Caring for children in ethnic minority areas

The Party Committee and local government of Dinh Hoa commune have focused on implementing various appropriate solutions to protect, care for, and educate children, especially children from ethnic minority communities, contributing to ensuring social welfare and building a generation of well-rounded young people.

Dinh Hoa commune focuses on educating ethnic minority children in swimming skills. Photo: CAM TU

Following the merger of the three communes of Dinh Hoa, Thoi Quan, and Thuy Lieu, the new Dinh Hoa commune became a locality with a large ethnic minority population, accounting for over 51% of households. To date, the rural landscape of the commune has been increasingly transformed, the quality of life for ethnic minorities has improved, children are cared for and have access to education, recreation, and entertainment, ensuring their basic rights.

In a practical effort to care for children in areas with a large ethnic minority population, Dinh Hoa commune effectively implements the Party's guidelines and the State's policies and laws on children's issues. Simultaneously, the commune builds and maintains effective activities and models related to the protection, care, and education of children. The commune identifies the dissemination of knowledge and skills related to child protection as a key solution in its child protection work, aiming to raise awareness and responsibility among departments, organizations, and the community to jointly protect, care for, and educate children. The content and forms of communication are diversified and integrated into community meetings and branch/group activities.

Annually, the commune issues directives on strengthening child care and protection; preventing and combating child abuse and violence; preventing drowning among children; and implementing activity plans for each stage and event, such as the Month of Action for Children, International Children's Day, and the Mid-Autumn Festival. The effective implementation of policies, programs, and activities contributes to bringing policies and laws on children's issues into practice, promptly addressing issues related to children in the area, and enhancing the role of local Party committees and authorities in implementing child-related work. Children's rights in general, and the right to participation in particular, are seriously and effectively implemented by the commune.

Children's rights are well implemented by all levels and sectors; 100% of children within the prescribed age range receive free health insurance cards, are fully vaccinated, and receive health care advice, contributing to a reduction in the annual rate of child malnutrition.

To date, the child protection network in the commune has been basically established and is developing further. Various organizations and associations have implemented many models for protecting, caring for, and educating children. Notable examples include the "Godmother" model of the Women's Union, which provides support and assistance to children in special circumstances; the Youth Union organizes many beneficial activities and playgrounds to educate children in life skills, and provides timely support to children in difficult circumstances, helping them to attend school. Over the years, the commune has maintained the model of a club for preventing child marriage and consanguineous marriage to raise awareness of the harmful effects and consequences of child marriage and consanguineous marriage, contributing positively to child protection efforts.

Every year, the commune awards many gifts and scholarships to disadvantaged children on holidays, International Children's Day, and Mid-Autumn Festival. 12-year-old Danh Yen Nhi, residing in Dinh Hoa commune, shared: “For many years, I have received scholarships, bicycles, and books from kind people so that I can go to school. The care and attention of the government and local authorities are a motivation for me to constantly strive in my studies, cultivate good morals, and become a good citizen in the future, contributing to building a more beautiful homeland.”

The quality of education and training in the commune is constantly improving. The universalization of primary education at the appropriate age, the fight against illiteracy, the universalization of lower secondary education, and the universalization of preschool education for 5-year-old children are maintained. The scale and network of schools continue to be invested in and developed quite comprehensively, and teaching and learning equipment is enhanced, creating good learning conditions for children. Annually, the commune enrolls over 74% of children aged 3-5 in preschool. Along with imparting cultural knowledge, schools in the area focus on training and guiding children in handling situations, recognizing dangers to protect themselves, preventing social evils, child abuse, fire prevention and control, and drowning prevention.

According to Ngo Thanh Hung, Chairman of the People's Committee of Dinh Hoa Commune, thanks to the comprehensive implementation of solutions, child welfare work has achieved positive results. Children are cared for and nurtured through many practical activities, living in a safe and healthy environment. From 2019 to the present, there have been no cases of child abuse, violence, or homelessness in the commune. In the coming time, the Party Committee and People's Committee of Dinh Hoa Commune will continue to closely monitor the area to promptly detect and provide support to children in special circumstances; effectively implement policies, programs, and activities related to child welfare, creating favorable conditions for children's comprehensive development…

CAM TU

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/quan-tam-tre-em-vung-dan-toc-thieu-so-a468964.html