A family of Mong ethnic minority in northern Son La province. Improving parenting knowledge and skills is a key pillar to ensure the comprehensive development of children. (Photo: VNA) Speaking at the launching of the Integrated Early Childhood (IECD) HolisticParenting Scale-up Project on September 28, Nguyen Thi Ha, Deputy Minister saidthat integrated child development in the first years of life has become thegoal of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development that Vietnam has committedto implement.
Vietnam is the first country in Asia and the second in the world to ratify theUnited Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. In addition, the countryhas issued rights and principles to ensure the implementation of children'srights, such as the 2013 Constitution and the 2016 Law on Children.
The project on the comprehensive development of children in 2018-2025 has beenimplemented, helping the country to be among 69 countries that issued anational master plan on the issue.
"Guiding parenting skills are essential to achieving the best developmentfor every child. Parents need to be provided with knowledge and skills onchildren's education at their early age, help children develop physically andshape their personality," she said.
Lesley Miller, the deputy representative of UNICEF Vietnam, said although beinga parent is the toughest and the most rewarding job, many people lack theappropriate knowledge and skills to ensure their young children live, learn andgrow up in a nurturing and caring environment.
She emphasised that this challenge is even harder for parents from poor, rural,or mountainous areas or those who have migrated from their extended families tofind work.
The IECD Holistic Parenting Project is built upon achievements from the pilotperiod, which was assessed as a success in building up parents' knowledge andskills to improve children's wellbeing, cognitive, social and emotionaldevelopment in communities and through the workplace.
Le Hong Loan, head of UNICEF Vietnam's Children Protection Office, said theproject was piloted in 27 communes across the provinces of Dien Bien, Gia Laiand Kon Tum and several companies in HCM City between 2019-2021.
The programme, jointly implemented by UNICEF, MOLISA, VCCI and Generali, helpedimprove parenting skills such as health care, nutrition, early-learningstimulation, communication with children and non-violent discipline to morethan 10,000 parents.
The project trained 13 lecturers and 130 guides to organise group activitiesfor parents to discuss experiences for two hours each session.
In the next three years, the project will be expanded to 15 cities andprovinces, targeting about 276,000 parents of young children. In addition, theproject will organise several online training programmes and develop a set ofbooks on parenting skills.
The pilot project has received positive feedback. Lo Thi Duyen, a mother in theDien Bien province's Tuan Giao district, said she learnt many new skills to bea good parent.
"I didn't know that parenting needed to be learnt and practised. Afterthis course, I know how important to play with my kids, understand them, talkto them, bond with them and especially control my anger and not scoldthem," she said.
Nguyen Thi Kim Oanh, a representative of Dien Bien province's Labour, Invalidsand Social Affairs Department, said up to 756 out of 2,760 parents joining theproject were fathers of children between 1 and 8 years old.
These parents were all ethnic minorities living in disadvantaged areas in TuaChua, Dien Bien Dong and Tuan Giao districts. They joined an eight-sessioncourse on parenting skills.
Oanh said most parents are happy with the course, but a guide who could speak ethniclanguages would help them immensely, as some are not good at the Vietnameselanguage.
According to experts, three factors should be focused on to achieve theproject's success. They are; commitment and investment from local authorities,departments and women unions in 15 cities and provinces; effectiveness andskills of trainers and facilitators who will support parents to improve theirparenting skills; and collaboration among key sectors and agencies, includingsocial welfare, health, education and mass organisations./.
VNA
