Huynh Phong, a Hope System of Care beneficiary
Da Nang
Children with Disabilities
Children with disabilities are often hidden away, their potential locked behind a wall of stigma. They lack vital resources and quality medical care. COV's Hope System of Care for Children with Disabilities opens doors with comprehensive support, from medical aids, physical therapy, inclusive education to advocacy training for parents which ensures every child’s physical, emotional and educational needs are met.
Children with disabilities (CWD) make up one of the most vulnerable and marginalized populations in Vietnam. Families who have children with disabilities tend to be poor and bear a larger financial burden due to increased costs for healthcare, rehabilitation, special education, and other necessities. Many parents cannot work because they must stay at home and care for their children, further limiting their ability to provide for their families. Children with disabilities have significantly less access to educational opportunities-more than half with severe disabilities never go to school. Attitudes and stereotypes about people with disabilities create additional barriers to achieving their full potential.
By the numbers
81.7% of children with disabilities attend primary school; the number reduces to 33.6% by secondary school.
Greater than 50% of children with severe disabilities never go to school.
73.3% of children with disabilities do not have access to safe water and sanitary latrines.
Only half (52.1%) of people with disabilities live in stable housing.
Program
Hope System of Care
Our Hope System of Care program provides the key to comprehensive, personalized support. When Huy, a Hope System of Care enrollee's needs were met, he and his family realized his true potential for living a fulfilling life.
● Hope System of Care (HSC)
Increasing Opportunities for Children with Disabilities (CWD)
Our Hope System of Care (HSC) program provides comprehensive services to children with disabilities. By offering these services, HSC promotes independence and well-being for them. Each step taken by a disabled child represents a significant advancement in their development. The HSC program supports CWD assistance in five major areas:
HSC offers wraparound services for children with disabilities. The children receive healthcare, physical /mobility aids, therapies, nutrition, education, and life skills training. These services promote independence and well-being, one step at a time. Each step represents a huge leap for a child. This program expands local capacity and supports CWD assistance in five major areas:
Healthcare, rehabilitation, and nutrition
Education and vocational training
Livelihood and microloans
Housing and accessibility for residents with disabilities
Community activities and resources
A destructive legacy
U.S. armed forces widely used Agent Orange, a defoliant containing toxic dioxin, during the war in Vietnam. The spraying of Agent Orange ended in the 1970s, but thousands of children and young adults in Central Vietnam and elsewhere continue to live with severe physical and mental disabilities which may be linked to a parent, grandparent, or even great-grandparent’s exposure.
Learn more at Aspen Institute, Agent Orange, in Vietnam Project, or watch this short video Make Agent Orange History.
By the numbers
According to Vietnam’s National Survey on People with Disabilities in 2016, 2.79% of children between the ages of 2-17 have a disability. Families who have children with disabilities tend to be poor, and 1 in 4 live in many households.
Read UNICEF’s Study on Multidimensional Poverty in Vietnam
“Mom, I want to learn to be a hairdresser.”
- Giai Mat, a little girl born with osteogenesis imperfecta.
Lift a child out of poverty.
Today.
Explore More Programs
Children with Disabilities • Education • Keeping Children Fed • Empowering Mothers • Clean Water