TRUNG TÂM NÂNG CAO SỨC KHOẺ CỘNG ĐỒNG
Hau has been elected to become class monitor by his teacher and classmates in this new school year because of his achievement in the pass years. He has reached the title of good students for six years. He is confident and conscious compared with other children of the same rank.
Prepared by: Ms. Pham My Trang, BA. Social Work and Associates, Project Manager
Introduction
HOPE – Supporting development need of orphaned and vulnerable children in Halong city, Quang Ninh Province, Vietnam was funded by HEKS and implemented by the Center for Community Health Promotion from September 2009. After two years, with effort of CHP and the Halong Women’s Union, the project has achieved its goals in improving the living conditions of orphaned and vulnerable children and built capacity for a network of volunteers. Stories taken in Halong below vividly evidences the project impact.
Name: Nguyen Huyen Thanh
Year of birth: 1998
Student of grade 6, primary school
Address: Group 48, Zone 3, Cao Xanh Ward.
Thanh’s father died in 2005 because of AIDS. Phuong, her mother was infected by HIV too. When healthy, the mother earned money for living by sewing work from tailors. Getting ARV’s side effect, which causes of blurred vision and shaked legs, she totally lost the working capacity. From that time, the monthly income of Thanh and her mother relies on renting a part of their house at 300,000 VND ($US 17). Their grandparents and relatives could not be able to help and support them as they are poor too. Most needs for leaving of Thanh and her mother was based on the little monthly income, so daily meals often consisting of basic frugal food for fulfilling their stomach like rice, vegetable, nuts. Milk, egg, and meat were luxury food with them; even breakfast was also reduced to a minimum. Although basic education expenses are exempted, but expenses for books, notebooks, and learning materials still are financial burden for her mother. In order to get enough education fee for Thanh, her mother have to cut the cost of living or borrow money from their neighbors.
Thanh and her mother have had the additional amount of 360,000VND per month for nutrition support from Hope project, from September 2008. Thanh’s mother spent all the money on Thanh’s daily meals. Thanh could have breakfast with milk and steamed rice. The daily meals could have more food such as fish, shrimp, and meat. Thanh has achieved a good grade and certification of merit during 5 years to schools. In school year 2009-2010, Thanh successfully passed the selection exam for the advanced class. Although knowing that the expenses for learning in advanced class would be higher, Thanh’s mother very confidently expressed to the head teacher that she would manage the education expenses. She knows that the meals and study materials at beginning of the school year will be supported by Hope project, the monthly education expenses will be covered by renting her house. Though the living condition of she and her child still have many difficulties, but their lives have been more optimistic.
Ms. Phuong said that after the dead of her husband, she herself infected by HIV and got side effects of Anti-Retroviral treatment. She totally lost her trust in life. Sometime, she wanted to leave everything to chance, let her daughter to fate. When Thanh became a beneficiary of Hope project, she shamed by herself. With thinking “people came from far away, having no blood relation with the child, but they still take care of the daughter, hope for the good life to the daughter, so she herself could not let things run on their course”, she has lived with positive manner. She found and joined into Club of people living with HIV/AIDS at community. She has actively participated in the Hope project activities with high responsible manner. Her complex feeling faded out as she could take care for her daughter now. She often thinks that if other’s child is cared for 100%, her daughter also can be cared for 70%. On occasions of traditional festivals, the project also organized entertainment activities and gifts for her daughters as well. When thinking about future of the daughter, Phuong assured that after she passes away, her daughter still can rely upon Hope project to continue study. She certainly believes that with early awareness on the family circumstance and knowing how to love the mother, the support of the project will be more meaningful and more effective to her daughter.
They are cooking at a cooking contest
Name of children: Le Minh Hau
Address: Hamlet 4, group 1, Cao Thang ward
His grandmother at home
Hau’s father died because of AIDS when he was only one year old. One year later, his mother left the house because she felt a complex about their situation and has not contacted with the family at all. His eighty years old grandparents have brought him up since then. The family just relies on the grandmother’s monthly subsidy of losing working capacity of 804,000 VND ($US). That is only enough for surviving three people at the minimum cost. The family now stays on the top of the water tank in the poor working area. The seventy-one years old grandmother often gathers scrap iron in the day time and sells bread at night to collect each penny for their living. When the school year begins, she borrows money from other families around to pay for school. Then she gets the debt back gradually by cleaning and tiding up the house for some families who hire her.
Living without love of his parents since he was only a toddler, plus, he was got into depressed economic situation so that Hau was very shy and often compared him with other classmates at the several early years of school. He rarely participated in extracurricular activities at school as he afraid of paying extra money. After school, Hau was just around his grandmother; he dared not communicate or talk to anyone.
When Hau went to grade fourth in year 2007, people from Women Association often come to visit Hau’s house. They talk to Hau patiently, see his school report and bring the project support allowance to him. Since he has got support from HOPE project, his grandmother puts more shrimps or eggs into his serving at school. She does not have to sell bread at night to collect money for his breakfast anymore.
This year, Hau has gone to secondary school. The school is a one kilometer walk from his house. Hau’s dream is to have a bike to school. In the old days, there was an old bicycle which was sold just over 100,000 VND, his grandmother wanted to buy it for him but she had not have enough money. This year, she will certainly spend all her savings and a part from education support of project to buy an old bicycle for Hau to school. The remaining of project education support will cover his books and clothes. This is a big expenditure and she could not fulfill her grandson’s dream without the support from HOPE project.
