Stories: Children, Community, Future

Ha is a ChildFund Pass It Back coach in Hoa Binh, Vietnam, and a trained community-based health officer at her commune. 

As a coach, Ha provides a range of learning opportunities to young people in her community, covering subjects such as problem-solving, gender equity, conflict-resolution and planning for the future.

She is also responsible for providing first aid training to other coaches, and manages the first aid services which are an integral part of all ChildFund Pass It Back competitions.

Coach Ha providing First Aid training to other coaches at a Coach Training

With her leadership skills, healthcare expertise and a commitment to protecting her community, Ha has been playing an active role during the COVID-19 emergency.

Preventing the spread of the disease has been one of her key priorities. In rural areas, many people seek work away from home in urban centres. Due to business closures throughout Vietnam, many of these workers have been returning home to their villages.

Ha makes sure these individuals have their body temperature checked upon arriving home, and are closely monitored if they are showing symptoms of illness.

Ha also helps them to complete health declarations required by the local authorities, and provides advice on how they can social distance at home.

“ChildFund Pass It Back works to build safe and healthy communities, and it is important that coaches take action and are role models in the fight against COVID-19.”

Access to information is vital, so Ha has been providing guidance to her local community on the importance of wearing masks and washing hands properly.

She has worked in close partnership with ChildFund Vietnam staff who are distributing personal protective equipment (PPE) to rural clinics, and has been surveying elderly people with health issues, so that ChildFund can provide these vulnerable members of the community with additional help and support where needed.

Ha is also working hard to prevent the spread of misinformation. Just recently, a husband and wife who returned home from working away were rumoured to have contracted the virus. Ha stepped in to stop the discrimination they were being forced to endure.

Ha says: “I met with the couple regularly to make sure they were fine. I also talked to other villagers, asking them not to discriminate against people. I said we should not spread inaccurate news, which will have a negative impact on how other people feel.”

For Ha, helping her community is an important part of who she is. She says: “It’s my responsibility not only as a community health officer, but also as a coach.

“ChildFund Pass It Back works to build safe and healthy communities, and it is important that coaches take action and are role models in the fight against COVID-19.”