband’s house permanently only after the birth of their first child.
DID YOU KNOW?
Do you ever wish miracles and good things will come to you? Let’s listen to the sharing of Ms. Nguyen Thi Van – Human Resources and Administration Coordinator about her favourite book “The Miracle” by author Rhonda Byrne in the video clip below.
Then, if you also want to own this book, quickly fill out the form and we will randomly select a lucky person to gift this book.
Together
June, 2022
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CHILDFUNDERS – FOR CHILDREN’S WELLBEING