ÁNH DƯƠNG NARRATIVE REPORT

Period March to June 2016

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Country and ProjectTitle

Towards gender equality – Raising disadvantaged girls voices and rights in Hau Giang province

Lead NGO Anh Duong Community Development and Support CentreImplementing partners

Department of Education and Training in Phung Hiep district ofHau Giang province (DOET)4 key secondary schoolsThe Long My Women Union (WU)16 women’s clubs

Total project value 437,050,359 VND

Date of submission and contact details of person submitting to TheEmbassy of France

Minh Bui – Anh Duong CentreEmail: btminh16@gmail.com

Reporting period March to June 2016

1. Highlights

Domestic violence is a global problem that left much serious consequence for victims, especially women and young girls in rural and remote areas. It still simmering exists daily, cause of many different reasons that they silently endured. Vietnamese society holds men to be the dominants within and outside the household while a woman’s primary area of responsibility centers on housework and childcare. Women experiencing violence choose to hide the fact to present an outwardly happy marriage and to be accepted and respected by the society in which they live. Because there is no occupation and economic dependence on their husbands, many women become less bravery, lack of confidence, they become resigned and accepting domestic violence.

According to statistic of Women Union of Hau Giang, there are 40 to 50 cases of domestic violence yearly. In which the cause is mainly due to the economic pressures, legal awareness, and drunk that lead to violence. Women experiencing violence often sacrifice their own rights and needs for the sake of keeping peace in the family unit, for example women of two poor districts location where Anh Duong works.

Anh Duong appreciates generous supports of the French Embassy to assist us to implement the project “Towards Gender Equality – Raising Disadvantaged Girls Voices and Rights in Hau Giang province”. The project has accomplished to help underprivileged young girls and women are better access rights and voices. In order to achieve the objectives, the project has three expected outcomes and key stakeholders have tackled the critical issues:

- Capacity building: Engaged local actors are teachers, young girl, women who are mentors and village workers will help ensure the project is sustainable.

- Better access rights: Empowered for adolescent girls and less fortunate women to increase voices and rights

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Image: A training session for teachers

- Sustainability: Shared and educated by village workers and advocate relevant stakeholders in closed communed in Long My and Phung Hiep who are absolutely interested in and committed to this approach. It will lead to spread the word to more and more beneficiaries.

The project has been closured on June 17th 2016; Anh Duong has successfully organized the competition on theme “Exploring Gender Equality and Domestic Violence Prevention”. The contest has helped to raise awareness in our program regions about gender equality. To be achieved in its sustainability, the community participation has played a very important role.

2. Main outcome area In the phase 3 of the project, Anh Duong has executed a wide range of activities for instance evaluated the project to compare the results of baseline survey how the project has made a lasting impact. The project has reached marginalized young girls and disadvantaged women to help them better access rights and voices. The project has been an active impact on children, parents, teachers, and communities. The extremely positive impacts can be realized in the following:

Outcome area 1: Increased capacity for facilitators

The participation of key stakeholders is extremely important factors. The first stakeholder is representative of Women Union who plays role between Anh Duong and local women’s clubs. Anh Duong has accomplished the capacity building through training sessions with topics as leadership skill, working group skill, intimate partner violence (IPV) and gender equality and counseling skill for women experience IPV. They have been fully capable to organize a training session to convey and involve in delivering communications for women and men to increase knowledge of the prevention of IPV and the voices and rights raised, life skills, and behavior changed for disadvantage women in our project regions. The communication network has been consolidated to ensure people can stop violence effectively before it occurs.

The second stakeholders is school including local teachers and young girls (mentors). They were trained three topic such as sexual education and reproductive health, life skills training and the prevention of IPV and human trafficking. They helped the project approach the underprivileged young girls whom was given better access rights and voices. The mentors assisted their teachers through training sessions about sexual education and life skills for students of four schools. Schools also organized a workshop in order to help parents have more acknowledge of the project as well as what their children have been educated through project activities.

