VUSTA gives consents to RTCCD to run the project "Early Journey of Life"

The project "Early Journey of Life” – An innovation early childhood development model to improve women’s health and infant development in Vietnam is implemented by Research and Training Center for Community Development (RTCCD), a scientific and technological organization under Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations (VUSTA).

(Photo: RTCCD.org.vn)

The project is funded by Grand Challenges Canada (GCC) with the main objective is to assist the province of Ha Nam to become a demonstration site to successfully implement the early childhood development model in line with the demand of the Prime Minister and recommendations of the Ministry of Health.

The specific objectives are to improve the capacity of health workers - educators - women's unions in implementing parent education communication activities in the community to ensure children receive comprehensive and responsive care and development; provide periodical parenting education courses following the EJOL model at all 109 communes and wards, with the coordination of the People's Committees of communes and wards; integrate EJOL model into national guideline for comprehensive development services in the first 5 years of life; and scale up the EJOL model's replication in a selected province in Viet Nam.

The project will be deployed in all communes and wards of Ha Nam province from April 2021 to June 2022 with a total budget of CAD 485,000, funded by GCC.

In phase 1 of the project, the model "Learning Clubs for comprehensive development of children" in the first 1000 days of life was piloted in 3 communes of Ha Nam province and scaled up to 84 communes/wards of Ha Nam province in phase 2. The project’s outcomes of phase 1 and phase 2 has received extraordinary interest of the community and high appreciation by authorities. The outcomes show significant improvement of the mother's health status and the children's development index (cognitive, language, motor) on the group intervention. Some activities of learning clubs have been integrated in “Developing national standard guidelines on comprehensive developmental examination and parent counseling - materials for health workers".

The issues expected to be addressed in this phase 3 of project are to improve knowledge and skills of mother and family in child care by scientific approach, which includes adaptive care, health care, good nutrition, teaching children through early learning and playing and learning, maintaining a safe living environment; Improving the child's intelligence index with high development scores in aspects of Language, Motor, Social-Emotion, Behavior; Reducing the rate of malnutrition; Strengthening the husband's role and participation in childcare.

The main expected outcomes by the end of the funding period include enrollment of 1,800 households across 109 communes and wards (4500 parents and grandparents), equivalent to 40,000 admissions into training activities and club activities which were organized twice a week at health stations in all communes and wards of Ha Nam; 2616 vaccination sessions for 91,560 kid admissions (from 10,900 - 20,000 children) were integrated with the community communication session (using visual videos of the project); 109 communication rooms with children's corner with toys and communication corners (with childcare equipment) were beautifully decorated and put into operation at the health station; 350 health workers, preschool teachers, and key women’s union officers at commune levels receive training on parenting skills;

The project materials are foreseen to include: (1) Training set of TOT trainers; (2) Toolkit and video clips of the implementation of the model; (3) M&E set and M&E report has been completed, the Ministry of Health evaluates and supports scale-up model to provinces through cooperation with provincial Departments of Health and Centers for Disease Control;

The communication content of the Early Journey of Life described in the National Guideline on Early Childhood Development (in the first 5 years of life) for health workers as the suggested reference material which help doctors, nurses, and midwives introduce to parents nationwide.