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On August 29^th 2017, MCNV collaborated with the Village Health Workers’ Association of Quang Tri Province and the Youth Union of Huong Hoa District to organize a kickoff workshop for MCNV’s new project “Supporting Ethnic Minority Adolescent Girls”. Participating in the event were representatives of the Provincial Health Department, Provincial Sexual and Reproductive Health Centre, Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs and the authority and relevant parties of the district, including People’s Committee, Health Department, Health Centre, Centre for Population and Family Planning, Department of Training and Education, Department of Labour, Invalid and Social Affairs, Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Women’s Union and Youth Union, as well as international non-governmental organisations Plan and World Vision.

An assessment carried out by MCNV in collaboration with the Provincial Sexual and Reproductive Health Centre in the first half of 2017 has shown that ethnic minority adolescent girls in Huong Hoa are facing serious health, education and social problems. To evidence, in 2016 in Huong Hoa there were 301 girls out of totally 483 cases who became pregnant at adolescence (counted for 62.3% of the total number of pregnant adolescent girls in the province), 120 cases of child marriage, and 30% of adolescent girls under 15 years old and 50% under 16 started having sex. The ethnic minority adolescent girls lack knowledge and skills in SRHR, face difficulties in accessing quality health and education services, and are affected by local cultural customs and limited awareness of the community.

In 2017 and 2018, the project will be implemented in 6 communes in the border area Vietnam – Laos, including Huong Lap, Huong Phung, Huong Viet, Lao Bao, Tan Long and Tan Thanh. The project’s general objective is to reduce the rates of unwanted pregnancy and child marriage among adolescent girls. Key interventions will focus on (i) building capacity and creating opportunity for personal development for adolescent girls; (ii) improving the access to health, education and social services for adolescent girls; (iii) raising the local authority’s and people’s awareness about the issues related to adolescent girls. A wide range of activities have been planned, including a social marketing campaign for behaviour change communication, setting up clubs and groups of adolescent girls, checking up and counselling on SRH, providing scholarships and vocational trainings for disadvantaged adolescent girls, and improving SRH knowledge and skills for adolescent girls, thus contributing to ending unwanted pregnancy and child marriage among adolescent girls.

*Photo: Ms. Phan Thi Lien, Chair of the Village Health Association, Quang Tri province, was presenting the image and symbol of the project named Mun Arai.

Perth welcomed us in a very early cold of its mid-winter. Our flights was landed at 2h30 in the morning after a long nearly 13 hour-flight and transferred at Kuala Lumpur airport.

Gotten in a cab, four of us (Ms. Cam Hung- Head of Rehab Department, Hai Duong Medical Technical University (HMTU), Ms. Thanh Van – Head of PhysioTherapy Department, University of Medicine and Pharmacy (UMP-HCMC), Dr. Pham Dung – Country Director of MCNV in Vietnam and my self–as Coordinator of OT Education Program) were shivering with sleepy eyes in that small space which operated by electronic and broke through the quiet and velvet night to the hotel.

A bit exciting to head up to the 27^th Occupational Therapy Australia Conference in the upcoming days.

Such a privilege to us – a delegation from Vietnam to attend the 27^th OT Australia Conference which was held from July 18^th-21^st in Perth, Western Australia.

The first day in Perth was Education Day and hosted by Curtin University – one of the leading in OT training courses in Australia as well as in the world. Lots of experience and sharing from universities (Curtin University, Swinburne University, James Cook University, University of South Australia, Charles Sturt University, Deakin University, Griffith University, Australia Catholic University, University of Sydney, La Trobe University, University of Queensland, Monash University…)  who are providing OT education exchanged openly with different topics such as Contextualizing the cultural competency journey of OT, Innovations in project management practice education for student professional development through high quality, strategic and inter-professional opportunities… The two lecturers from HMTU and UMP-HCMC had excited opportunities to discussed innovations in OT education with colleagues from other universities. These discussed topics were valuable and useful directly for the OT Education Development in Vietnam which is undertaken by HMTU and UMP with support from MCNV and granted by USAID from 2015-2020.

Discussed topics were:

• Innovation in establishing and maintaining partnerships in practice education
• Innovation in preparing and debriefing students
• Innovation in preparing and debriefing supervisors for students practice education
• Innovation in innovation in assessment
• Innovation in international practice education opportunities
• Innovation in sourcing funds for practice education
• Innovation in non-traditional and/or role-emerging practice education
• Innovation in simulation

Vietnam delegation at the Education Day hosted by Curtin University.

Photo credit: MCNV

A strong sense of confidence about what we are doing in Vietnam grows among us!

And the second day in Perth but first day of the OT conference was  fulfilled with emotions and pride by very inspired, short and sweet speeches from policy makers, OT practitioner and especially a client who had received OT services after surviving from a bomb suicide in London years ago. More impressive was the rhythm of welcoming to country – traditional custodians of the land sang by an Aboriginal man. So warm and proud.

