Improving healthcare and education for children with disabilities in Vietnam
Frank Susa, UNICEF USA
Click here to view a video about the Ford Foundation's special initiative on Agent Orange/Dioxin.
© U.S. Fund for UNICEF/Charles Bailey
In a Da Nang respite center for children with disabilities, a boy works on developing his fine motor skills by stringing beads together to make a necklace.
NEW YORK (Updated October 10, 2008) — No matter where in the world children with disabilities live, it takes a concerted effort to help them reach their full potential. They often require significantly more and different kinds of care to maintain good health and nutritional wellbeing. The parents and caregivers of children with disabilities must be exceptionally committed ensure that their child receives a good education. It often requires special knowledge and is never easy. Nowhere is this more true than in the developing world.
In one such place, Vietnam, UNICEF is launching a special initiative to bring quality healthcare and education to all children living with disabilities. Vietnam is home to a disproportionately large number of disabled children—including many affected by exposure to chemicals left over from the spraying of Agent Orange. Estimates put the number at around 1.2 million.
Working closely with the government of Vietnam, UNICEF has started a pilot program in the south-central city of Da Nang to train health workers, educators, parents and other caregivers to properly monitor the health and nutrition status of Vietnamese children living with disabilities. Thanks to a major grant from the Ford Foundation, UNICEF's program in Da Nang will soon be replicated on a national scale.
Awareness and commitment are the key to success
UNICEF has a long history of cooperation with the government in Vietnam and has been implementing successful programs in the region since 1975.
© U.S. Fund for UNICEF/Charles Bailey
A girl with multiple disabilities gets help moving her legs from a physical therapist.
There are currently two respite centers in Da Nang that serve just a fraction of the people living with disabilities in the area. These centers offer care and support specifically for children with disabilities during the working day, allowing their parents a chance to earn a living and support their family. However, many families are unaware of the services the centers offer, or find traveling to and from the centers too difficult.
Similarly, few families take advantage of special healthcare services available to them. Nationally, one-third of families with disabled children have never sought treatment for their disabilities, and only one-fifth of disabled children in Vietnam use rehabilitative aids such as wheelchairs, prosthetic limbs or hearing aids. Though many more are entitled, only 30 percent of children currently receive social assistance such as health insurance or a monthly allowance.
Many children are unable to travel to and from school each day or miss school because the facilities are not accessible to those with disabilities. Currently 85 percent of adolescents living with disabilities do not finish primary school, and half of all disabled children are illiterate.
Sadly, for those disabled children that do attend school, the quality of education is often poor. Teachers lack training on how to integrate disabled students into their lessons. Many children that suffer from mobility disorders, visual impairment or hearing impairment are simply ignored all day, as it is assumed that they also have intellectual disabilities.
Improving healthcare, education and social support
Through its community-based initiative in Vietnam, UNICEF is providing a comprehensive package of services specifically designed to be inclusive of children with disabilities. This program includes:
- Training health workers and caregivers to properly monitor the health and nutrition status of children living with disabilities
- Training social and welfare workers to better understand how to assist families caring for disabled children
- Supporting respite centers by providing rehabilitative aids such as wheelchairs, prosthetic limbs and more
- Developing water and sanitation facilities in schools that specifically focus on meeting the needs of disabled children
UNICEF is also working with the government of Vietnam to improve legal policies and standards that promote the inclusion and rights of children with disabilities. Where possible, UNICEF is working to leverage existing structures—such as the Vietnam's Women's Union—to help prevent the exclusion of disabled people from the country's national policies.
Once the pilot program in Da Nang is complete, the government of Vietnam will rely on UNICEF's guidance and recommendations to implement the program nationwide, improving its investment on behalf of children living with disabilities throughout the country.
