The Story of Mua Duc Thang: A Father’s Journey to Confident Parenting

In fact I live in Vietnam,  together with my wife and our small son,  in the mountainous Khung Nhung Village of Tuyen Quang Province. 

I wanted to take better care of my child, but I didn’t know where to start

As parents, we want to give our son the best possible start in life. We do our best with the knowledge and resources we have, but we were also looking for opportunities to learn more.

But for us, it was not an easy journey. Like any parent, we searched online for videos and information for smart parenting and early child development. But we really struggled - access to information and services in mountains is very limited. 

Another difficulty was selecting the right information from the vast amount of content available. I speak the language of H’Mong ethnic community and very basic Vietnamese, but all content we found was on Vietnamese.

One day, that gave me knowledge and confidence

I attended a pilot session in my community where health workers shared a series of videos in language I spoke - H’Mong language. One of the videos focused on how parents can support and stimulate their children's cognitive development in the early years. Imagine my happiness, it was what I need, it was easy to understand, very practical - especially because the health workers were there to explain and answer my questions.

What I really like is that session was not only informative but also interactive. I had the chance to practice basic drowning first aid, following health workers guidance.

I learned how to play with my child using simple things in our home. Being able to learn by doing made me feel more confident and better prepared to respond in an emergency. Now I was overwhelmed with useful knowledge I can put in practice.

Learning in my language, gave my family confidence in our parenting

The session made a real difference for me. Because the content was in H’Mong, it was easy to understand and remember. I learned essential first-aid skills and how to respond in an emergency. 

I discovered simple ways to play without spending extra money on toys.

These practical lessons helped me feel better prepared and confident! To keep my child safe and to support his growth and learning is my family biggest role and responsibility! And I am really proud of myself that I asked for assistance and help.

Giving families a chance to thrive

Before joining EM THRIVE session I was really lost in see of information I did not understand. And I know there are many more families like me in these mountains – that want to help their child development and also their own development, but they do not have the right access, or right language. I hope that more H’Mong families will have access to similar learning session.

Having this possibility firstly to select the content and then to learn about childcare, nutrition opens a door to new knowledge, and possibilities which will help and guide how to raise healthy, emphatic, confident children. 
It will make a difference for them, like it made for me, my wife and our son.