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Port of Call |
LAST UPDATE March 12, 2008
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| January 19, 2008 |
Da Nang, Viet Nam – A Brighter Future for the Street Children of Da Nang |
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| Preparing to hand over the UPA stationery and school supplies |
A misty and tropical Da Nang welcomed the Peace Boat early in the morning on January 19. During their time in port, a group of participants from the Peace Boat visited the Street Children Center of Da Nang. Their objective was to investigate the condition of street children in Viet Nam, a country that despite rapid economic development in recent years suffers from a widening gap in the distribution of wealth. Additionally, participants got to know these children on a personal level, and enjoyed a day of exchange together. Peace Boat brought 80 large bags of stationery, writing utensils and other school supplies to the Street Children Center, collected in Japan before departure through the Peace Boat’s United People’s Alliance (UPA) project. |
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| Participants and children spent the morning playing together. |
The Street Children Center of Da Nang “helps displaced children and street children, providing them with food, clothing, housing, education, health care, and employment skills so they can mature into responsible adults.” Most of the children at the center are between the ages of five and thirteen. Many come from broken families, have experienced domestic violence, or live and work on the streets to supplement the family income. Other children lost their parents to disease caused by the lingering effects of chemical weapons such as Agent Orange, used by the United States during the Viet Nam War. However, while many of the children in the Center have lived through truly unfortunate experiences, Peace Boat participants were happy to find that children at the center were playful and full of laughter, now living happier and healthier lifestyles thanks to the Street Children Center. |
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| Children at the center learn a trade to help them find work after graduation from the programme at the age of 18. |
The Da Nang Street Children Programme, an NGO established in 1991, has seven centers throughout the city of Da Nang. Five of these provide safe housing and schooling to a total of about 150 children, while others are vocational schools, teaching children technical skills that they can use to find work after completion of the programme. Upon graduation, girls often seek employment in the tailoring industry or as teachers at the Street Children Center. Boys are more likely to look for jobs in the fields of carpentry, construction and information technology. The Street Children Programme also runs special health care programmes for all of their children, and has a special HIV/AIDS programme to provide both education and treatment. |
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Waka Harada, a Peace Boat participant, was surprised to find the children so cheerful and energetic, and hopes for a world in which children can continue to keep smiling. |
During the morning, participants on the tour visited a school at which students learn trade skills such as sewing, embroidery and tailoring. Students and Peace Boat participants exchanged greetings, bashful smiles, and laughter, and Peace Boat delivered the school supplies gathered through UPA. Participants then broke up into smaller groups and visited some of the centers in which students live. Everyone enjoyed an active day of sharing greetings in Vietnamese and Japanese, practicing brush calligraphy, folding origami, playing catch, and taking pictures together. |
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| Everyone shared a meal together, prepared by the teachers at the Street Children Center. |
The success of the Street Children Programme is made evident by the carefree smiles and laughter that the children shared with participants throughout the day. Meanwhile, programmes to help children reintegrate into the community and reunite with family or relatives promise a brighter future for many of the street children in Da Nang. In some cases, reintegration into their families is impossible or unsafe, and in these situations the Street Children Center provides directional and financial assistance to help graduates of the programme to begin new lives. |
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Many participants were surprised at how small the children were for their age, caused partially by a lack of proper nourishment before entering the programme. This boy is 11 years old. |
To date, the Street Children Programme in Da Nang has helped over 700 disadvantaged children in the 15 years since its establishment. However, a 2003 survey estimated the number of children living on the streets in Viet Nam to be around 19,000 - indicating that many children continue to live in unsafe environments, deprived of basic human rights and the necessities to live a full life. However, with cooperation from organizations like Peace Boat, the Street Children Center of Da Nang and similar programmes can continue to reach out to help children on a local level.
To learn more about becoming a sponsor, contact the Da Nang Street Children Programme at: scpdn@dng.vnn.vn
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