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“I was very confused when receive invitation to join this women club. However, I decided to participate the club to experience. I am curious about what I learnt from them. I learned how to behave in these circumstances, creating strong links between members of the family. When my neighbor happens in violence, I already know how to motivate family, help victims overcome the crisis. This topic is really compatible and relevant with us”, said woman in Long Tri commune

Image: Training for mentors

The mentors were trained in terms of public speaking skills, sexual education and reproductive health, life skills learning and certain of the prevention of IPV and human trafficking.

Table 1: Developed training of training (ToT) workshops in terms of the capacity building

Training courses #participants

Training for Monitoring skills and methods to choosing facilitators for Anh Duong staff

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Training on life skills for teachers 20

Training on the prevention of IPV + human trafficking for mentors –teachers

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Training on public speaking and leadership skills for mentors 16Training on Sexual education for mentors 12Training on life skills for mentors 16Training on Prevention of intimate partner violence + human trafficking for mentors – students

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Outcome area 2: Raised awareness for students, women, and men to understand the IPV and gender equality

Outcome 2.1: Raised awareness for women and men to understand the prevention of IPV

The project has worked closely with 16 women clubs with 450 participants and 4 schools with 786 students. The question raised for the Ánh Dương and key stakeholder

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“I'm very glad to be selected as the mentor of the project. I think this is a very interesting training and appropriate for my aged. Sexual education and reproductive health are difficult to say in public at school. Life skills are very necessary. I learned a lot from the teachers. I feel strongly than ever before”, said a mentor.

Image: Training for women and men at women club

“To what extend have the project activities adequately accounted for the special needs of vulnerable groups and relevant for local context?

- Is the project locally relevant, preventing IPV in place? After establishment of 16 women clubs, facilitators have delivered trainings to raise awareness of women and men. To date, more than 85% of women still maintain club activities. Initially, many women dared to join the club because of shyness, fear of their husbands were jealous or self-deprecating about her circumstances. Thanks to the encouragement and enthusiasm of facilitators, women boldly participated in club. They have confident to be voiced in the family and know how to protect themselves and children when violence occurs. They persuaded her husband to do business together, thus improving the life, family happiness increased.

The project has organized four workshops with 522 attendees and 98 percent of parents strongly agree that sexual education and life skill are compatible and relevant with their child. They understood that their child was educated useful knowledge. They can also protect themselves against threats. Table 1: Number of parents attending the workshopNo. Workshop for parents Phase #Participant1 Thanh Hoa Secondary School 2 1052 Long Thanh Secondary School 2 1423 Tan Long Secondary School 3 1604 Kinh Cung Secondary School 3 115

Total 522

Roll out training for IPV communication for women and men

Based on knowledge from training sessions for trainers, facilitators have deployed training sessions for 16 clubs in Long My. The project reached 42 meeting sessions with 450 regularly participants.

Women and men are acting as agents of change

Prior executing the project, Anh Duong conducted a baseline survey to measure how targeted groups were aware and understood for instance gender equality: what IPV is and how to prevent IPV. At the end of project period, we evaluated the project how it has been positive impacted to women and men.

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Table 2: Awareness raising of IPV of women and men pre and post participate in the project

Right awareness of IPV Pre (%) Post (%)What is gender? 64.00 67.1

Role of gender 32.97 61.90

Types of IPV 55.56 83.87

Who are victims of IPV 32.18 55.56

Who are service providers 27.17 57.14

Table 2 has given evidence that the project has made significant change to increase knowledge for women and men who are members of 16 clubs. For example, based on the question “Who are service providers”, prior joining the project, there were only 27.17% respondents know who are service providers need to seek help when experience IPV, after benefiting the project 57.14% of respondents know who are service providers. Thus being delivered a wide range of trainings, women and men have increased knowledge and skills in terms of gender equality, IPV and the prevention of IPV, ‘Law on Gender’ and ‘Law on Domestic Violence Prevention and Control’.

