Recently, COV's Country Director Ms. Huong was asked to speak in front of the entire Danang's People's Committee to discuss what COV is doing on behalf of people with disabilities. Below is the speech she presented. We are so thankful for the hardwork of the entire COV staff and we appreciate opportunties like this to spread awareness about the awesome work COV is doing!
Children of Vietnam (COV) is an American non-profit organization based in Winston – Salem, North Carolina and in Danang City, Vietnam. In the past years with specific activities, Children of Vietnam was really contributing to the effective realization of the dreams of beneficiaries who are children with disabilities, poor children, has especially difficult circumstances through programs such as: Sponsoring Education, Building Homes, Health Care, comprehensive support program oriented business for poor single women.
Children of Vietnam Organization has contributed to improve the living circumstances of a part of disadvantaged children, less fortunate, bring the warm pleasure, the sharing and hope both materially and spiritually.
Currently in Danang area, there are more than 5,000 victims of Agent Orange, including nearly 1,400 children, most of them are deformed malformation, paralysis, mental retardation, spirit life is not good anymore. Especially many families have from 2 to 3 victims, the living circumstance is very difficult. Therefore they always expect the attention and assistance from community.
COV thinks that th e development of infrastructure an d soci al services in Vietnam providing a safety net for these families is critical employment. Our organization are moving our focus from direct support towards a sustainable development program which is called “ Hope System of Care” Project. This project has been being done in 2 districts of Hai Chau and Ngu Hanh Son for 200 beneficiaries and their families with a total budget of $474,900 within 2 years.
We contract with consultants specializing in social services from Duke University in North Carolina, USA for technical advice as well as training related to case management and assessment methodology. The training services will be supplemented with external contracts as necessary and priority selection of local experts and local whenever possible (such as Open University in Ho Chi Minh City, Medicine University in Hue).
The critic al issue of Hope System of Care for Children with Disabilities is to establish and promote the sustainabi lity of integrated service strategies to improve the quality of care and life for children with disabilities and solve complex problems as well as the necessary needs from many areas and from service providers. The goal of this integrated service strategy is to develop and implement the foundation in order to manage the full package of care and services for beneficiaries.
Care plan builds on strengths, specific needs of children with disabilities and their families by group of experts, consultants from VAVA, Health Care, Education, DOLISA, Women Union. It is called Care Management Team (CMT), this group consider the need package of children with disabilities and their families who are this project’s beneficiaries.
After having consideration for the need package, each member of the Management Team will continue to give their professional advice and determine how to select appropriate services. Because needs of each beneficiary are not same, the consultants making decision for intervention and support could be different.
Intervention plan may include surgery and rehabilitation, nutrition, providing wheelchairs and medical equipment, supporting special scholarship and community scholarship, vocational training, livelihood – microfinance, housing and emergency support.
These help beneficiaries develop their own inherent potential, give them the opportunity to overcome difficulties itself to integrate into community.Thus in the past year, our “Hope System of Care for Children with Disabilities” has been voted one of the best ten models of care for disabled people in Vietnam and will be expanded in the future.
COV actively collaborate with governmental and non-governmental organizations, agencies whose has the common purpose. Through this collaboration, we can maximize together, raise up our findings more and more and will further increase the impact of organization. We also have programs associated with International Non-governmental Organizations such as: Ford
Foundation, Facing the World, W.C.Swanson Family, Family Foundation.
COV has been making humanitarian activities in Danang and other provinces in Central Region nearly 13 years and has won numerous awards for humanitarian works from, Vietnam Red Cross Association, People’s Committee of provinces in Central Region. Furthermore, Vietnam Friendship Organizations Union awarded campaign medal for Peace Friendship between Peoples in 2009.
We sincerely thank the close coordination between our Organization with Agent Orange Victims Association of city. Thanks community responsibility from Hai Chau district and Ngu Hanh Son district in the activity named “ Sharing Hands because of Agent Orange Pain” at local. This attention is a great motivation for us in the effort to strive for the development of the community and the young generation.
Best wishes to all disabled children should receive help from the community to gradually build a better future. Last but not least, wish yours health and wish the meeting successful. We sincerely appreciate.
Special thank you to our sponsors: Rotary Club of San Francisco, Rotary Club of Berkeley and Rotary Club of Oakland
