VIETNAM: SCHOOL INTEGRATION OF CHILDREN LIVING WITH A DISABILITY
During the Vietnam War, US forces sprayed some 80 million litres of the highly toxic defoliant Agent Orange onto the Vietnamese jungle. The consequences of this are still being felt by the local population today. Children are still being born with deformities and increased susceptibility to cancer. Their desperate parents are largely left to their own devices and often have no idea how to cope with a disabled child. They are sometimes even ashamed of their child’s disability and marginalise the child. This can lead to secondary handicaps which adversely affect the child’s future prospects.
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Our project in Da Nang
The project in brief:
The aim of the project is to give 400 disabled children aged between 6 and 15 a chance of a decent future by offering them an education. The children are prepared, within the limits of their possibilities and capacities, to attend a normal school close to their home. Therefore, 52 children are inserted each year in one of the five transitional classes where they are supervised by an interdisciplinary team (specialized teachers, psychologists, social workers). In addition, all beneficiaries receive school materials and, if necessary, the medical equipment they need (hearing aid, splint, wheelchair, etc.).
In order to facilitate school integration, school directors, teachers and parents of both disabled and healthy children are sensitized to inclusive education and good childcare. In addition, school teachers throughout the region are continuously trained in inclusive education and leadership.
For the current project, a new building (kindergarten) will be built and 3 buildings will be renewed. In addition, 30 classrooms will be better equipped to generate the best conditions for children living with a disability.
In order to guarantee the quality of education, the employees (teachers and staff) participate - within the framework of this project - in continuous training and the parents are sensitized to the supervision and normalization of people with disabilities.
Project budget:
Total project cost (2021-2022) : €70.040
60% of this amount will be provided by the Luxembourg Foreign Ministry. The rest (€28.016) will be covered by CSI together with the partner organization.