His grandmother reminds Hau everyday that aunts concern him, they also give him money for schooling and eating so he should try his best to study well like his friends. Hau listened to his grandmother and studies very hard. His classmates admire him and he gets used to his friends step by step. Now he could ask his grandmother for money when he take part in the extracurricular activities at school. Hau also gets gifts from project staff and take part in exchanges with other wards at some special vacations of year such as Traditional Festival, Moon Festival, and International Children day. At the day of International Children this year, Hau and his friends painted pictures about their ward and talked about the picture. After each trip like that, Hau was very happy. He felt that people care about him and do not leave him alone. He does not feel that he is at a disadvantage compared with his friends. He is not shy anymore.
Name: Bui Quynh Tram
Year of birth 1999
Student of grade 5, primary school
Address: Group 4, Zone 6, Ha Lam Ward
They are on a discussion group at a skill training
Tram’s father died due to AIDS when she was only few months old. Her mother remarried and has two children, a boy born in 2003 and a girl born in 2006, both of them did not know whom their father is. In 2007, Tram’s mother died, left 3 children for 55 years old grandmother. The grandmother took care of 3 children and bedridden invalid, the grandfather. Five people rely on monthly her pension of 700,000VND ($US 40).
The time that project reached her family in 9/2007 was very meaningful. At that time, Tram’s mother had passed away for nearly two months, Tram was in Grade 3, a brother was 4 years old and a sister was 1 year old. When Tram received monthly nutrition support from HOPE project, the financial burden of taking care 3 children of her grandmother was reduced. Hence, the grandmother could take care Tram’s brother and sister more, especially the 1 year old sister. The children were too young to realize the value of support from the project, but they could recognize the concern from community. Impression about receiving gifts, being joined activities with other friends, which was held by project volunteers, will imprint on Tram’s mind.
As the grandmother told, on occasion of Traditional Vietnamese Tet of 2009, Tram received a woolen cloth as a gift of project. Now, although it did not fit her, Tram still has appreciated with that gift and she has asked her grandmother for keeping the cloth separately.
After joining project activities, Tram also told to the grandmother about friends and project volunteers. One time, officer from Women Union of Ha Long City, Ms. Phuong visited their house, Tram and her brother very exciting and brings racing horse game, which Tram received on the Children day, and asks Phuong to play with them. From an early age to now, she never received any gift, so the racing horse game was a treasure to her. She still remembers Ms. Phuong promised that if she studies well, she will be attended the mid-autumn festival with other friends. Tram also wants to take younger brother and sister to go to the festival, so she teaches them singing and read story to them. Tram tells the younger brother and sister that if they meet Ms. Phuong, they should say hello, sing a song for Ms. Phuong, so they could go to the festival with her.
The grandmother is very happy. She joined club named “Grandfather/ grandmother take care of Orphan children affected by HIV/AIDS”. Hearing stories of other children, she knows that her granddaughter does not have lonely, complex and shy feeling like other orphans. She hopes that the comprehensive support will facilitate her child to dynamic development in the future.
Title: Vice-chairwomen of women’s union, & project volunteers, Ha Khau ward
Date to join project: August 2007
To manage and supervise the project activities at the grassroots level, the project has built a network of volunteers, including staff from Women Union of each project precinct. Mrs. Le Thi Ai – the vice chairman of Ha Khau Women Union is one of the members in this network. Not to mention their own benefits when participating in this project such as: get the knowledge and skill on capacity building, the work like a volunteer is the thing that she wishes to do for children and their families as well.
The work of a volunteer is specified clearly: to disseminate the information of project activities, to give the project support to children’s families, to monitor the situation of these support of each family, and to reflect the needs and the change of children to project management board. With Mrs. Ai, she is not compelled to do this work. She just works as her daily communication in her community. She is very dedicated and enthusiastic because she has known that she is doing the useful things for her community. “Seeing the impact of the project for the community and the children is my pleasure and motivation. It makes me try to work well” – she said.
She told us the first time she visited children’s family with precinct staff. They were complex, self-depreciation. They welcome them with a reluctant attitude; the children do not want to contact or talk to her. People think that there is a gap between disadvantaged like them with “The government worker”, even with their neighbor around their living area.
When Mrs. Ai comes to visit these families, she is familiar with all family members. They also get the practical support of the project. All things make them feel that community care more about them so they become more self-confident. By means of the first six month of project, Mrs. Ai and the project have gradually shortened the gap between the her and children as well as with children’s family
Until now, all the project families are opener, friendlier and more responsible with community. She has really become a bridge to children and to their family. The children consider her as their family member. With the local authorities, she was confident and they create the best condition for her to participate in all project activities. She also gets much knowledge and experience for herself on many issues, such as child rights, psychophysiology and communication skills when communicating with children and their family.
She had participated in many projects for many different beneficiaries but this is the first time she works directly with children in Hope project. It was very difficult to find the best method when she conducted the children’s need assessment. Through the training courses on Child Right and Child Participation, the method to communicate with children, together with ten years of working with community experience, she does not confuse when find out about the feeling and the expectation of children anymore. The children no longer evade her when she comes to visit them. They wait for her to tell about their good marks at school, to show off their prize of the traditional games in the community and to say about their expectation for this Moon Festival and this new school year, what they want to play and what they are missing. For her, the work with Hope project has become an important part of her daily life.