I was fortunate to attend training courses, held by VNHP, on reproductive health education and child abuse prevention
I am Tơ Ngôl Diện, 34 years old, an elementary school teacher at Chà Vàl Ethnic Minority Boarding Primary School, in Nam Giang District, Quang Nam Province. I work and live in a remote mountainous area so it is hard to easily access modern knowledge and technology. Therefore, I was fortunate to attend training courses, held by VNHP, on reproductive health education and child abuse prevention, as well as inclusive education for children with disabilities. Through this training, I gained new, interesting, and crucial knowledge that is very important in the primary school education environment. One of my students, A Râl Thị Dương Kim Như, who is from the Co Tu ethnic minority, suffers from epilepsy and depression. During lessons, she sometimes says random things, followed by mild or severe seizures, and at times even foams at the mouth. After the seizure passes, she returns to her normal state and continues learning with the class. Perhaps because of this, she gradually became quieter, less participative, and hesitant to interact with her classmates. When teachers or classmates tried to engage with her, she showed no signs of cooperation.
Little girl Nhu has become happier and more sociable with her friends.
After participating in the project, I began to understand and empathize more deeply. These children, unfortunately, do not have the same physical and mental health as their peers, and they face many challenges in their daily lives and studies. As a teacher, I need to be truly patient in order to approach her more closely, spend more time understanding her mental and emotional state. I also encouraged her classmates to be more compassionate and understanding of her situation, so that she wouldn’t feel isolated or distant from the group. Perhaps because of this positive interaction, she gradually became more engaged in class. I felt very happy and moved by this progress. More importantly, I learned about reproductive health education and the issue of preventing child from sexual abuse. Today, the prevalence of child abuse is increasing, especially for children with disabilities. The physical harm is only one aspect; the psychological impact can be long-lasting and lead to emotional disorders, which in turn affects the quality of the children’s learning and their mental well-being. Thus, after VNHIP’s training course, I proposed to the school administration to organize training courses for teachers and parents on these topics. Through this, everyone can gain more knowledge and skills to help children actively protect themselves from abuse and create an affection between teachers, students and parents. I hope that this project should be expanded further, and its scope should be broadened so that more children can access and benefit from it.
