NEW REPORT, INCLUSIVE EDUCATION PROGRAMS
CALL ATTENTION TO VIETNAMESE CHILDREN AFFECTED BY AGENT ORANGE
30 January 2008, Hanoi, Vietnam -- Catholic Relief Services (CRS), an American non-governmental organization, announced today its launch of a program of inclusive education and health for children with severe disabilities living in areas affected by dioxin from herbicides such as Agent Orange used during the Vietnam War. The announcement accompanies the release of a report, "Assessment of Educational and Health Needs for Children and Youth with Disabilities Identified as Affected by Agent Orange / Dioxin."
The report, written by Dr. Pham Huy Tuan Kiet and colleagues at the Hanoi Medical University, finds that children identified as dioxin-affected have the same types of disabilities as other children, but with higher severity and rates of many types of impairments. Approximately 50% of children surveyed attend mainstream schools, while the remainder stays at home, never pursuing an education.
"In the past, children with disabilities were viewed as objects of pity or charity. This continues to be the case for many children who are considered to be affected by Agent Orange. But pity and charity are not enough," said CRS-Vietnam Education Program Manager, Nguyen Thi Thuy.
In the new CRS program, as many as 5,000 children with disabilities will be included in regular schools between now and 2010 in central and southern Vietnam—areas that were the scene of environmental contamination resulting from US involvement in the Vietnam War.
"Access to health and education are the rights of these children. We call on other donors to join in matching support for inclusive, child-centered programs that build equity and human dignity, and that turn the corner from legacies of war in Vietnam," said Gregory Auberry, CRS Country Representative.
CRS has supported programs for inclusion of people with disabilities in Vietnam since 1995 that, to date, have helped more than 10,000 children. With funding from private donors as well as the US Agency for International Development, CRS programs involve raising awareness and sensitivity on disability issues; training teachers, parents and education administrators; and providing health support for children with severe disabilities to attend mainstream schools.
A significant achievement of this programming has been a recent national policy priority for inclusive education for children with disabilities and other disadvantaged groups. Vietnam's Ministry of Education and Training has partnered with CRS to implement inclusive education nationwide in preschools, primary and junior secondary schools, reaching more than 270,000 children.
"Vietnamese law now requires the promotion of all children's rights to education and health care. Since children develop best in their own families and communities, we work with local authorities and schools to support children at the local level," said CRS's Nguyen Thi Thuy.
The CRS report on children's educational and health needs can be accessed online at http://www.crs.org/publications/entry.cfm?category=Education under the heading "Education," or directly from CRS-Vietnam by e-mail to awells-dang@vn.seapro.crs.org.
Background: Inclusive Education Program
Inclusive education is the principle and practice of educating all children within a common educational setting. It especially targets those children traditionally excluded from general education for reasons of gender, geographic remoteness, ethnicity, poverty, and disability. The principle of inclusion promotes the idea that as barriers in the environment and society are overcome, all children can benefit from learning in a general education classroom, provided sufficient education and community support. Inclusive education is a method of creating communities, schools, and societies free of discrimination.
Catholic Relief Services is the international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. The agency provides assistance to people in more than 100 countries and territories based on need, regardless of race, nationality or creed. CRS has worked in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam since 1992, with 35 Vietnamese and international staff, a representative office in Hanoi, and development programs in 11 Vietnamese provinces.
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
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