Vietnam Child Care Center Survey

Special thanks go to The Catalyst Foundation for providing us a copy of their recent, comprehensive, on-the-ground survey of the needs of Vietnamese child care centers. See the full 23-page report in this pdf:Vietnam Child Care Center Survey Results

We recognized The Catalyst Foundation in our Kudos column in February 2012 for their work against human trafficking in Vietnam. See that post here.

This is the type of data that is necessary to have when dealing with child welfare situations. As we have stated many times in the past, adoption agencies go into a country and just set up operations FIRST without fully understanding and sometimes not understanding at all the real needs of the area. They often don’t realize how their setting up shop can bring corruption with it.

Now, Vietnam re-opened international adoption to Ireland in September 2012 with the first agency getting approval to place just a few weeks ago. See that post here. The US has not agreed to re-opening adoptions from Vietnam yet but US Agencies and PAPs are salivating at the thought.

 

Survey

Ninety-six centers were surveyed. Thirteen centers previously known were not surveyed. Of the thirteen not surveyed, two no longer exist and one now cares for the elderly only. One of the centers not surveyed is a feeding center sponsored by the province.  One no longer cares for orphans but gives assistance to the poor in the area.The others required government approval for the survey.

How about all of those languishing babies in the orphanages?

Well….there aren’t any.  Read that again.

From the report “As of January 2012, NONE of the Child Care Centers have any young children
• 40% of the children are between the ages of 6-­‐10 years old.
• 60% of the children are over 11 years old.”

It will be interesting to see how many children under age 6 get adopted to Ireland, won’t it?

The Catalyst Foundation concludes the following:

“We recommend that for every NGO to partner with a CCC to support:

• • Basic nutrition needs
• • Repairs to the existing structures
• • Facilities and grounds’ maintenance
• • Stable operating budget
• • Vocational training

In general, every CCC needs, desires, wants to start planning for or has in operation(without the proper funding) a “vocational training” program or income generating program.

This is to ensure the children in the CCC will have the means to support themselves when they leave.

From this initial survey, it is apparent that there is not a crisis situation in the  CCCs of Vietnam. Despite what might be reported, there are not hundreds of babies being neglected in the CCC or knowingly trafficked.

There are needs but they are based on funding and vocational training.”

Other interesting questions

I thought this one about postplacement reports was sad. “S3.Q14: Did the CCC keep post-­‐placement reports accessible to the birth parents upon request?
• 2% stated yes they did keep post placement reports accessible to the birth parents.”

How much are APs paying for those postplacement reports again?

Scary: “S3.Q2: Is there an option for a parent to leave their child at the CCC for an extended period of time with the intent of coming back for their children/child?
• 45% stated that yes, there was a list of children whose family members intend to retrieve them, so that the list can be checked before a child is considered for adoptive placement.
• 51% stated no, there was not a list.
S3.Q3: If the CCC had stated yes to question 2, was the process different from when a parent wished to leave their child at the CCC permanently?
• 85% stated that the process was not different.”

Aging out

This is a concept that is emphasized these days by adoption “advocates” . The horrible things that happen when a child ages out…oh wait… they get a job or are domestically adopted.Look at this data:

“S2.Q11: What is the most common reasons that children have actually left the CCC over time? (Answer are listed in order from most to least common)

• 89% The child got a job.
• 6% The child remained at the CCC until they were independence and got a job.
• 5% The child was adopted by a Vietnamese family.”

That is a better statistic than aging out of US foster care.

REFORM Puzzle Piece

It is time that the TRUTH is told about what the orphan needs are and which children are legally available to internationally adopt. It should be mandatory for surveys like this one given by developmental NGOS and NGOs that fight human trafficking  (NOT adoption agencies or lobbyists of adoption agencies) to PRECEDE the beginning or re-opening of adoption programs. In fact,  make them ongoing, annual surveys for the CONTINUANCE of adoption programs to determine the actual needs.