Since 2019, Aflatoun International and the Center for Education and Development (CED) have worked in partnership to develop and deploy various activities and training courses. On November, 8, 2019, a three-day TOT training was organized by Aflatoun International in cooperation with CED for 35 trainers/teachers and local NGOs/organizations in Hanoi.

After the initial TOT training, Aflateen has supported CED to conduct the following activities:

Translating and contextualizing Aflateen+: Life skills and financial education through a Gender Lens curriculum and a training manual for a training of trainers in Vietnam.

  • A Vietnamese translated version of Aflateen+: Life skills and financial education through a gender lens curriculum (edited, designed and formatted).
  • A Vietnamese translated version of Aflateen+: Life skills and financial education through a gender lens Training manual.
  • A contextualized Vietnamese version of Aflateen+ curriculum and training manual (edited, designed and formatted).

Pilot in schools: CED’s trainers have coached and facilitated the program through the academic year 2020-2021. CED have supported 3 schools/organizations to implement the Aflateen + program to their students/beneficiaries. Trainers have coached and supported teachers and educators who have been trained by Aflatoun and CED to enable them to deliver lessons for their students/beneficiaries using the Aflateen training curriculum. The lessons have been either implemented as an extra curricula program or integrated in different school subjects (for examples: civic education, biology, social studies, among others).

There were seven training courses organized for 135 teachers and staff of local NGOs. Trained trainers have delivered some lessons (Who am I? Who do I want to be?; My goals, My dreams; Breaking down barriers; Knowing my rights; Gender messages) in the curriculum to 105 students aged 16-18 from 12 schools in Cao Bang and Dien Bien province, as well as 30 students from Nam Tu Liem school.

Due to the outbreak of the pandemic, the plan of piloting the program to schools has been delayed. When the latest outbreak of COVID-19 has abated, CED will continue to support teachers to deliver trainings to students at selected schools.

Up-to-date, the program has been delivered to 1,602 students and 135 teachers.Support sharing of program learning through presentations and contests: CED will support and guide schools to organize contests and/or events at schools for their students to share what they have learnt and applied to their lives through the courses. These can be done through promoting project-based learning and/or start-up initiatives/ideas, which will be accumulated in a school exhibit or fair at the end of the academic school year (planned in November 2021 – delayed to May 2022 due to Covid).

Organize review workshop for 50 participants: CED will organize a review workshop to share the results of these pilot activities and discuss the way forward. It is expected that there will be about 50 representatives from schools, social organizations, and related agencies. (Planned in December 2021 – delayed to end of may 2022).
Research

Objectives

To assess Aflateen+ program in adolescent girls in Vietnam. The assessment focused on knowledge, attitude and skills of social and financial education in Hanoi, Cao Bang, Dien Bien, An Giang and Can Tho provinces of Vietnam. Specifically, the assessment:

  • Evaluated the effectiveness of Aflateen+ on behavioral changes, social attitudes and school engagement in participants incorporating a participatory approach.
  • Contributed to the evidence that suggests life skills and financial education are contributing to youth population, particularly amongst girls, to have better opportunities in life.

Methodology

This assessment uses mixed methods. The quantitative component uses the questionnaire adapted from Aflateen+ survey and the qualitative approach uses the Most Significant Change (MSC) methodology.

Aflateen+ survey is a pre-post survey focused on the five core elements of the curriculum considering a gender approach. The indicators that the Aflateen+ questionnaire measures are directly linked to the learning outcomes of the curriculum. These questions are particularly related to critical thinking and social skills of participants. Additionally, a component of financial education, employability and entrepreneurship contributes to the survey.

The Most Significant Change (MSC) is a participatory monitoring and evaluation methodology. This assessment is used to assess learning outcomes on the Aflateen+ participants. The basis of MSC will be a collection of stories shared by the participants. A follow-up, semi-structured interview will complement the stories. There are not predefined indicators in MSC that gives specific measures. However, the answers to the main question will provide insight of who changes, when and why (particularly, why this change is important to the participants).

Main question

This research is expected to:

  1. Evaluate the effectiveness of Aflateen+ on behavioral changes, social attitudes and school engagement in participants incorporating a participatory approach.
  2. Contribute to the evidence that suggests life skills and financial education are contributing to youth population, particularly amongst girls, to have better opportunities in life.

Main question for quantitative method (Aflateen+ pre-post survey):

  • What is the effect on social skills, critical thinking and future orientation of the participants of the Aflateen+ lessons?

Main question for qualitative method (MSC):

  • Looking back over the last month, what do you think was the most significant change in [particular domain of change]?

Supporting question: From all these significant changes, what do you think was the most significant change?

Please read the Report to have further information.