Opening Session of the 27^th OT Australia Conference, Perth city

Photo credit: MCNV

Running from session to session, presentation to presentation, question to answer in such a busiest scientific program from July 19^th – 21^st, we ran back and forth as shuttles just wanted to learn as much as we can from researchers, practitioners, educators, policy makers, consumers/service-users, managers and students. All is about OT. “The conference was a great opportunity to explore new directions, to learn about enhancements to practice and to participate in discussions about our professional development” Ms. Hung/HMTU said.

Fondly imagined that tea-break times could bring us some air, but meetings and non-stop conversations about OT with colleagues from over the world. That was the times we could visit and view exhibitor areas of practice. Engaged with the exhibition and met with exhibitors and learned about new products and all available assistive devices were exhibited, a pained question hit heart and brain “when Vietnamese people could access to and have these assistive devices in OT services?” We wished could bring them all home. However, ideas for the ADL labs at HMTU and UMP bloomed.

Ms. Cam Hung from HMTU was exchange with a delegate from the USA.

Photo credit: MCNV

A short visit to the department of Occupational Therapy and Social Work, Curtin University brought us an overview about OT training program – simulation-based education and the OT lab at the university.

Images taken from the visit to the Department of OT and Social Work, Curtin University

Photo credit: MCNV

To end this note, as the President of OT Australia, Peter Bothams spoke in his opening “The theme Partnership, Inclusion and Innovation has never been more apt than now. We are a diverse professional community, and this is one of our strengths as we increasingly find ourselves working in changing dynamic environments where our roles evolve and flex to suit emerging needs, with many occupational therapists pioneering paths for the profession.”

YES – WE – MCNV – proudly stand among pioneers for OT profession in Vietnam!

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By Tran Quynh Trang – MCNV Program Coordinator

On August 28, 2017, in collaboration with the Vietnam Rehabilitation Association (VINAREHA), MCNV organized the first OT networking workshop in Danang city with the participation of more than 65 OT practitioners and students from across the country and especially OT colleagues from Australia, Japan, UK and USA.

This workshop was an activity under the OT education development program in Vietnam – a component of the “Advancing Medical Care and Rehabilitation Education” project, and undertaken in collaboration between MCNV and Handicap International (HI) and granted by USAID from 2015 to 2020.

Considering as the first OT workshop in Vietnam, it aimed to kick-off the networking of OT professionals as well as create a platform where Occupational therapists can exchange experience in practice and research.

We do hope in the future, more OT conferences and workshops will be organized to bring more exchange opportunities to all OT practitioners in Vietnam.

Some photos from the workshop.

On July 7 2017, MCNV Central Vietnam and the Phu Yen Department of Health organized the project launching workshop on Accessing the Malnutrition Prevention for Children at Ages under 5 based on Agriculture Solutions in the Mountainous in Phu Yen province, period 2017 – 2020 (the NSA project). More than 30 participants taking part in the workshop were members of the Provincial/District People’s Committee, Departments of Health, and other Departments of Education, Agriculture and Rural Development, as well as members of the Women’s Union at different levels. The workshop was organized to: i) share experience among community-based malnutrition prevention projects which were conducted by MCNV; ii) introduce the approach of Nutrition Improvement based on agricultural solutions, and present the cooperation on malnutrition prevention between MCNV and Phu Yen, period 2017 – 2020. The project is divided into three phases: i) Research between July 2017 and June 2018; ii) Pilot Intervention from July 2018 to December 2019; and iii) Evaluation, Conclusion and Duplication of the Model in 2020.

Mr. Do Quang Trung – Deputy Director of the Health Centre of Dong Xuan was presenting project activities

The workshop agreed on the implementation of the retrospective research at two communes, Xuan Lanh and Xuan Quang 2, where MCNV were supporting community-based malnutrition prevention projects, to compare with two communes Xuan Quang 1 and Phu Mo to find suitable interventions to duplicate the model to mountainous communes in Phu Yen, not only at Dong Xuan but also at Son Hoa and Song Hinh.

Mr. Nguyen Huu Tu – Vice President of the Dong Xuan People’s Committee was sharing his ideas in the workshop

After the workshop, the Phu Yen Department of Health would support to conduct research studies at provincial level. Researchers are members of the Department of Health, Department of Education, Women’s Union, Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and Department of Planning and Investment. These entities will cooperate with MCNV to carry out project activities.

Participants in the workshop

14^th April 2017, in collaboration with Hai Duong Medical and Technical University (HMTU), MCNV organized a workshop on introduction of Occupational Therapy (OT) Training Program for Bachelor level.

The workshop aims to increase general understanding about OT in contribution to quality of rehabilitation; to present and update progress of the OT education development project; and to introduce the pre-service training course of Bachelor of Rehabilitation specialized in OT at HMTU

80 physiotherapists and professors of rehabilitation profession from Ministry of Health (MOH), general hospitals, rehabilitation centers of Northern provinces, representatives from Ministry of Educational and Training (MOET), USAID and HI and especially lecturers and student of HMTU attended the workshop. All participants expected the BOT training program will be expressed broadly and recruit qualified students. The BOT training program at HMTU will be started this November. The same BOT course was kicked off already at the sister university of Medicine and Pharmacy in HCMC in March 2017.