Today is Safer Internet Day and ChildFund is working with children, families and their communities to make sure that children have the knowledge and skills to stay safe while learning and interacting with their peers online.
The COVID-19 pandemic has seen widespread school closures and lockdowns, meaning that there are more children using the internet than ever before. While it has allowed them to stay connected to their friends and to continue their education, it has also put them at greater risk of online exploitation.
To respond to this increased risk, ChildFund Vietnam launched an online internet safety course to teach children how they can stay safe online during periods of extended lockdown. This training is an extension of the Swipe Safe program launched in 2019.
The Swipe Safe program, now in its second phase, has been launched in the Bac Kan, Cao Bang and Hoa Binh Provinces. In the first phase of the program, training sessions about online safety were delivered face-to-face in classrooms, but as the virus continued to spread, these sessions were moved online.
ChildFund held two training courses in December for children impacted by the lockdowns. Working with government stakeholders, ChildFund used online platforms to bring together children from across the country to teach them about information security, setting passwords, sharing information and exploring what is safe to share online. They also discussed how they can access help if they feel unsafe online.
These sessions were designed to be interactive, fun and stimulating. During the training, children can take quizzes and score themselves against their peers, creating a friendly competition between the students that keeps them engaged in the content.
One mother, Ms. Nga said: “At first I thought my child would only attend the two mandatory sessions. But the next day my child was so excited that she kept reminding me to let her eat dinner early so she could attend class on time.”
She believes that by making the curriculum entertaining, children are more engaged. “I think that the teaching method used by ChildFund Vietnam is really great. It helps the children relax and enjoy the class but still helps them absorb useful information.”
The COVID-19 pandemic is continuing to see more and more children using the internet and ChildFund does not expect this to change any time soon. Beyond Safer Internet Day ChildFund is committed to empowering children with the knowledge of online safety and the resources to get help when they need it, so that they can make the most of the online world.
ChildFund Timor-Leste is supporting farmers in the Lautem municipality to learn sustainable farming techniques as a part of the COVID-19 economic response plan. Farmers are learning about irrigation, organic pesticides and fertiliser and how to identify different types of diseases.
Five groups of farmers were selected to take part in the program. Working with local partner, Fraterna, ChildFund delivered training over the course of six months in sustainable and resilient farming.
The farmer field school explored drip irrigation, multi-crop production and crop diversification, compost fertiliser making both dry and wet kinds, plastic mulch techniques, soil, pest and disease identification.
After learning about these techniques, the farmers are planting cabbage, lettuce, eggplant, tomato, spinach, water spinach, banana, and papaya trees. Most group members have created their own gardens and are applying what they learned. The project is also supplying farming equipment and helping the farmers install sustainable irrigation systems.
“At the farming school we don’t really do any book work, we put what we learnt directly into practice. We all work together to learn to make compost fertiliser,” said Hermenegildo, a farmer who attended the training in August 2021.
There are, 11 women and three men in this group. All of them attended farmer field school once a week. Now they share the responsibility of growing the vegetables and the crops in a communal area that are then equally divided amongst themselves.
Maria, is also a member of the group. “Before I attended the school, I did not know how to grow vegetables with different methods. But since I came to this training, I learned how to prepare soil and make compost fertiliser and it has helped megain valuable knowledge.”
The group meets regularly to plan and schedule farm work. Hermenegildo hopes that they will be able to harvest extra food to sell in the local markets.
“Our plan for the future is to find more space to grow vegetables. If we have extra vegetables, we’ll sell them,” said Hermenegildo.
By learning these new skills, farmers can yield more sustainable crops to help them be self-sufficient through the dry season and put healthy food on the table for their families. They can also sell the extra vegetables at local markets to supplement the household income.
This project, implemented by ChildFund, is funded by the Australian Humanitarian Partnership (AHP). Along with teaching new farming techniques, the project is distributing food packages, hygiene kits in schools, seed kits and food storage in selected households.
