Can Tho, Save the Children join hands to protect, care for children

The People’s Committee of Can Tho city had a working session with Save the Children on July 17 to look into cooperation programmes, especially activities targeting disadvantaged children.

Illustrative image. (Photo: VNA)

Country Director of Save the Children Dragana Strinic said her organisation highly values efforts by relevant agencies, communities and families in the Mekong Delta city to give local children a healthy, safe, and friendly environment to grow up.

She said she hopes Can Tho will stand side by side with her organisation in caring for children’s material and spiritual life and creating the best possible conditions for all children, especially those living in disadvantaged circumstances, to have a better life.

From now to 2020, Save the Children will work with local relevant agencies and media outlets to organise communication campaigns raising public awareness of child protection.

It will coordinate with the municipal Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs to organise training courses and workshops on child care and protection to improve officials and social workers’ capacity in this field.

Notably, it will assist the city in building and calling for investment in child care models targeting less privileged and vulnerable groups such as street children, children prone to HIV infection and abused children.

Additionally, the organisation will coordinate with the local educational sector to improve disadvantaged and ethnic minority children’s reading and writing skills through learning toolkits with proven effectiveness.

Save the Children also called on municipal authorities to help deal with violence and abuse cases against children while protecting and giving support to children victims.

Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Truong Quang Hoai Nam welcomed Strinic’s proposal, affirming that Can Tho will provide favourable conditions for bilateral cooperation programmes.

He stressed his city prioritises protecting children from abuse and supporting those with disadvantages so that every child has the best opportunities to develop. As a driving force of the Mekong Delta, Can Tho wants to expand these cooperation programmes to the whole region so as to improve local child care and protection./.

VNF/VNA