Since 2011, our program in Ho Chi Minh City has aimed to fight against inequalities and make social protection services accessible to all. It has just ended after three successive three-year phases. The independent firm Archipel & Co has carried out an evaluation of 9 years of work alongside beneficiaries, partners and local authorities. Here is a look at the strengths and difficulties encountered in each of the program's components.
Summary:
2. The fight against violence against women
3. Vocational training for vulnerable youth
4. What's next?
Family support: "an innovative model recognized by local partners for its effectiveness
Through the establishment of two social centers and home visits, 1,028 Vietnamese families were able to be accompanied and supported for an average of six months. 100% of them are satisfied with the services provided !
Supported by social workers, they were referred to the social services most likely to solve their problems.
For this purpose, we have organized the setting up of a network of 60 organizations to respond to the administrative, economic, health or educational difficulties of families.
9,838 children have also benefited from health check-ups to identify the risks of malnutrition. Once identified, these families are identified to receive the appropriate support: food distribution, nutrition training workshops, home visits...
Finally, 47 awareness sessions have been set up to inform as many families as possible about the existence of social centers and the possibility of being followed.
According to the firm that conducted the evaluation, "by seeking to solve problems at the root, family support brings long-term results, but less immediately quantifiable...[...] Planète Enfants & Développement has strengthened the capacities of officials and community advisors in charge of family and children at the neighborhood and district levels, as well as the staff in charge of managing social centers. The network of social service providers is in place and effective".
The difficulties encountered The method of family accompaniment relies heavily on the goodwill of the families. Many of them became discouraged over time. Some of them expected financial support, whereas the follow-up proposed by the social workers is based on the advice and theorientationon several monthsto ensure theimprovement of living conditions in the long term.
Testimonial Mrs. Hien, a beneficiary of family support in one of PE&D's social centers in Vietnam: "I have 3 children. The second one, 5 years old, is disabled. It is impossible for him to stand up, walk and talk. Before being accompanied, I was helpless and did not know what to do to help him. But with the intervention of the social workers, he can go to school every day from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm and this for one month. Today, he is able to sit up, I see progress every day and my husband and I are proud of him".
The fight against violence against women
Introduced into the program in 2017, a pilot scheme has been tested over the last 3 years for fight against violence against womenThis is in addition to family support. A study made it possible to identify domestic violences. Then thanks to a specific training provided to social workers but also to staff of the People's Committees and the Vietnamese Women's Union, 28 women victims of domestic violence have been identified and supported. 364 women were also able to be sensitized to the scourge of gender-based violence. Each sensitization session was an opportunity to review the legal framework but also to recall that violence is not only physical, but also emotional and psychological.
Testimonial Ms. Hoanh, Director of SCDI (Community Development Initiatives Support Center): "The more the community is informed, the more the abused women can be identified".
Vocational training for vulnerable youth
In partnership with the Hung Vuong and Nhan Dao vocational training centersThis component aims to support vulnerable youth in their vocational training and orientation, in order to reduce dropouts.
Thanks to the project, 426 vulnerable youth were able to be followed by social workers and accompanied. Each of them was able to pass the RIASEC career guidance test. This test, set up by psychologist John Holland, allows to highlight his profile among six proposed: realistic, investigator, artistic, social, enterprising or rather conventional. Thanks to a network of partner companies, many young people were able to integrate a training or find a job.
In parallel, 98 people have been trained to lead the Imagine Cluba club focused on life skills (life & soft skills") and set up in partnership with Le Projet Imagine. Over 64 courses, 40 students between the ages of 13 and 18 were thus able to exchange freely around social issues such as the fight against climate change, gender equality and migration. At the end of the year, the objective was to set up a group project related to the environment. This is an opportunity for them to experience teamwork and also to develop their self-confidence. 85% of students say they are satisfied.
Finally, the opening of a manicure training salonlabelled social and solidarity economyhas enabled many young apprentices to train for four to six months and helped them find a job. 2020, 4 young people from underprivileged backgrounds have been trained to "learnLà Nails".
According to Archipel & Co, "PE&D has strengthened capacity faculty, members of the Student Affairs Department, and a Social Worker"and notes positive effects on beneficiaries in terms of self-confidence, professional perspectives and thirst for learning.
The difficulties encountered For social workers, it has not always been easy to follow some young people who have dropped out of school or who are suffering from addictions. In terms of courses, it would be more effective to separate the current class of 80 students in several small groups to encourage discussion. Finally, we are currently working on the adaptation of the Là Nails model to increase awareness of the nail salon and increase the clientele.
Testimonial Ngoc, 15 years old, apprentice manicurist at the Là Nails training center: "I heard about this training from the neighborhood agent. Both my parents are deceased, so I live with my grandmother. I couldn't afford to continue my education, so I had to look for a part-time job. My favorite part of the training is the English classes. And I love manicuring, I think it's a good fit for me. In the future, I plan to train even more".
Overall, Archipel & co notes that " the social workers and trainers are competent, involved, dynamic, empathetic. They have strong proximity relations with the beneficiaries and play a central role in the success of the accompaniments and training [...] If the transfer to the local partners is not yet perfect, we observe a appropriation by local partners of the various components of the 360° project. In this respect, the rooting is real".
What's next?
As the project winds down, Planète Enfants & Développement transfers activities locally to the partner social and professional training centers. A capitalization meeting planned for August will have the objective of defining the broad outlines of this gradual empowerment to ensure the sustainability of activities.
For more information
- The project form 360 on the Agence Française de Développement website
August 28, 2020
