Meet Dinh Thi Xanh, 36 years old and one of the parents benefiting from our Increase Equitable Access to Quality of Education project. Under this project, we are promoting inclusive and quality education for ethnic minority and disadvantaged children in Vietnam.
As well as improving the learning outcomes for ethnic minority children at primary education through improved child friendly learning environments and enhancing the capacity of teachers in applying inclusive, child-centered teaching methods, we are also working to encourage the meaningful participation of parents in their children’s education. One way we’re doing this is through parent’s clubs and associations.
Xanh joined our Parent Club in Mat village 2017 and credits the club’s ongoing activities to helping her strengthen both her parenting skills and personal skills. When she first joined, she was timid and quiet and felt nervous participating in group discussions. But, regular participation in the club’s parenting activities such as information sharing sessions, meetings, group discussions and talks has improved her confidence and ability to interact with the other club members. She was even chosen to be the club leader and had opportunity to participate in providing hand-on training for other parents provided by our project.
Xanh is a serious, active, and committed participant in all the training and coaching. As a result, she has gained a lot more about knowledge about child health care, child nutrition, accident prevention, and much more. Looking back on her journey, she says, “I was very lucky to be selected for these project activities which have helped me grow into who I am today. I am now much more confident in communicating with others and sharing my ideas in front of many people. I even can facilitate parent club meetings.”
Xanh has also participated in other activities supported by the project, such as a competition on the Rights of the Child, dialogues between parents and the school, and implementing the pig-raising livelihood model in Mat village. For the latter, she has received training in pig-raising techniques which she now knows very well. That’s why she was voted by 19 other members of the pig-raising club to be their group leader. She now also assists our project staff with conducting regular visits to the group members to monitor the condition of the pigs and report on the project’s progress. Thanks to this, pigs who might be suffering from an illness are identified early and relevant solutions and treatments can be put in place, avoiding depletion of the livestock.
Last year, we were delighted to present her with a certificate of recognition from our project to acknowledge and thank her for her particpation. “I am so happy that my contribution is being recognized. I will keep doing my best to help other group members to overcome difficulties and poverty”, she said upon accepting the certificate. Xanh’s story is one of success and one we’re very proud to share – demonstrating how she has grown as a parent, worker, community member and person by taking every opportunity that was put in from of her to learn and expand her skills.