On november the 24^th 2007, Counseling and Invesment Health Promotion ( CIHP) cooperated with Cualo district’s capital to hold a celebration for the world gender violence prevention and fighting day, which was financed by Ford Fund and Viettel Army telecommunications company.

The celebration began with a meeting about the gender violence preventing and fighting day in Cualo high school. All the students and teachers in Cualo high school, plus people from seven districts and representative committees and unions in Cualo district’s capital mobilized for the meeting. Just under 2000 people enjoyed the celebration and wore white ribbons to express their support for the fight against and prevention of gender violence.

Opening the celebration, Mr Phan Cong Luu, Cualo district’s capital People committee vice president, head of management committee violence preventing and fighting project, made a speech and stated: “let’s help both people who are violated and people who violate, permeate and strictly implement gender equal law which was passed in 2006 and have had effectiveness since 5 why 1^st, 2007. Everybody especially members in a family give others love, respect, help and share house and social work in order to build a warm, comfortable off, equal, progress and happy family, contribute to enhance equal society, women health and thiriving in people living community. Let’s act to protect human rights, all were born with rights to be respected, behave equally, no one was born to live in violence and disease. For a peace committee, for every family’s happiness, let’s respond warmly gender violence preventing and fighting day November 25^th.

After the celebration was opened, a lot of activities were carried out. Games like catching balls and jumping in bags attracted nearly 40 couples to take part. There were 30 pupils in primary school painted to warmly support gender violence preventing and fighting. A procession of 100 motorbikes, with flags and slogans, and a loud speaker communicated important messages in the streets . The autograph book entitled “ real life pieces” was written in by over 115 people in the morning, with everybody’s thoughts and stories about gender violence preventing and fighting day. After reading everybody’s stories, a pupil said that: “I’m so happy because of this celebration. Next to my house, there is a family who usually quarrel. My father usually interferes but they shout at him. Perhaps after this celebration, my father will interfere that family and he won’t be afraid of being shouted at anymore. A night festival named “ Act for a non-violent community” happened in the Nghi Thuong district cultural house in the evening. There were some small productions about gender violence preventing and fighting in the district’s capital. The night festival attracted a large audience and was very successful. After the celebration, Mr Phan Van, the deputy of the management committee of the project, said his feelings and thoughts: This time, people here all are exhausted but happy, sisters. We’ve never found activities to gender violence preventing and fighting was so warmly responded. There haven’t been any communication activity held so big so far. People in the community and cadres of committee branches all evaluated highly this activity.