HealthBridge Vietnam launches a new health and gender equality project aimed at improving reproductive health of adolescents and preventing child marriage, amid the complicated realities of the COVID-19 pandemic

In April 2020, HealthBridge Vietnam, in collaboration with other members of the Child Rights Working Group, conducted a rapid assessment of the impacts of the COVID-19 response on Ethnic Minority communities in Vietnam’s northern, and very mountainous, Son La province. The mandated physical distancing measures, along with economic hardship and reduced access to education, threaten to culminate in increased incidence of child marriage and early childbearing within already vulnerable Ethnic Minority communities. In response to this situation, HealthBridge Vietnam and the Canadian Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI) have launched a new project aimed at preventing child marriage and early childbearing, as well as ensuring quality health services for pregnant adolescents and their children. This project is undertaken with the financial support of the Embassy of Canada to Vietnam provided through Canada Fund for Local Initiatives.

The overall goal of this project is to contribute to reducing the incidence of child marriage and to support already married children in Ethnic Minority communities in Son La Province. The project will consider the local context, and the primary goal of reducing child marriage will be connected to broader gender, nutrition and health goals.

The expected results include:

• Improved knowledge of the risks and consequences of child marriage amongst young girls and the broader community
• Increased engagement of men and boys on issues of child marriage and maternal and child health
• Increased ability of Ethnic Minority Midwives (EMMs) to provide counseling on adolescent reproductive health, safe motherhood, and nutrition for newborns & children.

HealthBridge will collaborate with local partners to train EMMs in the target communities to equip them with the necessary skills to deliver counseling on adolescent reproductive health, safe motherhood, and nutrition for adolescents. This project addresses child marriage and issues associated with this practice, including lack of knowledge of reproductive health. This project will also seek to provide support to young couples who are already married and expecting a child to ensure that the mother receives adequate antenatal care, gives birth in a safe environment and has knowledge of newborn care and nutrition. Men and families will be informed and involved to garner broader community support. Intervention materials will be delivered in the local ethnic languages.

Starting in September 2020, the project is expected to reach Ethnic Minority adolescent boys and girls in the hard to reach areas of Son La province; additional beneficiaries include EMMs and the broader community.