The Preventing child marriage and addressing early pregnancy in Ethnic Minority communities of Son La Province, Vietnam project works with local partenrs in Thuan Chau and Yen Chau Districts of Son La Province, which are in mountainous and difficult-to-reach areas and are home to primarily Ethnic Minority people.

The overall goal of the project is to reduce the incidence of child marriage and support adolscents and children in ethnic minority communities of Son La Province, who are married, at risk of becoming married, are pregnant, and/or have newborn(s). The project considers the local context and the primary goal of reducing child marriage is connected to broader gender equality, nutrition and health goals.

Together with our partners, we address the root casues of child marriage through reproductive and gender equality education and knowledge buidling. We strengthen the existing health system by training, empowering and working with Ethnic Minority Midwives (EMMs) and Female Village Health Workers (VHWs), who provide support and care to adolscents and adolscent couples. EMMs and VHWs ensure that mothers receive adequate antenatal care, mothers have access to a safe birth environment, and advise mothers and families about newborn care and nutrition.

Our partners host engaging community-wide events, where adolscents, families and other community members participate in interactive and educational activities about adolscent reproductive health and gender equality.

• Enhanced adolescent reproductive health knowledge and skills among 54 ethnic minority midwives (EMMs)
• Enhanced adolescent reproductive health and gender equality education knowledge and skills among 60 adolescents and 18 teachers (for peer-education)
• Registration of all newborns from adolscents and young people in the project area
• Enhanced knowledge of contraceptive methods, safe motherhood and nutrition for young children among adolescent couples in the project area
• Enhanced knowledge of the consequences of child marriage and early pregnancy, gender equality, and reproductive health among community adolescents in the project area
• Enhanced awareness of the consequences of child marriage and knowledge of gender equality among community members, including parents, men and boys in the project area
• Enhanced knowledge of maternal and child health among adolescent couples and family members in the
  project area.