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News
and Events
Special End of Year Edition July – December, 2005
A QUARTERLY E-NEWSLETTER FROM CHURCH WORLD SERVICE VIETNAM
PROGRAM NEWS
SED funded Integrated Development project in Muong Te District underway
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CWS has initiated the new Integrated Development project in
Muong Te district, Lai Chau province. Muong Te District is
located in the far north west of Vietnam and is one of the
poorest areas of the country, with over 97% of the population
ethnic minority people. The CWS project entitled “Education and
Health Support in Muong Te, Lai Chau” has a budget of over
$300,000 and is fully funded by the CWS Social and Economic
Development unit (SED). There will be 4 main project components:
school improvements, health clinic improvements, water supply
and sanitation, and capacity building of partners. Over 45,000
people will benefit from this project, which is set to start in
December 2005. |
Successful completion of USDA supported Bac
Lieu Education Project
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The 3-year education support project funded by USDA in Bac Lieu
province has officially come to an end. In total, 87 schools
received support in building repairs, teacher training, teaching
supplies, library improvements, and school water supply and
sanitation. Highlights include 72 classrooms repaired, 22
latrine systems built, 42 drinking water systems installed, and
834 new desks purchased. Over 54,654 students and 2,644 teachers
benefited from the activities. At the end of the project, the
CWS local partners expressed positive feedback and attributed
the project’s success to the close coordination and support from
the CWS project team |
Song Cong and Pho Yen Education Projects begin
Phase 2
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Song Cong and Pho Yen Districts
The Education Support Project in Song Cong and Pho Yen
Districts, Thai Nguyen province, will enter Phase 2 in 2006. In
the first phase, 30 schools were targeted for classroom repairs,
upgrading of equipment, and installation of water supply and
latrines. Teacher training was also a focal point giving
teachers the opportunity to build their skills in music, art,
and physical education subjects. Despite noticeable
improvements, the Districts report a continued need to raise the
quality of education, especially among junior secondary schools.
Phase 2 of the project will begin in January and last
approximately 12 months. The Education Support Project in Song
Cong and Pho Yen Districts is supported by USDA. |
Women’s Union College Complete Training for Ethnic Minority Women
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In 2005, the Hanoi Women’s Union College organized several
training courses for ethnic minority women leaders. The
trainings, supported by CWS, included modules on women’s rights,
family roles, community conflict resolution, and women’s and
children’s health. Over 180 ethnic women participated in the 4
training courses given throughout the year. CWS also supported
the production of a training manual entitled ““Knowledge and
Skills for Social Workers”, and 2000 copies were distributed to
women in rural mountainous areas. CWS will continue to support
the College in 2006, with additional training courses planned
and the translation of the training manual into several ethnic
minority languages. |
WORKSHOPS AND
SPECIAL EVENTS
Visit from Rose C Stone Foundation Representative
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In November,
Mr. Brian McLeran from the Rose C Stone Foundation visited CWS
Vietnam. The purpose was to meet with the Dai Du District
officials to discuss the proposed Dai Tu District Education
Project. This mountainous district is about 3 hours from Hanoi
and is largely populated by ethnic minority families. Students
study in overcrowded classrooms with poorly trained teachers.
The Rose C Stone Foundation is interested in supporting the
district to improve the quality of education services. The
proposed project is set to begin early in 2006. |
CWS Vietnam Representative participates in Rutland Crop Walk
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Joanne Fairley, CWS Vietnam Representative, participated in the
Rutland, MA, CROP WALK on October 16. This year, the event was
dedicated to the 40th anniversary of Devereux School
in Rutland in honor of the schools continued support to the
walk. Devereux students designed this year’s theme and logo,
which read “Together we can take the steps to change the world”.
The Rutland Community raised $17,700 from the day’s events,
which is a record. Joanne expressed special thanks for the warm
welcome she received by the Rutland community and the wonderful
commitment and dedication of the walk’s organizers. |
Children from Ba Vi Ethnic Boarding School enjoy South
Africa music
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In
September, 70 students and 10 teachers of Ba Vi Ethnic Minority
Boarding School attended a performance of traditional South
African music in Hanoi. The performance, entitled “Isintu Sa
Bantu”, was organized by the South Africa Embassy to celebrate
South African National Day. The students enjoyed watching and
learning break dancing and South Africa traditional drums. It
seemed that there was no difference in culture and language as
everyone bonded through music and friendship |
ERP sponsors cross program visit and Security Training in Kenya for CWS
Vietnam staff
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Five CWS Vietnam staff had the opportunity to visit the CWS East
Africa office from 13 to 28 August 2005. The purpose of the trip
was to participate in the CWS Security Training and to visit CWS
projects in Kenya. The Vietnam staff reported that the Security
Training was well organized with lively lectures. They then
visited the Kadjiado, Narok, Nakuru, and West Pokot Water
Projects, and the Safe School project in Nairobi. The cross
program visit was highly appreciated as it gave CWS staff in
different country/regional offices the opportunity to share
program experiences and learn from each other. |
STAFF UPDATE
Training Courses
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In July 2005, the CWS Vietnam staff
attended a training on conflict resolution organized by the
Mennonite Central Committee. The staff learned the basics in
identifying conflict, learning how different people deal with
conflict, and essential skills such as active listening. All staff
enjoyed this opportunity and commented that it is useful not only
for the working environment, but also in family life. CWS Vietnam
staff also participated in various other training courses during
this period, including Internal Auditing, Supervision, and English
language. |
Office expansion
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During August and September, CWS
Vietnam expanded our office space to twice its original size. After
our tenants moved out, we were able to redesign our building to suit
our expanding needs. The staff worked with an architect, builders,
and a feng shui consultant to make the best use of the available
space. Walls were knocked down, plumbing upgraded, and a new kitchen
installed. We celebrated the opening of our new office with INGO
colleagues on October 28. Everyone is really happy with the results! |
Staff comings and goings
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CWS Vietnam is pleased to
announce three new additions to our staff. Mr. Ha joined as a Project
Assistant for Muong Te, Ms. Mai joined as the Executive
Assistant/Translator, and Mr. Gareth, from Ireland, joined as a part
time volunteer. We were also sorry to say goodbye to Ms. Tam, Water
Supply and Sanitation Specialist, and Ms. Hang, Office Assistant. Both
have moved on to “bigger and better” things. |
Staff Greetings
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The CWS Vietnam staff would like to wish all our
friends all over the world a very happy and healthy holiday season. Best
wishes from Hanoi, Vietnam!
If you would like to obtain more information about
CWS Vietnam, please visit our website at
http://www.cws.org.vn/html/home.htm
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