Safety First
By Vu Van Tiep – Development Facilitator of Bac Binh ADP
Safety is of paramount concern for all children, but is often neglected by some of the underprivileged families in Binh Thuan province due to a lack of awareness and poorly maintained homes.
To improve this situation, World Vision’s operation in the southern province organised a forum in 2013 entitled ‘Safe House – Happy Childhood’ for school pupils, other community members and local authority representatives. The forum was a valuable occasion for people of Bac Binh district to express their opinions about safety issues for children, especially within the home.
Local policymakers also revealed their action plans to ensure safer home environments for young people.
Through role-plays, the students highlighted the lack of care some parents show for their children that allows preventable accidents – such as burns, electric shocks and drowning – to occur. The short plays were vital reminders for parents about child safety. Adult community members had the opportunity to raise their concerns to local government officials about child safety issues and World Vision’s work through its Bac Binh Area Development Programme (ADP).
“The farmers seemed enthusiastic about expressing their thoughts at the forum in their village,” said Ms. Dang Thi Dieu Xuan, a local health worker. “We hope that the parents in attendance will act responsibly in the future, so children will suffer fewer potentially avoidable accidents.”
The staff of the Bac Binh District Health Centre also proposed specific programmes, such as training courses for local World Vision partners and further support for disadvantaged households, to improve child safety at home.
“The forum has helped people to pay more attention to their children’s safety at home,” commented Mr Nguyen Thanh Phuong, Chairman of the Binh An Commune People’s Committee.
“In the future, we will work with World Vision to gauge the situation in every household in order to make specific interventions for child safety in our community,” Mr Phuong continued.
Bac Binh ADP held the forum in cooperation with the Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, the Department of Education and Training, and the Department of Health.