Besides improving material life of children, especially those in special needs, Khanh Hoa Social Work Center has focused on health care and support for kids with disabilities...
Besides improving material life of children, especially those with special needs, Khanh Hoa Social Work Center has focused on health care and support for kids with disabilities.
Malnutrition prevention
Khanh Hoa Social Work Center has implemented a sub-project on child nutrition sponsored by Holt International Children’s Services in Vietnam. The program provides medical care and treatment services, including nutritional supplement with essential vitamins and minerals for healthy physical and mental growth to strengthen the immune system, helping protect against common diseases and boost physical and mental development, according to Tran Hiep, Director of Khanh Hoa Social Work Center.
Nutrition screening for children in need.
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Implemented since 2015, the sub-project has set the target to improve nutrition among children under 16 at social service centers and in the community with an annual funding of more than VND300 million. 8 centers for orphaned and vulnerable children in Khanh Hoa joining the program include Khanh Hoa Social Service Center, Ninh Hoa Social Service & Social Work; Khanh Son District Social Service Center; Nhan Ai Orphanage and Dai An Orphanage in Cam Ranh City; Thanh Son Orphanage in Cam Lam District; SOS Nha Trang Children’s Village and Tong Phuoc Phuc Orphanage.
Thanh Son Orphanage has joined the project since 2018, providing medical check-up for children for 4 times. Children identified with iron deficiency anemia and malnutrition get vitamin supplements as well as daily food for all-round development thanks to the support and guidance of Holt nutrition workers and staff of Khanh Hoa Social Service Center, says Pham Van Nghia, a worker at Thanh Son Orphanage.
Mau Thi Thu, a staff of Khanh Son Social Service Center, says many children in the mountainous area are skinny and it is hard for them to travel for a medical check-up. Thanks to the child nutrition program, they can have more regular medical examination, helping them to have better physical and mental health with better study results.
Uplifting children with disability
In order to provide assistance for kids to have a loving and secure home and get access to physical therapy services individualized to meet the needs of particular children and their disability. Khanh Hoa Social Service Center in cooperation with Holt is developing the model on home care support for children with disability. Accordingly, support will go to students in poverty, living far from their special needs schools. The children, while waiting for their own families to resettle their life and build a long-term care, benefit from physical therapy services right at the families giving childcare or at sub-project staff’s houses during 10 months at most.
Besides, the model also helps children with disabilities to access community-based care, protection and education services such as health care, nutrition, education, rehabilitation, vocational training, psychological counseling, child protection and community integration; pilots support models on community-based child care, protection and education services, etc, according to Tran Hiep.
The new model is only in the pilot stage, thus requiring concern and cooperation of local departments and agencies in improving officials’ capacities as well as raising public awareness; especially, providing professional social work knowledge and skills, facilitating support work to help kids to soon recover and meet their potential. Hopefully, such models will be expanded, benefiting more and more disabled kids in Khanh Hoa Province, says Vo Binh Tan, Vice-Director of Khanh Hoa Department of Labor, War Invalids & Social Affairs.
Thanh Truc
Translated by N.T
