According to a report by the Committee on Culture and Education, Covid-19 has left nearly 4,400 children orphaned, 300 of whom are being cared for and educated atFPT 's Hope School in Da Nang.
As of the end of 2022, the country had 144 children who had lost both parents, and over 4,200 children who were orphaned by either their father or mother, most of whom live with family or relatives. Local authorities base their support plans on the wishes of the children and their guardians.
"Placing children in social welfare facilities should only be a last resort. Children should be given priority care by relatives or family members who can replace their deceased father or mother," the Committee on Culture and Education stated.
Quang Khánh ( from Hanoi ) sleeps soundly on the day he joins the Hope School in Da Nang, ahead of the 2022-2023 school year. Quang Khánh and his older brother Quang Thành lost their father to Covid-19. Photo: Nguyen Dong
According to statistics, there are currently about 141,200 orphaned children nationwide. Nearly 83% of them are living in family environments, and 17% are in social welfare facilities. The physical conditions in many facilities have deteriorated, with very few private rooms for psychological counseling and a lack of equipment, negatively impacting the children's quality of life.
The National Assembly's agency stated that, despite some support measures for orphans, Vietnam still lacks a comprehensive national program for alternative care for children in special circumstances; there is no policy to support children orphaned by either parent whose parent has left to work far away, remarried, or is not raising the children.
The Committee on Culture and Education recommends that the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs and related ministries and agencies promptly develop a comprehensive plan to submit to the Government, prioritizing alternative care solutions for orphaned children in families and communities instead of social welfare facilities.
According to Decree 20 of 2021, the standard social assistance allowance is 360,000 VND per month, only 24% of the rural poverty line for the 2022-2025 period. This allowance is the basis for determining subsidies for orphaned children and many other social welfare recipients. Some localities have disbursed higher amounts, such as Quang Ninh at 500,000 VND per month, Ba Ria - Vung Tau at 450,000 VND, and Hai Duong at 380,000 VND.
The Committee on Culture and Education proposed that the Government should soon amend Decree 20 to raise this standard, and that localities, depending on their conditions, should add groups of children in need of assistance and increase the support level to more than 360,000 VND compared to the current regulations. The Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs is proposing two options to raise the social assistance standard to 500,000 VND or 750,000 VND.
Phuong Ha
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