Table 3: Respond to IPV of women and men ‘pre and post’ participate in the projectContent Behavior attitude Pre (%) Post (%)

IPV is a private issue Agree 20.51 6.78

Do not agree 73.08 88.14

I do not know 6.41 5.08

Causes of IPV The man’s conception 74.47 84.13

Stimulant: drunk 88.30 95.24

Womanizing 77.66 73.02

Poor awareness of gender issue 61.70 82.54

What should you do? Keep silent and suffer 5.43 3.17

Share for help 94.57 96.83

Whom can you talk about IPV?

Parent 67.02 88.89

Parent in law 61.70 87.30

Friends, neighbors 39.36 49.21

Service providers 67.02 76.19

What should you prepare when violence occurs?

Money 85.11 93.65

Clothes 72.34 85.71

ID 84.04 93.65

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Table 4: Attitude of women and men of IPV pre and post participate the trainingBehavior attitude Pre (%) Post (%)

Can a wife refuse sex when she does not want? 67.57 85.00

Can a wife refuse sex when she is sick? 82.14 90.16

Can a wife refuse sex when her husband drunk? 71.25 88.33

Can a wife refuse sex when her husband had affair? 69.74 90.16

Table 3 and 4 has demonstrated that the project has increased knowledge and practices for women how to prevent IPV. For example, a question raised to respondents ‘Is IPV a private issue?”, so 88.14% interviewees responded that “do not agree with”. Most women now respond that the project has brought useful knowledge; they know clearly their voices and rights in the family. When domestic violence occurs, they know how to cope with. In the worst cases, they can also be arranged through a reliable basis and even though they know who are service providers to seek help.

Outcome 2.2: Raised awareness for students in sexual education and life skills

Students was educated the sexual education and skills

Providing booklets theme “Sexual Education and Life Skills” for students, they also are educated the knowledge about sexual education, reproductive health and life skills. Thus, help students understand how to take care and protect themselves and know how to respond the situation or the impacts to their life. Step by step we observed that students are more confident and bravery in life. Our targeted group is student at 7 th in 4 schools as Long Thanh, Tan Long, Thanh Hoa anh Kinh Cung. The project has organized 114 training sessions for students.

Table 5: Number of turns involved in training students at schoolsNo. Secondary school #training sessions #participants

1 Long Thanh Secondary school 36 977

2 Tan Long Secondary school 42 1,878

3 Thanh Hoa Secondary school 18 549

4 Kinh Cung Secondary school 18 426

Total 114 3830

Students have enjoyed learning with proactive methods. They felt very softly when acquiring new exciting knowledge. Students were encouraged to give personal opinions, to be encouraged to join a group discussion and improved the presentation skills.

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Chart 1: Comparison knowledge of life skills between before and after training

Chart 2: Comparison point of knowledge of life skill between before and after training

Before After Before After Before After Before AfterTan Long Long Thanh Thanh Hoa Kinh Cung

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

Knowledge of life skills

Good Rather Medium Weak

Chart 1 and 2 shows students has increased knowledge about life skills after being benefited the courses. The school has the best results is Thanh Hoa Secondary school where student has very well knowledgeable of life skills.

Students were very excited to absorb the topics including sexual education and reproductive health. They were enthusiastic to participate in promoting topics, answer questions and handle the situation given by the teachers. They have gained basic knowledge about sexual education and reproduction health. Through our impact measurement, the percentage of good and rather students accounting over 50%, especially, Thanh Hoa and Long Thanh secondary schools have nearly 80% of the students quite well. Please see at Chart 3 to get more detail.

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Chart: Comparison knowledge of sexual education and reproductive health between before and after training

Image: Student presented in front of classImage: A training session for students

Here are some photos of students involving in sexual education and life skills classes:

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A student of secondary school said that, “Sexual education and life skills are a very necessary and excited subject. At our teenage, I have very little understanding about sexual knowledge and life skills that necessary for life. We know very limited about it through subjects such as Civics education and Biology. Sometimes I was confused by the change of my friends and myself. Through the class, I felt more confident and boldly”

Image: students work group at open dialogue

Image: Interactive drama at Long My district

Extra-curricular activities and open dialogue

The project has organized nine open dialogues with 1,062 participants. Upon open dialogues, the students have learnt each other for instance exchanges, knowledge shared. Moreover, through extra-curricular activity, the students also reinforce e the knowledge. They were happy and excited to involve in the activities, and discussed on the opened-topics.

