Across Asia, parenting support programmes are transforming to meet the needs of families in rapidly changing social, political, and economic landscapes.
Join the Global Parenting Initiative (GPI) for this insightful webinar showcasing experiences from China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. Together, we will explore the innovative approaches driving impact, the challenges faced in diverse contexts, and the opportunities for scaling up parenting support across the region.
Date: 15 October 2025
Time: 10:30 – 12:00 SAST | 09:30 – 11:00 BST | 11:30 – 13:00 EAT
This event has passed. Watch the recording below:
Meet the speakers
Dr Zuyi Fang is an Assistant Professor and Research Fellow at the Institute of Population Research, Peking University. She serves as a Disability Research Fellow with the Global Parenting Initiative (GPI) and leads the adaptation of Parenting for Lifelong Health (PLH) ParentText, a chatbot-based parenting intervention, within Chinese contexts.
Her research spans parenting interventions for children with and without disabilities, child protection, early childhood development, and family and child welfare.
Dr Sombat Tapanya is Co-Principal Investigator of the Parenting within the Public Health System GPI Study in Thailand. He is a Clinical Psychologist with the Peace Culture Foundation, a non-profit organisation in Chiang Mai. Formerly, he served as a faculty member in the Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University (1985–2011). His research and clinical work focus on violence prevention and the treatment of trauma resulting from abuse and violence.
Jennel Reyes is the Principal Investigator of the Parenting within the Social Welfare System GPI Study in the Philippines. She holds an MA in Developmental Psychology from Ateneo de Manila University, where she also teaches. Jennel has been actively involved with Parenting for Lifelong Health (PLH)- Philippines since 2017, starting as a facilitator for the Masayang Pamilya para sa Batang Pilipino (MaPa) or Happy Families Programme.
Ha Tran Thu is the Director of the Research and Training Centre for Community Development (RTCCD), a leading research institute in Vietnam. As a public health professional with over 25 years of experience, her work has focused on early childhood development, nutrition and supplementation, and health system analysis. She is a core member of the national team supporting Vietnam’s Ministry of Health in developing national guidelines on early childhood examination and counseling. Ha is also the Co-Founder of the parenting education program Early Journey of Life.
Prof Rumaya Juhari is a Professor of Human Development and Family and Child Ecology in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Faculty of Human Ecology, Universiti Putra Malaysia. She serves as the Principal Investigator of the GPI Parenting within the Preschool System Study in Malaysia, with her work focusing on advancing research and practice in child and family development.
MODERATOR| Dr. Amalee McCoy is the Project Lead for the Parenting within the Public Health System GPI Study in Thailand. She brings over 20 years of experience in child protection and child rights research, programming, policy advocacy, project design and management, and local capacity building. Her work spans collaborations with UN agencies, academia, international NGOs, and local organizations across Asia, including UNICEF, UNESCAP, Plan Thailand, and ECPAT International.