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Magazine_2022-4
New roof for Pa-Loiy school
Last September MCNV Laos supported the Nong district government and Nong district education office by contributing 25.458.000 Kip (about 1.425 Euro) for materials needed to repair the roof of the Pa-loiy’s primary school, a village school with 3 teachers and about 90 children. Mrs. Xangthong Kiedtavong, Nong district vice governor and Mr. Kandam Phueiysayavong, Director of Nong district education office received this budget from a MCNV representative.
New project in Nong District (Laos)
Together in action for mother and child health
In August 2022, MCNV Laos and partner in Nong district started the process of setting up village health workers in ten target villages. The project Together in action for mother and child health is supported by the Dutch AFAS Foundation. After the project CANTEEN has finished last year, this is the second collaboration of the AFAS Foundation and MCNV.
The district health office selected a total of 39 village health workers from the 10 target villages using the health sector criteria guideline. The selected candidates have related experience and skills and can speak and write in Lao language and above all have the support and trust from their fellow villagers.
Strengthen linkage between indigenous communities and non-timber forest products processing enterprise
On the 24th – 25th of November 2022, MCNV organized an exposure visit for a group of ethnic women and representatives of the local authority and community to the processing facility of Nhien Thao Quang Tri Co. Ltd. – a linked enterprise in Quang Tri province, Vietnam.
This was part of the “Promoting Sustainable Partnership between CSOs and Enterprises for Sustainable Forest Management in the Context of Climate Change” (PROSPER) project that is co-funded by the EU and MCNV. One of the the project’s focuses is to promote market-oriented linkages between enterprises with strong corporate social responsibility and indigenous communities in the area.
Contract signing between enterprise and community on the supply of NTFPs
The visit was aimed at concretizing mutual understanding and building trust for a win-win business cooperation. The ethnic poor women in Huong Viet commune took a journey in an entire Custody of Chain, from their supply of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) to the stages of material processing and product finishing. Both sides discussed about quality requirements and developed an action plan for future cooperation.
An ethnic woman processing raw material of black locust before delivery
Beside materials of wild pomelo and black locust presently supplied by the women group in Huong Viet commune, the enterprise would expand their material areas with other other kinds of NTFPs such as lime and lemongrass to the other ethnic communities in the province. The stage of processing raw materials would be handed over to the communities to decrease transportation cost for the enterprise and increase the added values of NTFPs for the community suppliers. The nursing of NTFPs seedlings was also taken into deep consideration.
It is the fact that growing demand for NTFPs in the recent decades evokes a special concern over sustainable use, preservation and development of the forest resources in particular and the eco-system in general. To this end, the exposure visit was going on the right track and reached the set goal./.
Multi-stakeholders join for the development of Chenh Venh Eco-Tourism Cluster
On the 18th – 19th of November 2022, Chenh Venh Eco-Tourism Cluster in Huong Phung commune of Quang Tri province received special guests in the countrywide on a Famtrip in Huong Hoa district. These include around 64 representatives of the local authority and relevant agencies, Vietnam Association of Community Tourism, Tourism Associations in provinces of Thua Thien Hue, Quang Binh and Quang Tri.
The trip, which was jointly organized by Quang Tri Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Helvetas Vietnam and a local tourist enterprise, aimed to consult relevant stakeholders on the improvement and development of Chenh Venh Eco-Tourism Cluster and Ta Con flowers garden in the years to come. The activity is also part of a technical assistance project titled ‘Biodiversity conservation and sustainable forest management’ by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
As part of the Famtrip’s agenda, the delegation spent an entire day of the 18th of November 2022 at the tourist destination, experiencing a vast of services and visiting all of the tourism attractions consisting of the FSC certified natural forest under the management of the community. At a wrap-up meeting on the next day, the tourists expressed their satisfaction of the services, highly appreciated the tourist operation of the community, and definitely gave feedback on things that need improving in the coming time.
Chenh Venh Eco-Tourism Cluster is an initiative that has been developed, facilitated and supported by MCNV since mid-2021. At a wider scope, in the PROSPER project MCNV provided technical assistance to Chenh Venh ethnic community and the others in neighboring communes to gain FSC certificate for the community-managed natural forest in November 2021, and FSC certificate on eco-system in October 2022. All of these are expected to usher in opportunities for the indigenous people to generate income and improve livelihoods, thus contributing to sustainable forest management./.
*More pictures capturing the trip
Basic Rehabilitation Course concluded with impressive results
Congratulations to 17 physicians on graduating from the 6-month Basic Rehabilitation (Rehab) Course provided by the Training and Direction of Healthcare Activities Center, Bach Mai Hospital on November 18, 2022.
Thanks to the valuable guidance of the lecturers from the Training and Direction of Healthcare Activities Center and the Rehab Center, Bach Mai Hospital, 17 trainees coming from three Central and Central Highland provinces (Kon Tum, Binh Dinh, Quang Tri) have completed the course with impressive results:
100% trainees are qualified to be conferred with the certificate of Basic Rehab Training, complying with the Circular No.22/2013/TT-BYT and No.26/2020/TT-BYT issued by the Ministry of Health on continuing education.
Out of 17 trainees, 01 graduates with High Distiction, 8 with Distinction and 7 with Good results.
Nowadays, manpower shortage is still a challenge facing the rehabilitation sector in Vietnam, especially at the district-level healthcare system. Aiming to address this pressing issue, MCNV proposed for organizing a rehabilitation course for physicians as part of the “Improving the quality of life of persons with disabilities in provinces heavily sprayed with Agent Orange” (Inclusion) project.
The Basic Rehab course was organized by MCNV as part of Inclusion 1 & 2 project, sponsored by USAID via the CCIHP (Center for Creative Initiatives in Health and Population) and CCRD (Center for Community Health Research and Development). Inclusion project is owned by the National Action Centre for Toxic Chemicals and Environmental Treatment (NACCET).
