Vietnam

Save the Children started our work in Vietnam in 1990 through the implementation of a child nutrition project. Since then, we have expanded our programs to 06 key program areas including: Education, Health and Nutrition, Child Protection, Child Rights Governance, Child Poverty, Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation. In our programming, we promote the rights-based approaches and focus on ethnic minorities, migrants, children with disabilities and special needs of children and youth from all gender identities. We now cover 22 provinces across the country and work in partnership with government agencies, civil society organizations, the corporate sector, academic and research institutions.

Save the Children empowers children and youth to shape their own future. We are committed to accompanying children to create an environment where every child can grow up physically and mentally healthy, a safe and sustainable green future, equipped with skills to lead their lives and confidently thrive in a world where their rights are fully protected.

We specify 4 strategic goals to realize that ambition:

1. Ensuring a healthy start in life  for children via a resilient health system, with focus on Adolescent Reproductive and Sexual Health (ARSH) and Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS)
2. Build resilience of children, their families and communities to anticipate, adapt and mitigate climate risks and environmental  degradation
3. Ensure continuous quality education for children and youth enabling their successful transition to adulthood
4. Children are protected through nurturing relationships, improved services and safe environments

Health and Nutrition: Save the Children has strong working commitments with national counterparts and local partners to improve the most vulnerable children’s health and nutrition, including adolescent sexual and reproductive health as well as mental health. We help to reduce child malnutrition rates in poor mountainous areas, improve the health of mothers and newborns, and improve children’s knowledge and skills in school health and nutrition.

Education: Save the Children works to increase access to quality learning for the most deprived children and youth. We focus on Emergent Literacy and Math skills, Building Brain, provide Basic Education and Adolescent Skills with evidence-based, adaptable, and replicable common approaches. In all areas, we support and integrate different digital transformation solutions to maximize learning opportunities for every child.

Child Protection: Save the Children targets children and youth most impacted by inequality and discrimination and works to protect them from all forms of violence, exploitation, and neglect. We help children gain better access to a quality and child-friendly learning environment via rights-based, child-led and system-based approaches. Besides, we advocate for application of Positive Discipline in caregivers, in collaboration with key duty bearers for the longer-term sustainability of initiatives.

Child Rights Governance: Save the Children works closely with the government and civil society organizations to ensure the duty bearers and related stakeholders are being accountable for what they have committed to child rights and to make the rights of children in all circumstances a reality. We advocate for the integration of child rights into business principles of private sector companies and empower children, make their voices be heard in the decision-making processes on issues that affect them.

Child Poverty: Save the Children alleviates child poverty by supporting to increase access to quality learning (including digital literacy) for children and youth most impacted by inequality and discrimination. We provide sufficient knowledge and skills to help children and youth have successful transition from school to work and be able to pursue career development opportunities fairly and sustainably.

Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Climate Change Adaptation (CCA): We build the resilience of children and their families who are hardest hit by impacts of climate change across the country to address its negative effects on their lives. We champion children’s voice and leadership as part of solutions to climate change mitigation and adaptation. Our programs include promoting safe school model, in-kind assistance and cash transfer program, promote child-centered and community-based climate change adaptation.