Vietnamese Teenagers Deliver Message to Malaysia
Written by Le Thi Van – New Beginnings for Children Project Officer
Three young women who have benefited from World Vision’s programmes in Vietnam travelled to Malaysia at the end of May to take part in a three-day conference entitled ‘Women Deliver 2013’.
The teenagers – Vu Ngoc Lan (17), Nguyen Thao Nguyen (17) and Pham Thuy Hien (14) – chose to attend five conference workshops, among 160 on offer, which were sex education, the youth-friendly service model, youth leadership and participation, marginalisation of adolescent girls, and newness for newborns.
Before the conference, the three teens together some of their peers from Myanmar talked about children’s rights, their dreams, the changes that World Vision has made to their lives, and the messages they wanted to bring to Malaysian people.
The Vietnamese youngsters made the presentations in English to social workers, journalists, and World Vision Malaysia board members, staff, volunteers and sponsors. Following the presentations, they answered questions put by journalists from English and Chinese newspapers on child rights, their aspirations, how Vietnamese children live, and how they contribute to their communities.
“I’m part of a World Vision group working with orphans and other vulnerable children, which started in 2009,” said Hien. “The group organises activities like monthly meetings and training courses on HIV and AIDS and communication skills,” she continued. “We’ve also been camping, celebrated the mid-autumn festival, and held birthday parties.”
“How would you improve your community and country if you were in charge?” Lan was asked. “First, I’d spend more money on schools and hospitals,” she replied. “Students need better facilities, equipment and teaching quality, while hospitals should be modernised, especially to treat the disabled, the elderly and children.”
After the conference, the trio decided on how they would present what they had learned to the other members of their clubs at their monthly meetings in June, July and August. The three are among those living in extremely difficult circumstances in the northern port of Hai Phong and have participated in activities run by World Vision’s New Beginnings for Children Project, HIV Prevention, Care and Support Project and Ngo Quyen Area Development Programme.
Women Deliver is a global advocacy organisation bringing together voices from around the world to call for action to improve the health and wellbeing of girls and women. The conference is now in its third year and this year’s event drew 5,000 participants from all over the world. The themes chosen target Women Deliver’s goals of ensuring that all women have access to safe and healthy pregnancies and deliveries.
These goals were represented in three conference slogans: ‘It’s time to invest in girls and women’; ‘Female equality is essential for sustainable global progress’; and ‘When girls and women are educated and healthy and have access to sexual and reproductive health services, including family planning, poverty will decline.’