VietNamNet Bridge – It took every ounce of a mother's strength, love and patience for Lan (not real name) to ensure that her HIV-infected daughters could attend school like normal children.

HIV/AIDS-infected children study at the Social Labour Education Centre No 2 in Ba Vi District in Ha Noi. The educational sector played an important role in helping these kids obtain a formal education, a workshop said. (Photo: VNS)

After her husband died in 2005, she and her daughters were expelled from her husband's house by her mother-in-law. Lan moved to An Duong District in the city, a place where no one knew them, so that her daughters would not have to suffer more discrimination.

Unfortunately, her neighbours found out the family's secret very soon, and began to avoid them. Worse still, her daughters could not go to school anymore because parents of normal children objected to their presence.

Unable to bear her daughters' grief, Lan set out to change hearts and minds, one household at a time.

She went to each of her daughters' classmates houses and talked to them about the disease, the way it is transmitted and convinced them that their children were in no danger of contracting the virus by studying with her daughters.

At home, she advised and encouraged her daughters to study hard and prove themselves. She tried to teach them to sing and dance well so that they would find it easier to make friends at school after they were accepted by other parents and teachers.

Most importantly, she also trained them as peer educators to teach others about the virus and its transmission.

Finally, she was able to gain the sympathy and acceptance of everyone concerned, including the parents of her daughters' classmates as well as their neighbours.

But the family's ordeal was not over. Lan had to repeat the exercise of door-to-door canvassing when her daughters finished their primary schooling and moved to the secondary level.

Lan's story was narrated to Viet Nam News by Dr Le Thi Kim Dung of the Ministry of Education and Training, who specialises in student affairs, on the sidelines of a workshop last Wednesday.

Titled "The Way to School for Children Affected by HIV/AIDS," the workshop was organised by the National AIDS Committee.

Standing firm

Nguyen Thi Minh Phuong, head of the Xuan Vinh Support Group in Thu Duc District that cares for 200 children affected by HIV, has also faced many challenges in getting her wards admitted to schools with other normal children.

Like Lan, she refused to accept no for an answer. First, she met the school authorities, and if they refused, she approached the local education offices, who were bound to act because the Ministry of Education and Training requires schools to admit all children including those with HIV.

Later, Phuong would attend meetings of the parents' association that are often organised at the beginning of the school year in order to help them understand the right of children affected with HIV and provide them with information about the virus and its transmission.

She also met with teachers at the schools to enlist their help in facilitating the education of HIV positive children.

Phuong also helped the parents and relatives understand and fight for the rights of HIV positive children.

Through her work, 70 of 133 children of learning age in her group – from kindergarten to secondary levels – have been able to attend public schools, Phuong informed the workshop.

Phuong stressed that the education sector played a major role in helping children affected by HIV gain formal education.

The determination of officials in the sector, the schools' leaders as well as local authorities to protect the children's rights was very important, especially when they were confronted by objections from the parents of normal children, she added.

She cited a case in HCM City's Nha Be District an example. The school's management board was determined not to let seven-year-old Linh (not real name), who is HIV positive, leave the school although the parents of his classmates kept them at home, protesting his presence.

A month later, after several rounds of talks and being threatened with the punishment they would face for their continued opposition, the parents relented and allowed their children to attend school with Linh.

Dr Le Truong Giang, standing deputy head of the city's AIDS Committee, said that making everybody understand the situation and accept the rights of HIV children or children with parents afflicted by HIV/AIDS parents was a long-term endeavour.

He said the Ministry of Education and Training should provide concrete guidance to local education departments, offices and schools on this issue.

Creating more opportunities to help HIV affected children study and play with normal children would help remove prejudices and facilitate their leading normal lives, he said.

Cao Thi Gai, deputy chairwoman of Cu Chi District where there are 305 HIV affected children of school age, said it was very important to introduce new methods of disseminating information about all aspects of HIV/AIDS including its transmission.

According to official records, Viet Nam currently has 160,019 people with HIV and 35,603 with AIDS. There are 4,205 children infected with the virus.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News