Key Challenges for children in Vietnam
- Air pollution is the most critical environmental challenge and causes high mortality rates.
- Lack of clean water leaves children and families at risk for disease.
- Rural communities depend on agriculture, but often grow unprofitable crops like rice and maize.
- Natural disasters affect the most disadvantaged regions, and easily destroy the already poor infrastructure.
How your support is helping children like Lan*
Lan* faces immense pressure from her family to be more “like a girl.” She’s constantly told she should grow out her hair and wear more dresses. She doesn’t think she should have to change who she is. And, she doesn’t think that’s what it should mean to be a girl. “I keep hearing, ‘a girl should act like this’ or ‘a girl should act like that,’” Lan says. “But I am a girl, and I’m different. I like to be outside and play sports, and people always tell me I’m a boy.”
Lan is one of 700 Youth Team Leaders in her school, who raise awareness about bullying and discrimination. The youth club is a part of a Plan International program that works to address the root causes of gender inequality and ensure schools are safe. “Now, in the club, I feel more encouraged to be myself,” Lan says. “I want to become the strongest version of myself.”
*Name has been changed to protect the identity of the individual