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How We Serve — Lifting children out of poverty with programs designed to empower them to build a bright future
What We Mean by Childhood Poverty & Wraparound Services
All children deserve to thrive and live fulfilling lives. Unfortunately, the most vulnerable children live in multidimensional poverty. This means they lack access to education, good nutrition, healthcare, adequate shelter, clean water, and sanitation and all of those factors contribute to the child being in poverty.
The lack of these basic needs has long-term impacts that last into adulthood.
We look at the whole child to tackle these root causes of poverty. We wrap multiple services around each child to address their many basic needs. Our wraparound approach empowers children to overcome barriers and strive for a life beyond poverty.
Initiatives and Programs
Increasing Opportunities for Children with Disabilities Initiative
Our Hope System of Care (HSC) offers wraparound services for children with disabilities. These children receive healthcare, physical aids, therapies, nutrition, education, and life skills. These services promote independence and well-being one step at a time. And, each step represents a huge leap for a child. This program expands local capacity and supports children with disabilities assistance in five major areas:
- Healthcare, rehabilitation, and nutrition
- Education and vocational training
- Livelihood and Microloans
- Housing and accessibility for residents with disabilities
- Community activities and resources
US forces widely used Agent Orange, a defoliant containing toxic dioxin, during the war in Vietnam. The spraying of Agent Orange ended long ago in Vietnam, but thousands of children and young adults in Da Nang and elsewhere continue to live with severe physical and mental disabilities which appear to be linked to a parent, grandparent, or even great-grandparent’s exposure.
Learn more at Aspen Institute, Agent Orange, in Vietnam Project, or watch this short video Make Agent Orange History
by the numbers
According to Vietnam’s National Survey on People with Disabilities in 2016, 2.79% of children between the ages of 2-17 have a disability. Families who have children with disabilities tend to be poor, and 1 in 4 live in multidimensionally poor households.
Educating for the Future Initiative
Investing in children and equipping them with a sound education lifts children out of poverty. We provide scholarships and educational aids for children living with the daily constraints of poverty in Vietnam. We help children become proud, self-sufficient adults by making a solid education a reality when their families could not afford one. We do this in three areas:
- Bright Scholars – enables poor but bright students to earn a university degree.
- Study Steps – facilitates after-school tutoring and life skills opportunities.
- Kindergarten Building Blocks – constructing kindergarten schools to meet the educational needs of young children in rural and mountainous areas.
“Despite significant improvements in enrollment rates in recent years, the quality and effectiveness of education in Vietnam’s poorer regions remains low, while drop-out and repetition rates remain high. The primary reason cited for student dropout is that families cannot afford the tuition."
Keeping Children Nourished Initiative
We believe that all children deserve a healthy start in life. We provide vitamin-fortified food to kindergartens and families who experience food insecurity. We do this through the following programs:
- Lunch and Learn Program – feeds vitamin-fortified food to nourish rural and poor kindergarteners.
- Holiday Food Gifts – nutritious food and treats delivered during TET, Children’s Day and other holidays.
- Emergency Food Relief – distribution of critical food for children and families in disaster situations including monsoons and the Coronavirus pandemic.
- Soybean to Soy Milk Project – This kindergarten school-based project is improving nutrition and encouraging attendance for young children, ages 2-5. schools in rural and mountainous regions receive the beans, and the milk is made on-site. Soy milk reduces the risk of stunted growth by providing essential protein, potassium, and other vitamins and minerals.
by the numbers
One in every four Vietnamese children under the age of five suffers from malnutrition, while one in every six children is underweight, increasing their risk of suffering impaired cognitive ability, weakened performance at school and work, and dying from infections.
Delivering Clean Water and Sanitation Initiative
Clean water, sanitation, and hygiene are essential for children to maintain good health and to develop physically and mentally to their full potential. And these are essential for parents to stay healthy to work and care for their children. We provide these by:
- Installing large water filtration systems in schools and villages in remote areas with limited access to clean water. Lifting the health and quality of life for children and their families.
Empowering Single Mothers Initiative
To help break the cycle of poverty, we work with single mothers who live at the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder. As we help these mothers, we support their children to grow up in a safe, stable, and healthy home and ultimately overcome poverty. Our Empowering Foundations for Women & Their Children (EFWC) program provides comprehensive services tailored to meet single mothers’ immediate needs while helping them develop life-long skills that lead to self-sufficiency and reliance. EFWC achieves these goals through:
- Microloans and financial assistance to promote self-sufficiency
- Training and workshops on micro-business management, self-protection, and nutrition
- Medical exams and proper healthcare
- Primary and secondary school scholarships and study aids for their children
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We Collaborate
We collaborate with community members, local authorities, and our donors to produce positive change, build sustainability, and create community-based solutions.