Delivered in six months (May 2022 – November 2022), the course aims to equip the trainees with adequate knowledge and skills in diagnosis and intervention for common conditions that require rehabilitation services such as stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury, knee joint, hip joint replacement.
The trainees are provided with relevant skills in screening, providing assessment and intervention for patients and persons with disabilities (PwDs) in hospitals and the community./.
*More photos:
“Speech and Language Therapy Education Development in Vietnam” Project concluded: All Goals Achieved
September 27th, 2022 – After five years of implementation, the Speech and Language Therapy (SALT) Education Development in Vietnam project was concluded with all goals achieved, including the graduation of Vietnam’s first ever 14 Master and 20 Bachelor degree holders of SALT (MSALT and BSALT).
Following the first ever Master of SALT, the first Bachelor of SALT (graduating from Da Nang University of Medical Technology and Pharmacy) was another significant outcome generated by SALT Education project – a component of DISTICNT project by VietHealth, funded by USAID in a five-year period (October 1st , 2017 – September 30th, 2022).
The project was implemented by MCNV with technical support from Trinh Foundation Australia (TFA), aiming tolay a solid foundation for the development of an official education system for the SALT profession in Vietnam. The Project was concluded with a closing meeting held on September 27th to review the implementation of the Project as well as drawing lessons learned.
Earlier, on September 26th, a hybrid Thematic Workshop on SALT was held by MCNV and partners, bringing together around 120 in-person and online participants from Vietnam and abroad. The MSALT graduates, BSALT students and international academics from different universities in Australia presented their research in SALT.
In over the past five years, SALT project has successfully achieved its key goals, with the completion of Vietnam’s first Masters and Bachelors of SALT, conducted in coordination with HCM University of Medicine and Pharmacy (UMP HCM) and Da Nang University of Medical Technology and Pharmacy (DUMPT) respectively.
The two MSALT and BSALT courses cover all the SALT scopes following international education in SALT, including assessment, diagnosis, habilitation, rehabilitation, counseling, and prevention services for individuals from birth through old age who have some type of speech, voice, language, fluency, cognitive-communicative, or swallowing problems due to delayed development or as a result of an injury, cancer, stroke or progressive neurological disease. The MSALT was for 2 years and the BSALT was for 4 years. Due to the shortage of qualified Vietnamese SALT trainers, most of the trainers are from overseas (Australia, the UK, US, New Zealand).
With the completion of the MSALT and BSALT courses, the Project has supported four Medical Universities which are UMP HCMC, DUMPT, Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy (Hue UMP) and Hai Duong Medical Technical University (HMTU) on capacity building for SALT trainers and BSALT, MSALT curriculum development.
As a part of the Project, a network of national and international SALT academics, practitioners and clinical sites were established to support the development of SALT in Vietnam in terms of education and services.
Concurrently, the awareness of SALT among rehabilitation professionals and the public has been vastly improved, thanks to the frequent maintenance and updates of a SALT website (http://speechtherapyvn.net/) and a Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/ngonngutrilieu.mcnv).
Overall, despite half of the journey was covered with COVID-19 pandemic challenges, SALT project celebrated its conclusion with the accomplishment of all goals. This achievement could not have been made without the strong commitments by MCNV and the unwavering support from the project sponsor – USAID, related governmental authorities, national and international academics and clinical educators, service providers in rehabilitation in HCMC, Da Nang, and Hai Duong, and many others./.
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Changes in MCNV Supervisory Board
This summer a changing of the guard took place in the Supervisory Board of MCNV. Chairman Marijke Postma earlier announced that she was going to reduce her workload and therefore decided not to serve out her second term. Marijke, chairman since 2016, has led MCNV through the change of management, attended the celebration of the 50th anniversary of MCNV in Laos and contributed to two multi-year strategy plans (2017-2021 and 2021-2025). Under her chairmanship, MCNV has been able to strengthen its position as a reliable organization with a recognizable profile.
At her farewell, Marijke emphasized that Vietnam and Laos will always have a special place with her.
“For me, the contact with marginalized groups and the small scale of the projects is essential, even more than the topics. That expertise and the way of working, so very successful over the years in Vietnam, can be of great benefit in Laos in the coming years.”
Mattijs Smits also says goodbye to the Supervisory Board. From his position as a lecturer in the Department of Environmental Policy at Wageningen University and with his personal knowledge of and experience in Southeast Asia, Mattijs has made a valuable, substantive contribution for 7,5 years. A focus on the improvement of living conditions and the consequences of climate change were paramount.
New Members of the Supervisory Board
At the beginning of 2022, we welcomed two new members of the Supervisory Board: Cily Keizer and Nathalie Veenman. Cily Keizer has more than 30 years of experience in international cooperation and has lived in Southeast Asia for a long time. Nathalie Veenman has lived in Laos, worked at policy and program level in international development and is now Director of Communication and Development at the Wildlife Justice Commission.
The Supervisory Board has elected Cily Keizer as chairman as of 15 August 2022. Both Cily and Nathalie introduce themselves to you here.
Recruitment for short-term consultant
MCNV is looking for a short-term consultant for Disability Program
In general, this position is responsible for the implementation of the Project coaching rehabilitation workers in provinces of Tay Ninh, Binh Phuoc and Dong Nai. The Consultant will be requested to report directly to the Project Manager based in Vietnam.
Location: Ha Noi City. Domestic travel is requested (about 30% of working time).
Duration: from 15 October 2022 to 31 December 2022, with a possible extension
For more information, please refer to the Job Description in this following file: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mV9iPp7gUOmeM69mr-i8XKwClqlwcDB6/view?usp=sharing
