CHILDREN ARE NOT BRIDES
This program is now closed.
Thank you to our community of donors who supported this program from July 1st 2021 - December 31st 2022.
Preventing early marriage in Vietnam
In Vietnam, poverty and culture play a crucial part in pushing young girls and boys into marriage.
Marrying girls off is sometimes seen as a solution to reduce living costs, or as the only option to "guarantee a future" for them.
In places like Quang Binh, Vietnam, reproductive education is limited, and if a girl gets pregnant, she has no other option but to marry, no matter how old she is.
Good Neighbors Canada ran the Children Are Not Brides program in 2022 to educate communities - both children and adults - to reduce the risk of early marriage.
What early marriage means for girls
From early pregnancy complications to unsafe abortions, the impact on girls is much higher.
Lack of maturity to make informed decisions, and marriage to older men are also factors that contribute to domestic violence.
These situations prevent girls from completing their education, which perpetuates a cycle of gender inequality.
Girls end up isolated, without direction, and far from achieving their true potential.
Watch Sin Thi Lien's story to understand a bit more
Our intervention
Early marriage in the region of Quang Binh was double the national rate. Thus, Good Neighbors Canada made sure the following took place in the community:
- Prevention starts with education.
We provided raining for teachers to implement a new sexual and reproductive health curriculum in schools. Without formal instruction, early marriage would continue to happen.
- Awareness of children's rights.
Youth were directly involved in creating campaigns and spreading the word to their peers. In 2021, we had 84 participants brainstorm ideas to teach the community: 3 projects were selected to be implemented in their schools.
Real improvements
- Health care and counseling.
Two health care rooms were renovated to support the community. Hundreds people already benefited from health checks and pregnant girls started receiving prenatal care, supplements, nutrition, and medication.
- Book distribution.
5,400 books about reproductive education were distributed in schools and households in 15 villages.
Thank you to our community of donors, who helped us to make this happen.
We are a Canadian registered charity (Registration Number: 72273 2922 RR0001), therefore donations are eligible for a tax receipt, issued to the donor’s email. Changes and cancellations can be made anytime. Donors have the options of creating a donor account, powered by CanadaHelps DMS, to update information online. If you prefer to speak to our team, you can reach us at 1 (833) 614-GOOD (4663).