Goodwill Ambassador Choi Si-won visited the UNICEF Viet Nam's "SMile for U" project site
After a three-year absence due to Covid-19, he had a delightful time with the children in Viet Nam.
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On October 18th, UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Goodwill Ambassador Choi Si-won visited the UNICEF Viet Nam's "SMile for U" project site. After a three-year absence due to covid-19, he had a delightful time with the children in Viet Nam.
"SMile for U" is a music education support program that provides musical instruments and music rooms to marginalized children, develops music education manuals, and supports trainings for teachers. Since 2015, it has carried out in collaboration with SM Entertainment and UNICEF.
This meaningful collaboration between SM Entertainment and UNICEF Korea Committee has brought about significant changes since 2015.
Vietnamese ethnic minority children are preserving their unique culture through music education, and children with disabilities are growing and nurturing their dreams through music.
The "SMile for U" project's education manual was recognized for its excellence by the Vietnamese Ministry of Education in 2021 and distributed nationwide. There have also been national-level reforms in the education system for "Preservation of Traditional Regional Music and Integrated Music Education for Children."
Beyond ethnicity, language, and disability, more children are finding comfort and hope through music.
The places visited this time were kindergartens and elementary schools in the Ninh Thuan province in central Viet Nam. When the children saw Ambassador Choi Si-won, they expressed their joy through the rhythms and songs they had learned in their classes. Ambassador Choi Si-won also danced along in response to the children's movements, expressing his gratitude.
By 2022, through the "SMile for U" program, 19,979 marginalized children in Viet Nam have received music education, and 1,000 music teachers have been trained.
In the future, "SMile for U" will continue to provide more active support, aiming to expand early childhood education and music therapy for children with disabilities, as well as increasing the use of digital devices.
"There was a child for whom even communication was difficult, but after being exposed to music, they began to open their hearts little by little. Now they can freely express their feelings through music. There is that kind of power in music," said Doan Thi Thao, a teacher at the Inclusive Education Development Center.
In the future, "SMile for U" will continue to provide more active support, aiming to expand early childhood education and music therapy for children with disabilities, as well as increasing the use of digital devices.
"There was a child for whom even communication was difficult, but after being exposed to music, they began to open their hearts little by little. Now they can freely express their feelings through music. There is that kind of power in music," said Doan Thi Thao, a teacher at the Inclusive Education Development Center.
Sharing joy and encouragement with the children who took music classes, Ambassador Choi Si-won is not forgetting to provide warm words of support. UNICEF and SM Entertainment's music education support program, SMile for U, is a project that we should all keep an eye on, so that more children can experience the power of music.
"Even in challenging times with COVID-19, music continues to connect children with their culture, comfort their hearts, and empower them to rise again. I will continue to stand by children in that place where music empowers them," said UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Goodwill Ambassador Choi Si-won.
#UNICEF #ForEveryChild #Vietnam #SMileforU #유니세프 #음악 #음악교육
