Illustrative image (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The northern provinces of Hung Yen and Vinh Phuc are working to improve childcare in response to a nationwide month-long campaign to protect children.
The Hung Yen People’s Committee and the provincial Fund for Vietnamese Children presented 60 scholarships to impoverished children during a ceremony held on May 23 to launch the campaign. The province also raised more than 700 million VND for the children’s fund from organisations and enterprises.
The Action for Children Month this year aims to promote the Child Law and to prevent violence and sexual abuse against children. It will raise public awareness of the issues and urge authorities, families and societies to create a safer environment for children.
Hung Yen is home to about 200,000 children. Last year, it recorded twelve child abuse cases, eleven of which were sexual. Four sexual abuse cases were reported in the first five months of 2017.
Meanwhile, the Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs teamed up with the People’s Committee of Song Lo district, Vinh Phuc province, to launch the campaign on the same day.
The province’s Fund for Vietnamese Children presented 50 scholarships, worth 700,000 VND each, 30 bicycles and 35 sets of stationery to poor children in the district. In addition, sponsors committed to donating more than 1.7 billion VND to children from difficult backgrounds.
Song Lo is a remote district of Vinh Phuc, with hundreds of orphans and children with disabilities as well as more than 1,800 children from poor families.
The province has asked local authorities to design child welfare policies to solve problems in the district’s childcare and education.
It has also urged families, schools and communities to be responsible for children and promote child rights.
Last year, the provincial Fund for Vietnamese Children raised nearly 6 billion VND and provided about 30,000 local children with free heart checks and medicine. Some 32 children with cardiac diseases received free surgeries at Hanoi Heart Hospital.-VNA
VNA
