Child-Centred Climate Change Adaptation (4CA) Vietnam

This project targets children, providing them with tools to help build resilience to climate change impacts in two locations in Vietnam. By disseminating climate action knowledge, designing active local solutions and advocating for policy change, the activity seeks to motivate and empower young people to aid in managing and reducing climate risks.

Fast facts:

“ABC Education Book on Climate Change” developed in both English and Vietnamese;
380 teachers from 255 schools trained on climate change action in 2013;
Organised local forums on climate change adaptation and education;
20,000 total direct beneficiaries and more than 50,000 indirect beneficiaries

The problem

Vietnam is considered to be among the countries most affected by climate change. In Vietnam, temperatures are expected to get warmer, rainfalls increase and sea levels rise. This will above all affect the Mekong Delta, a key region for food-production in the country.

Vietnam’s growing population and increasing urbanization have created additional pressures on already limited local natural resources. The largely young population is sure to face significant climate-related challenges in the decades to come.

The solution

This project is raising awareness and improving understanding of climate change and its impacts on communities and their children. Communities undertake participatory child-led hazard, capacity, and vulnerability assessments. Based on the results, the children and communities develop action plans, from which they can apply for seed grants. Vietnam 4CA provides these small grants to communities, schools and youth groups to address the key concerns identified in their assessments.

Vietnam 4CA is being implemented in two regions – one rural (in the Thai Nguyen province, in the north of Vietnam) and one urban (in Hanoi’s Soc Son province). Some specific activities funded include: making bio-fertilizer from rice straw; mass awareness-raising events; making climate change films; a water filter system for floating villages; and climate change education and adaptation classes.

Helping the planet

The project has strong environmental co-benefits, with many of the educational activities using children’s and communities’ existing understanding of environmental issues as an introduction to discussing climate change. Many of the projects implemented by the youth groups in particular have a greater environmental focus. For example, seed grants have been used by youth to begin paper re-use or recycling programs.

Helping people

This project will specifically benefit children and youth, making them more aware of climate change risks and empowering them to develop corresponding appropriate mitigating climate action. Since children are the future, over time, entire communities will benefit by becoming safer and more resilient.

Scaling up

Initiated in 2011 as part of a regional project in collaboration with three other countries in Asia, the Child-Centred Climate Change Adaptation project in Vietnam has now been expanded to nine other countries across Asia and the Pacific. One of the key goals will be to document and institutionalise the project’s achievements, practices and processes from a regional perspective, so that it can easily be replicated in other areas.