Ringing the Changes
Written by Dang Thi Thuyet – Capacity Building and DME Project Assistant, Tien Lu ADP
It was dark, but many people had gathered outside the village meeting hall in the northern province of Hung Yen. A large group of women, aged 24-50, sat in the middle while the others stood around them. Each of the women had a small whiteboard and pen and they all looked happy and attentive.
One of the women, Mrs Duong Thi Tham, 42, said, “This contest has been very useful for me and the other villagers. I know a lot about the topics from previous activities, so I hope I’ll win and get to ring the bell tonight!”
Mrs Tham was among the 50 women who took part in the ‘Ring the Golden Bell’ competition. The women are all mothers or caregivers with children under five. They are members of nutrition clubs established by World Vision in their communities.
Borrowing the format of one of Vietnam’s most popular TV game shows, ‘Ring the Golden Bell’ challenges the competitors with a series of quizzes. Those who cannot answer a question are eliminated and the winner is the one who gives the correct answer to the last question and gets to ring the golden bell.
The competition’s aim was to develop the local people’s knowledge of nutrition, injury prevention, clean water and hygiene. World Vision’s Tien Lu Area Development Programme (ADP), the district’s health centre and local authorities co-organised the event, which was designed to reinforce messages promoted at preceding nutrition club sessions.
During the event, the contestants tried to answer the questions correctly as fast as possible, while the monitoring group ensured the competition proceeded fairly. As many as 300 local people came to watch and they cheered the participants enthusiastically.
One of the spectators, 50-year-old Mrs Duong Thi Nghien – the head of a local nutrition club – commented, “I’m proud of how my club’s members did tonight. They know a lot now and I’m sure they’ll come to the club more often in the future.” Mrs Nghien added that their performances had inspired her to work harder in her role as the leader of the club.
The local ADP organises communication courses at nutrition clubs twice a month, which use various art forms, such as plays, skits and competitions. One of the contests is entitled ‘Miracle Hat’ and is based on the format of the TV programme ‘Wheel of Fortune’. Similar courses are also organised at kindergartens.
According to official statistics in 2011 and 2012, three children die of drowning annually in Tien Lu district, while 32 percent of children in the areas in which World Vision works were recorded as having stunted growth. These were the main reasons why the ADP embarked on awareness raising programmes covering injury and accident prevention, household safety, and child nutrition for mothers and caregivers.