The role of local NGOs in promoting the children rights in mountainous regions: Experience from “Nuôi Em” project in Vietnam – a descriptive case study

Abstract

Background & objectiveVietnam has played a significant role in promoting children's rights, becoming the second nation in the world, and the first in Asia, to officially embrace the Convention on the Rights of the Child. This achievement was made possible through collaboration with local non-governmental organizations (NGOs). This study focuses on analyzing lessons learnt from Nuôi Em Project, a representative initiative aimed at promoting children's rights in mountainous regions of Vietnam. MethodsQuantitative data from the Nuôi Em project reports spanning from 2014 to 2022, including the report for the year 2022, was analyzed in combination with qualitative data obtained through in-depth interviews with 03 stakeholders (project managerial boards, and authorities in the target regions of the project). The study identified five key factors contributing to the project's success: (i) Financial sustainability; (ii) Social impact, (iii) Community involvement; (iv) Leadership and management, and (v) Adaptability. ResultsThe Nuôi Em project demonstrated remarkable success in raising funds and providing nutrition support to children in 19 mountainous provinces of Vietnam. Over the course of 9 years, the project provided lunch meals to 60,000 ethnic children in kindergarten, Grade 1, and Grade 2. To ensure sustainability, the project adopted a community-based fundraising approach and established close collaboration with the government to implement project activities. However, the sustainability score is low with the percentage of sustainability 46.7% (28 score/maximum score of 60). ConclusionThe Nuôi Em initiative has emerged as a crucial contributor to the protection and promotion of children's rights in remote mountainous regions, particularly in terms of nutrition and access to clean water. Based on the findings, the study proposes several recommendations for the improvement of the Nuoi Em initiative. Firstly, the project should adopt a social business model by collaborating with parents in developing traditional products from the mountainous regions. Secondly, using the funds which not in use as interest-free loans to local people (parents) with a commitment to repayment within a specified timeframe could enhance the economy sustainability by promoting traditional products. Finally, the initiative should establish itself as a professional non-governmental organization with dedicated personnel, standardized procedures, and strategic planning.