Plan Vietnam Annual Progress Report 2010

A YEAR IN

VIETNAM 2010

SUMMARY REPORT

Children learnt to prepare meals as part of an Early Child Care and Development project

3

OUR PRIORITIES

GOOD REASONS

in Vietnam

why Plan works in Vietnam

• A third of the population do not have adequate sanitation facilities

• Helping children to grow up healthy, improving water and sanitation, and promoting safe motherhood

• Education is poor quality and a third of children don’t go to secondary school

• Supporting parents to care for young children and giving children the chance to go to preschool

• Many children are at risk of or suffer from violence or abuse at home, at school and in their communities

• Improving the quality of education and making sure all children gain basic skills • Supporting families to find reliable ways of making a living • Making people aware of children’s rights and preventing abuse BHUTAN

India

BANGLADESH

‘The Child Helpline is recognised by the government for its professionalism, responsiveness and popularity’ CHINA

A group sings at an early childhood care centre

Vietnam Facts Capital: Hanoi Population: 88.6 million Languages: Vietnamese and

other indigenous languages Climate: Vietnam’s climate varies considerably from the north to the south. The temperature is higher in the plains than in the mountains and plateaus, and hotter in the south than in the north.

Temperatures in the southern plains vary less, ranging between 21°C and 28°C. The seasons in the mountains and plateaus and in the north are much more dramatic – temperatures may vary from 5°C in December and January to 37°C in July and August.

VIETNAM

Economy: Despite recent

economic growth Vietnam is still considered a poor country and is ranked low against countries in the region in several economic indicators. As a result of several land reform measures, Vietnam is now the largest producer of cashew nuts with a one-third global share and second largest rice exporter in the world after Thailand. Besides rice, key exports are coffee, tea, rubber, and fishery products. Vietnam’s chief trading partners include China, Japan, Australia, ASEAN countries, the US and Western European countries.

MYANMAR

Ha Giang Thai Nguyen

Phu Tho LAOS

Hanoi

Bac Giang Hai Phong

Hanoi Quang Binh Quang Tri THAILAND

Kon Tum

Hue Da Nang Quang Ngai

CAMBODIA

Nha Trang

VIETNAM Country Office Operation Support Office Program Units

Ho Chi Minh City

Focus on: child protection

Many children in Vietnam suffer from abuse, neglect or exploitation. Plan aims to protect children at home, at school and in their communities. We raise awareness of children’s rights, help parents and communities address abuse, and contribute to government child protection policy and legislation. Our free Child Helpline offers

counselling and support, and our Learn Without Fear campaign focuses on ending physical and emotional punishment in schools.

We also help young offenders reintegrate into communities.

Students learn about gender issues as part of a Sustainable Livelihoods project

Child Helpline

The Bigger Picture

a lifeline to children

Vietnam’s national free Child Helpline supports children needing advice or protection.

Set up by Plan in May 2004, it has grown rapidly and has responded to over 75,000 calls from children across the country. The Child Helpline’s call centre in Hanoi has five telephone lines, 15 trained counsellors and is open 14 hours a day, every day. As well as responding to calls, it provides free counselling for children and parents, helping them understand each other. It also brings issues related to children to the attention of community and government leaders.

Meeting an increasing need Each year, the number of calls received has risen. Last year there were 18,430 calls, 25 per cent more than the previous year. The majority were about mental health, family issues and sexual issues. ‘The Child Helpline has helped many children in my community understand more about life. We can share our secret concerns and questions and find the best solutions,’ explains Le, aged 15, from Nam Dinh province.

One of those who have been helped is 13-yearold Ma. She is from the province of An Giang in south-west Vietnam. Like many young girls, she dreamed of travelling to the city to earn money.

This dream seemed possible when Ma and 19 other girls from her village were convinced by a woman called Mrs Duo to move to Ho Chi Minh City to work for a shoe company.

However, things didn’t work out as Ma hoped.

After two months of working long hours every day, in terrible conditions, and for little pay, the girls were moved to a tailoring company.

Two months later, they were separated. Ma was brought alone to the house of a man called Mr Cuong to work for him. Alone and scared, she didn’t know what to do or who to turn to for help.

Someone to talk to Mr Cuong immediately began making advances towards Ma, holding her against her will, and eventually abusing her sexually. After a few days she managed to escape, and ran to a neighbour’s house to call the Child Helpline.

Produced for Vietnam by Plan International Australia.

She remembered seeing the number in her village and in the city, and knew there would be someone there to help her. She spoke to a counsellor, who immediately contacted the police.

Ma was rescued and Mr Cuong was arrested.

The police and Child Helpline counsellors organised for Ma to stay with the Red Cross until they could contact her family. The Child Helpline also provided Ma with counselling to help her recover from her terrible ordeal. An investigation found Mr Cuong guilty of sexual abuse and child trafficking. The other girls were found, and Mrs Duo arrested.

Ma is just one of 1449 children whose cases have immediately been connected to the appropriate agencies for emergency support.

Most of these cases have related to child abuse, domestic violence, family relationships, legal issues and homelessness.

The Child Helpline is recognised by the government for its professionalism, responsiveness and popularity. Its high profile is reflected in the fact that a national competition to rename it attracted an overwhelming 800,000 entries. The name ‘Magic numbers’ was chosen.

The Child Helpline is now managed by the government, with Plan providing financial and technical support. By 2010, it will be open 24 hours a day, and linked to community child protection systems and social work centres, enabling it to provide a lifeline for even more children.

Plan is working with children, families and communities to find sustainable solutions to the challenges in Vietnam. We have only given you a small insight into Plan’s work in Vietnam with this report but over the past year we also: • Provided health checks for 10,114 children and de-worming for 5820 children • Trained 1000 parents and teachers on healthcare and injury prevention • Built 7229 sanitation facilities, provided 609 households with water supplies, and trained 4417 people on improving water and sanitation • Helped build and equip two secondary schools, 68 classrooms and 29 school water and sanitation systems, benefiting 11,674 students and 482 teachers Your support as a sponsor is crucial to achieving these results. With the resources provided by sponsors, Plan expertise and the collaboration of communities and local partners we are making a big difference to the lives of people in Vietnam.

Thank you for your involvement!

To learn more about Plan’s work in Vietnam visit plan.org.au/ourwork/asia/vietnam

Some names have been changed for child protection and privacy reasons

‘The Child Helpline has helped many children in my community understand more about life.’

‘Our efforts to extend our work into poorer, more remote, mountainous areas of Vietnam, where the highest concentrations of poverty prevail, have progressed well over the last year’ – Mark Pierce, Plan’s Country Director in Vietnam