Strategy
Key issues affecting children
In Vietnam, poverty has a disproportionate impact on children, particularly on girls. Poverty deprives millions of Vietnamese children of their basic human needs, including safe drinking water, food, sanitation facilities, shelter, healthcare, education and information.
Beyond poverty, many children are at risk of or suffer from abuse, accidents or injury. Injury is now the leading cause of child death (75%) and of child morbidity (57%).
Support systems and services remain weak for the over 1,200,000 children with disabilities, 124,000 orphan children and more than 22,000 street children of Vietnam. HIV and AIDS is another emerging issue.
Our goals
To address these key issues, Plan Vietnam has set the following 8 goals:
- Children can exercise their right to live in a safe, caring environment, free from abuse
- Children in need of special protection receive adequate protection and care
- Children and poor women and men are fully involved in making decisions that affect their lives
- Children (0 to 6 years old) realise their right to early care and development
- The health of children and women of child-bearing age is improved and they can realise their right to grow up healthy and be protected from various health threats
- Children can exercise their right to live in households with sufficient food and secure livelihoods
- Children can exercise their right to live in a healthy environment, with access to water and sanitation services
- Children (6 to 15 years old) develop and retain basic learning competencies through quality basic (primary and lower secondary) education
Our progress
Plan Vietnam has instigated several programmes that have helped local communities actualise these goals with significant success.
The implementation of a holistic Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) programme has increased parents', teachers' and local governments' awareness of the importance of primary health care, hygiene, nutrition and child-friendly resources in providing optimum learning opportunities for children.
Furthermore, programmes that focus on generating sustainable livelihoods in the community have seen the malnutrition rates in children drop by 10%. Children living in remote villages now have greater access to preschool services and teachers and care givers are better equipped to provide quality child care.
However, one of the greatest successes of Plan's CSP, is the effective mobilisation of community participation - from planning to implementing projects.
