Programs

DIEN BAN DAY CENTER

We are building a Day Center to provide much needed special education and therapy services to children with disabilities. We have begun construction. We plan to open in early 2012.

Dien Ban has one of the highest proportions of disabled and disadvantaged children in the province. The area was heavily bombed and sprayed with defoliants during the war with the United States. There are over 900 children with disability in the area, the majority of whom do not have access to essential education and therapy services. 

The Dien Ban Day Center will be a full service special education school aiding sixty children with disabilities. The Center will be the first of its kind in the region and will address a critical gap by providing much- needed special education, speech therapy and physical therapy. We also work directly with the people of Dien Ban and offer training to the parents regarding their special child.

SPECIAL EDUCATION

In 2010, The Mulligan Project (TMP) expanded its special education program outside the walls of a Hoi An Orphanage to the community of Dien Ban. Since June 2010, we have been operating a Pilot Program in conjunction with The Kianh Foundation offering special education and physical therapy to the local children with disabilities.

We aim to provide a quality education program for each child designed to meet his or her current needs as well as providing them with the skills and knowledge to function as independently as possible in society. We concentrate on both education and socialization skills. Our philosophy is to concentrate on the abilities of each child, not on his or her disabilities. We work together with the families to help their children reach their goals. This program is run by teachers from Da Nang’s Education University Special Education Department with support from teaching assistants with years of experience.

PHYSICAL THERAPY

Many of the children we work with in Dien Ban suffer from Cerebral Palsy that affects movement, posture and coordination. Our Vietnamese Physical Therapists are given extensive training by western pediatric professionals. They focus their skills on achieving functional goals for the children. The motto of our physical therapy program is, "Participation is the cornerstone of development." The kids in our program work hard!

SPEECH THERAPY

This is one of our most recent programs, and has been due in large part to the help and advice of Speech Therapist, Sue Woodward, founder of the Trinh Foundation. Speech Therapy is not taught as a profession in Vietnam, although the Trinh Foundation is working to change that and establish formalized educational courses in Speech Therapy. Sue comes to Vietnam regularly, often with a small group of therapists, and has been assessing those children in our program who have communication problems. She has put together specific action plans for each child that is then carried out by our Vietnamese staff.

All of the children in the special education program, plus the Teachers and Physical Therapists, are learning and using Makaton Key Word Signing. Makaton is a language program that uses key word signs and natural gestures to support communication and is a means of encouraging language development in individuals with communication difficulties. Its initial stages introduce the vocabulary required to support simple interaction and to express basic ideas. More complex concepts are introduced in subsequent stages, but the aim is to ensure that even if limited learning ability and poor retention prevent an individual progressing beyond the initial stages, he or she will still benefit from simple interaction.

EARLY INTERVENTION

The earlier we can reach a child, the greater impact we can have on his or her development. We have just begun an early intervention program to work with young children and babies paving the way for them to join our main program at a later stage.

DENTAL CARE

We ensure that all of the children in our program get access to good dental care. Each year we arrange an annual trip to the East Meet West clinic in nearby      Da Nang. East Meets West provides all dental treatment free of charge.  We fund the transportation and meal costs. It can take 10 days to complete all the assessments and treatments. Good dental hygiene is an integral part of our education program. Brushing their teeth after each meal is a part of the daily routine.