Table 6: Number of participants of open dialogue at schoolsNo. Secondary school #sessions #participants1 Long Thanh Secondary school 2 3002 Tan Long Secondary school 2 4303 Thanh Hoa Secondary school 3 1924 Kinh Cung Secondary school 2 140

Total 9 1062

Outcome area 3: Raised awareness for communities in the prevention of IPV and gender equality

Outcome 3.1: Interactive drama approach for women and men

To raise awareness of community in the prevention of IPV and gender equality, Anh Duong and WU organized the contest theme “Explore gender equality and the prevention of domestic violence” for women clubs of Long My district. There are 115 people to join the competition. The contest has aimed at involving direct beneficiaries in awareness raising for the community.

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Image: Scene of an interactive drama of Long Thanh secondary school

As a result, the first prize was given for Thuan An women’s club with 2,000,000 VND; the 2nd prize was given for Vinh Tuong women’s club with 1,500,000 VND; a two of 3rd prize were given for two communes as Long Binh and Tan Phu. Besides, there are some other prizes such as the Encourage Prize, the Movement Prize, the Good Play, and The Good Acting. Total reward costed 10,300,000 VND.

Outcome 3.2 Interactive drama approach for students

In order to evaluate the effectiveness of our activities in four schools, Anh Duong combined with Bureau of Education and Training of Phung Hiep district and four schools organized the drama competition. The contest created an opportunity for students to apply the knowledge of sexual education and reproductive health as well as life skills learnt in actual situation of life. Students of schools have the opportunity to exchange learning, mutual exchanges.

3. Challenges Stakeholder capacity: there are several differences between women's capacity from

hamlet and commune. In addition, most of facilitators hold official responsibilities in WU or hamlet office, so they did not have much time to invest for training sessions. Therefore, the quality of training was ideally as the project expected.

Economic hardship of members in 16 women’s clubs: The monthly meetings of group members were difficult because most of them work as daily labor.

Men participation: Due to the difficult economic conditions, either wife or husband participate a club, who left to go to work. Only the well-off family, both husband and wife engaged. Normally, the majority of women participate in activities of club. Percentage of men participating club is currently 8%.

4. Conclusion Anh Duong would like to thank you so much to Embassy of France to support this program to assist girl child and less fortunate women in Mekong Delta to break the IPV cycle and then bring much more opportunities and empowerments for girl child and women. To date, after

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“I was really excited to attend this competition. In my opinion, every woman should equip herself with basic knowledge about the Law on Prevention of Domestic Violence, Law on Marriage and the Law on Gender Equality. When participating in club activities, we are very excited to be training on this law because it is beneficial for us", said a competitor.

being implemented the project in 12 months Here’re huge positive impacts and number statistics the project at a glance throughout Embassy of France funds:

12 training courses for the capacity building for key stakeholders

Designing training manual for facilitators, booklet for gender equality and the IPV

Distributed 1,600 education book for students, 3,860 books theme IPV

2 legal aids with 438 participants

39 safe houses with the assistance 125 cases who experience IPV.

91 training sessions for 16 clubs with 450 women and men.

4 workshop in 4 school with 522 participants

65 in 450 women were selected to join in the baseline survey 84% women and men of clubs understand what IPV and prevention methods is. 114 training sessions for students with 786 participants.

9 open dialogue session with 1,062 participants.

1 interactive drama for student with 180 participants 1 contest for women of 9 clubs with 115 participants.

Long My, June 30, 2016

Director of Anh Duong Report written

Ho Thi Kim Chuc Bui Thanh Minh

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