Hope in Class – Ending Violence against Children at School

The Hope in Class project aimed to raise awareness and call for the community’s engagement in building a healthy, safe and loving environment for all children, especially the most vulnerable children. Source: World Vision Vietnam

After two years of implementation, World Vision Vietnam recently wrapped up the joint effort – the “Hope in Class” project.

Among participants of the event were leaders and representatives from national Government agencies, local partners and beneficiaries of the project, including the Department of Foreign Affairs of Thanh Hoa province, the Department of Labor, Trade and Social Affairs of Thanh Hoa province and Hai Phong city, the People’s Committees of Lang Chanh, Ba Thuoc and Thuong Xuan districts, along with principal and vice principals of 20 target schools and student delegates from Thuong Xuan district.

After nearly three years of implementation (April 2020 – September 2022), the Orion Food Vina-funded Hope in Class had provided training in important life values and soft skills for more than 10,000 children in Thanh Hoa province and Hai Phong city – the project’s two target areas, with the aim to help them deal with violence issues through a safe and loving classroom environment.

Speaking at the event, Vu Ngoc Duong, deputy director of Thanh Hoa province ‘s Department of Foreign Affairs, appreciated the implementation of this project in Thanh Hoa province. He hopes that the ‘Hope in Class’ project will help improve the children’s important life skills, as well as create a safe and loving environment at school.

He suggested World Vision Vietnam strengthen cooperation with local partners to replicate this initiative in the province.

With an energetic and creative approach, the “Hope in Class” project received strong support from millions of students, parents and caregivers across the country by reaching the public through various media activities, such as the Hope in Class national dance competition and the online workshop series on “Ending Violence against children at school” in 2021 and 2022.

“The project’s dance brought us many fun and meaningful class meetings, just like its name. When our class danced together, I was so inspired, and we all saw how much the Project lived up to its name. When I danced with my classmates, I was so inspired, and it was very nice to see how close we got together. I really hope that we will get to join more fun activities like this in the future,” shared Thuong, a student of Dien Thuong Secondary School in Ba Thuoc district, Thanh Hoa province.

Through initiatives to support regular and annual school and student club activities, the Project contributed to building a safe, reliable environment that nurtures children’s sense of unity and love for one another with the guidance of their teachers. Thanks to these extra-curricular activities, students and their teachers get to spend more quality time together, building trustful and close bonds between them.

“My school is right on a broad and straight street with two magnificent, straight rows of nacre trees. This is where our teachers and students have fun and get along at the project’s activities. From the project’s activities, I had the chance to learn to enrich our life values, improve soft skills and prevent school violence through practical examples and case studies”, Thoa, a student from Giao An Secondary School, Lang Chanh district, Thanh Hoa province, recalled.

An online seminar, part of the “Hope in Class” project, has been held to discuss the topic of violence at school. Photo: World Vision Vietnam

Along with the project’s interventions aimed at target groups, World Vision Vietnam had also standardized and compiled booklets and materials on child rearing which focused on building children’s soft skills and values to better assist parents/caregivers and teachers to accompany and guide their children.

“With the project’s mission and vision, we look forward to receiving support and contributions from sponsors, policymakers, along with domestic and foreign corporates in creating a bright and peaceful future for all children – the future of our country”, said Dr. Than Thi Ha, operations director, World Vision Vietnam.

“When children live in a loving and healthy environment, both at home and at school, they will grow up to become well-rounded individuals who are equipped and prepared to conquer opportunities and reach their full potential, thereby becoming agents of positive changes in their communities”, Yeo Sung Il, deputy director of Orion Vina Food, emphasized at the project’s closing ceremony.

As part of World Vision’s five-year Global Initiative on “Ending Physical Violence against Children at Home and School,” implemented in Vietnam in 2017, the “Hope in Class” project aimed to raise awareness and call for the community’s engagement in building a healthy, safe and loving environment for all children, especially the most vulnerable children.