Read in 1 min

Breakthrough for early childhood development in Vietnam

Since 2014, the H&M Foundation has worked globally with UNICEF to provide early childhood education and care. In November 2018, a milestone was reached when the Vietnamese government signed a National Strategic Plan on Integrated Early Childhood Development, encompassing all of the country’s 64 provinces.

A mother from an ethnic minority plays with her young child at her home in the Pleiku province in the central highlands of Vietnam.
© YVan Cohen

“The effect is enormous. Millions of children between the ages of 0 and 8, including children with disabilities and their caregivers, will be benefitted,” says Friday Nwaigwe, Chief of Child Survival and Development at UNICEF Vietnam.

“The Vietnam experience is local but of global
significance. The success of this program will be a
centerpiece for best practice.”

– Friday Nwaigwe, Chief of Child Survival and Development at UNICEF Vietnam
Mr. Friday Nwaigwe, Chief of Child Survival and Development, interacting with children at the Ayun1 Primary School in Pleiku province in the Central Highlands of Vietnam.

Integrated Early Childhood Development as implemented in Vietnam will reduce malnutrition and reduce preventable maternal deaths. It will catalyze the acquisition of knowledge and capacity of caregivers to bring up their children. Furthermore, it ensures the protection of children and supports equity among communities and population groups that previously had very high disparities in health outcomes. “The success of this program will be a model for the world and a centerpiece for best practice globally,” says Friday Nwaigwe.