An online child care training programme at http://elearning.mattroibetho.vn, the first of its kind in Vietnam, was inaugurated in Hanoi on July 31^st.

The project comes as part of joint efforts by the Health Ministry’s National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), the Alive & Thrive project and the e-Learning Office under the Hanoi University of Science and Technology’s Cyber Information Centre.

A snapshot of the online child care training website.

Based on materials approved by the Ministry of Health, 20 topics featuring child care skills with illustrative images and references have been made available. At the same time, child care certificates will also be granted to applicants nationwide after attending online lectures given by NIN experts.

The project targets students in universities, colleges and medical centres that offer relevant training.

The NIN reported that 90 per cent of consumers in rural areas use cell phones, half of which own smart phones. Nearly 24 million people in rural areas have access to the Internet, equivalent to that in urban areas, while 22.5 million people use Facebook compared to 23.5 million people in cities.

Almost all medical stations in remote and mountainous areas have been provided with free Internet while the majority of medical staff are competent in using computers, online software and basic programmes.

According to NIN Deputy Head Truong Tuyet Mai, over 1,000 child care consulting rooms entitled “Mat troi be tho” were incorporated into medical stations nationwide from 2010-2014 with the support of A & T project./.

VNF/VNA