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Gender: our response Sponsorship helps girls Through sponsorship, both boys and girls are given access to an education. In some areas of Asia where 'education for all' is a new concept, this means working with parents and community groups to encourage the enrolment of girls. At school, World Vision gender awareness training helps teachers to introduce equality to their classrooms. The school curriculum may even contain lessons for girls on self-confidence and speaking out, or for boys on including girls and honouring their achievements. Sponsorship also provides social opportunities for boys and girls to learn their rights. World Vision Children's Clubs promote leadership skills and help children to support and protect their peers. With a greater understanding of their rights and opportunities, girls are less likely to marry young or stay quiet about community issues or domestic violence. Instead they take an active roles to improve their lives and those around them. Mothers know best in Vietnam In Vietnam over one third of children suffer from malnourishment. It's not always from lack of food; in some areas young mothers, who have never been to school, simply don't know what nutrition is. 
Weighing baby Luu at an under-5 child health centre in rural Vietnam. Women also use the health centre for classes and community meetings |
World Vision health centres in remote areas of Vietnam do more than just diagnose and treat the children. In many cases, they've become community centres for women, where classes are held in cooking, nutrition and maternal education. Bon, whose baby Luu is six months old, comes to the centre every month for a health checkup and stays for the class. "I've found what I'm learning is very useful," she says. "I have learnt how to make nutritious food for all my children and to look after my baby's health better." Enterprising women in Cambodia After years of war and violence in Cambodia, people were left with almost nothing - no schools or education, no equipment for agriculture or manufacturing goods, and reduced farmland due to landmines. Determined to rebuild their lives, many Cambodian women have made the most of their resources and skills, with the help of micro-finance loans. Since 2001, community groups in Cambodia have been using small loans from World Vision and subsidiary credit group Vision Fund to open small businesses. These loans are often managed by groups of women, who use the money for enterprises like noodle-making, manufacturing of water-jars, shops or fruit stalls. Some work alongside their husbands in equal partnership, while others use the income from their business to supplement the family income. The rewards are not just financial. For many, seeing their business prosper also brings new hope for the future of their families and communities.
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