Stories: Children, Community, Future

Luc Thi Trang has been serving as the Cultural and Social Official at Xuan Noi commune, Trung Khanh district since 2019. With little knowledge about child protection, her daily tasks mainly revolved around processing social allowance for children and family.

To address the capacity issues of Cultural and Social Officials in Trung Khanh district, ChildFund launched the project “Improving Child Protection System Effectiveness,” providing training to local social workers like Trang to recognise risks to children and implement child protection measures.

Trang shared, “Thanks to the training provided by ChildFund, I now have a better understanding of case management and child abuse, child psychology, development and needs. This training has given me more confidence in my work.” 

Applying the knowledge gained from the project, Trang has made a significant impact on child safety in her community. She has successfully managed 12 cases of children in need of support, identified 19 children in difficult situations and 134 children at risk of difficult situations. Her efforts have helped the commune reach its New Rural targets. 

Luc Thi Trang in a training session for children

Trang is now a competent child protection worker, regularly collaborating with village partners and the Child Protection Board to update and manage at-risk cases. She also conducts communication sessions on child protection laws and policies in remote villages and devotes her evenings to visiting the Mong people’s villages, where child marriage is prevalent, to spread awareness on child protection. Trang has effectively analysed the harmful effects of child marriage and early childbirth, leading to a change in beliefs and customs in the community. Statistics show that child marriage has not occurred in the commune in the last two years. 

With their enhanced knowledge and skills, senior officials like Trang are now better equipped to prevent, intervene, and manage child protection cases at a local level, ultimately benefiting both children and the community. Children have more opportunities to voice their ideas, and communities are better informed on basic laws and policies relating to child protection.