On the morning of June 28, 2019, Vietnam Association for Education for All – VAEFA in collaboration with the Center for Integration Development Studies (RCI) and the Hanoi Deaf Association (HAD) opened the training course. training “Raising awareness about the Right to Reproductive Health and Sexuality for the Deaf in Vietnam” in the guest house of the National Assembly, 27A Tran Hung Dao Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Anh – Director of the Vietnam Association for Education for All – VAEFA said: “We found that the issue of sexual abuse and harassment of Deaf people, especially Deaf women, is extremely serious. I remember in our first meeting with the Deaf community representatives we said that this training must be done from the information we have from the Deaf community. Since 2015, we have submitted proposals to 5 different donors and have been rejected 4 times. The reason given by donors is that the time for reproductive health projects and so many of those projects is long gone. Now there are so many relevant documents, even the Australian government has said that on the embassy’s website there is a lot of material on that issue, there is a lot of information and experts on that field in Vietnam. also a lot. Why propose inviting foreign experts to come? Why not use existing documents? We have explained that although there are so many, the deaf community is too short, and there is a lot of information on the internet but that information cannot be accessed by the deaf. ”. These sharing also show a part of the difficulties facing the deaf community in Vietnam, especially related to the awareness of sexual and reproductive health rights.
Within the framework of the project of the same name by 3 Australian alumni: Ms. Nguyen Thanh Thuy – Director of the Research Center for Inclusion (RCI), Ms. Chu Thi Mai Anh – Master of Disability Policy and Practice, Program Manager, Oxfam Vietnam and Ms. Huynh Thi Ly – Master of Applied Gerontology – Vice Dean – Da Nang University of Medical Technology and Pharmacy funded by the Australian Government through the Australian Alumni Support Fund, training on “Awareness raising on Health Rights Reproduction and Sexuality for the Deaf in Vietnam” will take place from June 28 to the end of July 2, 2019 at the National Assembly Guest House, 27A Tran Hung Dao. The training will equip relevant knowledge and develop videos for the Deaf as well as local sharing plans for more than 20 Deaf trainees from 6 provinces of Vietnam, Hanoi, Nghe An, Hue, Buon Ma Thuot, Da Lat and Ho Chi Minh City. What makes the difference of the training course is the use of all sign language in the learning process as well as the presence and direct teaching of sex and reproductive health specialist who are Deaf from Australia – Ms Linda Therese Warby, with the support of sign language interpreters, Ms. Chevoy Sweeney and Ms. Nguyen Tran Thuy Tien.
The training course promises to bring a lot of useful and practical knowledge to help the deaf community, especially the deaf women in Vietnam, to solve relevant issues.
