Shelter Self-Improvement
in Vietnam | November 2009

Shelter managers in Vietnam join forces to assess and improve shelters for trafficking victims nationwide

This week, the managers and counselors from the 8 anti-trafficking shelters and reception centers together with counselors from two hotlines in Vietnam gathered in Can Tho, southern Vietnam for intensive training by UNIAP in critical victim protection areas such as trafficking victim counseling, victim interviewing techniques, case management, and shelter assessment and improvement. This training marked the second time that the managers and counselors of Vietnam’s shelters were convened to work on building their skills and improving their services and facilities, under UNIAP’s Shelter Self-Improvement Project. The shelter staff participants were able to conduct practical exercises in the Can Tho Support Center for Women and Children in Difficult Circumstances, managed by the Can Tho Women’s Union with assistance from AFESIP.

Throughout the week, participating shelter staff highlighted their keen desire to gain practical skills that will help them deal with the real-life difficulties they regularly encounter, for example gaining the trust of traumatized victims of trafficking; effective life skills training techniques; and making the best of the limited physical spaces of their shelter or reception center facilities. Shelter manager and staff also identified their specific training needs such as advanced case management or referral skills which would help UNIAP in the formulation of a future training schedule.

In addition to the training, the 8 shelters finalized their Shelter Improvement Plans with UNIAP, who will be providing the financial and technical support for shelter upgrades beginning next week.  Funds to each of the 8 shelters will be applied to address the most urgent needs in each shelter, according to the criteria of the 6 areas of the UNIAP Shelter Assessment Checklist: Facilities; Safety and Security; Medical and Psychosocial Services; Educational and Vocational Services; Shelter Management; and Case Management and Victim Empowerment. 

Later in 2010, after improvements are made, small assessment teams comprised of shelter managers will re-visit the shelters of their counterparts (as they did in September 2009) to monitor improvements and reassess shelter conditions.

In addition, a training fund and training plan has been established to cover trainings and the development of specialist training manuals and multimedia learning/sharing materials in 2010.  Ms. Tran Thanh Thuy, manager of the Quang Ninh Support Center for Women and Childrenexplained, “Shelter managers are very busy and have high-pressure jobs, but it is worth it for us to take time from our heavy workloads to build our technical skills and learn good practices from others who face the same challenges every day.”