Special needs children

While urbanisation rapidly spreads in Son Tra district, children from poor families continue to struggle to meet their basic needs. Almost one in five people live on less than US$2 per day and there are gaps in the areas of housing, transportation and education.

As the area develops, there is an increase in hotels and tourism. But locals are ill-equipped for this change as they lack formal education and technical skills. As a result, they have challenges gaining employment and providing for their children’s basic needs.

The district has the highest rate of stunting in the city, with 18.5% of children under the age of five being affected. Diarrhoea, acute respiratory infections, dengue and pneumonia are common diseases among children between 0-14 years old as poor families cannot afford proper healthcare from qualified practitioners.

Parents of poor families spend almost all their time struggling to make a living. As a result, their children are neglected and lack care, guidance and supervision.

In light of these needs, World Vision started the implementation of Son Tra AP in 2015. Through consultation and cooperation with community representatives and the local government, the project aims to improve the well-being of children.

World Vision has been working in the area since 1975 in various capacities. In 2009, South Hebron was identified as having the most vulnerable communities in the West Bank. An AP was launched there with the goal of contributing to the well-being of children in the areas of health, education and protection to enable them to overcome the severe challenges they face. There are two main groups in the population: village dwellers and the Bedouins, who live semi-nomadic life.

The unstable situation in the West Bank directly impacts agricultural productivity and livelihood opportunities. Land is of utmost importance to livelihood in the West Bank as community members are primarily herdsmen.

The lack of water is another huge challenge. Community members are unable to drill wells or build cisterns to catch rainwater without government permits.

In terms of health, 21% of children under five are anaemic, while almost 1 in 10 children under two are stunted. 33% of households are food insecure, with another 11% at risk of food insecurity.

One significant issue in the AP is the illiteracy rate, which stands at 15%. In comparison, the national average is 4.1%.

While urbanisation rapidly spreads in Son Tra district, children from poor families continue to struggle to meet their basic needs. Almost one in five people live on less than US$2 per day and there are gaps in the areas of housing, transportation and education.

As the area develops, there is an increase in hotels and tourism. But locals are ill-equipped for this change as they lack formal education and technical skills. As a result, they have challenges gaining employment and providing for their children’s basic needs.

The district has the highest rate of stunting in the city, with 18.5% of children under the age of five being affected. Diarrhoea, acute respiratory infections, dengue and pneumonia are common diseases among children between 0-14 years old as poor families cannot afford proper healthcare from qualified practitioners.

Parents of poor families spend almost all their time struggling to make a living. As a result, their children are neglected and lack care, guidance and supervision.

In light of these needs, World Vision started the implementation of Son Tra AP in 2015. Through consultation and cooperation with community representatives and the local government, the project aims to improve the well-being of children.

Sambour, Cambodia, is located in Kratie province, northeast of the country. The majority of the population in Sambour rely on farming, but as the district is prone to high occurrences of floods and droughts, livelihoods are often affected when crops are destroyed as a result. Children also suffer from domestic violence, abuse and neglect due to the lack of awareness among parents. While attaining an education is also a challenge for children due to the community's location, poor school infrastructure and lack of quality education. 

World Vision started an AP in 2014 after a thorough assessment of Ende in 2012. Measured against standard indicators of economic development needs, Ende emerged as an area where the vulnerability of children needed to be urgently addressed. 

In Ende, traditional attitudes towards children are harsh and unsympathetic. They are viewed as free labour and are often denied their right to study so that they can work to supplement the family income. Cases of physical and sexual abuse are not taken seriously and are unreported or left unsolved, affecting and scarring children emotionally and mentally. 

In terms of healthcare concerns, the main issues that compromise the health of children are the lack of access to clean water, the prevalence of unhygienic behaviours and poor sanitation systems. Approximately 40% of the community practices open defecation as there are no proper toilets. 

Also, Ende's economic development falls behind national statistics. Their main source of income is agriculture but the productivity of existing farming methods is low due to a lack of understanding, poor management, pests and diseases. 

World Vision began an assessment study in Musosolokwe in July 2009. It was found that the target area was hampered by insufficient health facilities, ill-equipped schools and a lack of food security. Children had to walk long distances to reach medical centres that were inadequately stocked, schools lacked necessary items like desks and learning materials and food was not available all year round. Recognising these needs, the Musosolokwe AP began its initiatives in April 2010.

The harsh landscape in Musosolokwe deprives children of a fair chance at education. Children have to cover over 25 km to reach one of three schools in the area. Flooding also destroys roads and flood waters can wash away and drown children.

In addition, there is a high rate of malaria, diarrhoea and malnutrition among children. This leads to high mortality and stunted growth in children, which further perpetuates poverty in Musosolokwe.

Also, over 40% of children have only one meal a day due to poor crop harvest as a result of bad weather conditions and poor farming methods. Alternative sources of income are hard to come by, and natural resources in Musosolokwe are slowly being exploited by the community to earn more income.

In Mpalo, children and families have limited to no access to clean water, quality education, healthcare, proper nutrition and child protection.

In Mpalo, children and families have limited to no access to clean water, quality education, healthcare, proper nutrition and child protection.

In Mpalo, children and families have limited to no access to clean water, quality education, healthcare, proper nutrition and child protection.

In Mpalo, children and families have limited to no access to clean water, quality education, healthcare, proper nutrition and child protection.

In Funyula, 64% of the population lives in absolute poverty and children are also at severe risk of abuse and exploitation from negligence, inadequate protection and education. 

While urbanisation rapidly spreads in Son Tra district, children from poor families continue to struggle to meet their basic needs. Almost one in five people live on less than US$2 per day and there are gaps in the areas of housing, transportation and education.

As the area develops, there is an increase in hotels and tourism. But locals are ill-equipped for this change as they lack formal education and technical skills. As a result, they have challenges gaining employment and providing for their children’s basic needs.

The district has the highest rate of stunting in the city, with 18.5% of children under the age of five being affected. Diarrhoea, acute respiratory infections, dengue and pneumonia are common diseases among children between 0-14 years old as poor families cannot afford proper healthcare from qualified practitioners.

Parents of poor families spend almost all their time struggling to make a living. As a result, their children are neglected and lack care, guidance and supervision.

In light of these needs, World Vision started the implementation of Son Tra AP in 2015. Through consultation and cooperation with community representatives and the local government, the project aims to improve the well-being of children.

In Funyula, 64% of the population lives in absolute poverty and children are also at severe risk of abuse and exploitation from negligence, inadequate protection and education. 

While urbanisation rapidly spreads in Son Tra district, children from poor families continue to struggle to meet their basic needs. Almost one in five people live on less than US$2 per day and there are gaps in the areas of housing, transportation and education.

As the area develops, there is an increase in hotels and tourism. But locals are ill-equipped for this change as they lack formal education and technical skills. As a result, they have challenges gaining employment and providing for their children’s basic needs.

The district has the highest rate of stunting in the city, with 18.5% of children under the age of five being affected. Diarrhoea, acute respiratory infections, dengue and pneumonia are common diseases among children between 0-14 years old as poor families cannot afford proper healthcare from qualified practitioners.

Parents of poor families spend almost all their time struggling to make a living. As a result, their children are neglected and lack care, guidance and supervision.

In light of these needs, World Vision started the implementation of Son Tra AP in 2015. Through consultation and cooperation with community representatives and the local government, the project aims to improve the well-being of children.