Huong Giang Nguyen

Education - Vietnam (East Asia)

As a member of the Youth Coordination Centre in Vietnam (YCCV), Huoung Giang Nguyen's work focuses on the rights of children in his local community of Hanoi. Many children under the age of 16 are forced to sacrifice their education and leave the familiar surroundings of their rural homesteads in order to earn money in the larger urban centers scattered throughout Vietnam. This is a growing problem, which has lead to an increase in the incidence of crime, drug abuse, and homelessness amongst youths. The authorities are finding it difficult to supervise the increase in population within the larger cities due to this growing phenomenon of unregistered, wandering children'.

With the support of local students, skilled traditional workers, local organizations and businesses, Huoung Giang plans to provide children with the opportunity to attend free classes to develop their skills in traditional productions, such as embroidery, weaving, and porcelain production. Huoung Giang will seek the support of the local government to invest more funds in agricultural development and traditional technologies in this rural area.

Huoung Giang plans to ensure the presence of viable market for such goods to be sold by developing a relationship with tourism centres and other businesses within the community. By providing children in rural communities with a sound education, Huoung Giang hopes to provide them with greater opportunities at achieving financial independence, and thus, decreasing the mass migration of Vietnamese youths from leaving their rural communities.