11:09, 30/09/2020

Assistance for poor, disabled women

Vietnam Women's Union has founded many models of self-reliant women with disabilities to assist poor and disabled women in overcoming barriers in life to work and move forward...
 

Vietnam Women’s Union has founded many models of self-reliant women with disabilities to assist poor and disabled women in overcoming barriers in life to work and move forward.
 
Practical assistance
 
There are about 3.5 million disabled women and most are poor, vulnerable and reliant on their families’ support and social allowances. Disabled women also have limited access to social and medical services and employment opportunities. Besides, there are not many vocational training and business start-up centers for disabled women. Programs providing wheelchairs and other health care aids are not held frequently, according to Vietnam Women’s Union.
 

 

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Women's Union officials have talks with Nguyen Thi Dac.
 
 
 
Therefore, Vietnam Women’s Union has organized several activities to open more opportunities for disabled women to develop their potentials and contribute to their families and society; diminish feelings of inferiority about their situations, avoid violence risks and thus improve their life and easily integrate into society. Specifically, in the 2013 – 2020 period, Vietnam Women’s Union has founded 33 models of self-reliant women with disabilities nationwide, including Khanh Hoa Province. Through the models, disabled women will get training; join talks and exchange programs; and share experience among members.
 
In Khanh Hoa, Vietnam Women’s Union has cooperated with Khanh Hoa Women’s Union to establish a model “self-reliant women with disabilities” with 30 members, including disabled women and their families in Dien Phu Commune. The model will help assure the rights of the disabled; encourage gender equality; and promote anti family violence control and prevention, reproductive health care for disabled women, etc.
 
More relief
 
61-year-old Nguyen Thi Dac in Village 3, Dien Phu Commune has been paralyzed since young age. She even cannot use a wheelchair. She is living with her younger sister. She used to move around using her both hands and help her younger sister with gardening and trade at the market. Now her two hands become weak because of old age. She just stays at home, doing some home chores. She has to depend on the help of her families as well as her neighbors and community. The Women's Union has just given her a hand wash basin, installed low to make it easy for her to use. She was so happy. 
 
Hoang Thi Anh, Village 5, Dien Dong Commune is sick and unable to work. Her husband earns money from cash-in-hand work and could hardly make ends meet. Their small house is thanks to funding from the State. Vietnam Women’s Union and the community have just sponsored sanitation facilities for the house. She was very happy and grateful.
 
Such activities are to assist and raise poor and disabled women’s knowledge to ensure vulnerable women’s rights, helping them to self-reliantly overcome barriers, alleviate difficulties and integrate well into the community towards the motto "No one is left behind"; as well as join effort with local authorities to assure social security policies well implemented. 
 
In the coming time, the union will continue enhancing propaganda and training to raise awareness of women with disabilities; make good use of resources to invest in facilities, vocational training and employment; improve accessible transportation facilities for women with disabilities; direct local women's associations at all levels to continue maintaining and expanding effective models of self-reliant women with disabilities; combine model activities with vocational training, employment, capital support; promote consumer markets for products made by women with disabilities; supervise and recommend the implementation of policies for women with disabilities; promptly honor and praise disabled women for overcoming challenges in life to success, according to Phan Thi Quynh Nhu, Deputy Head of the Central Board of Family & Society, Vietnam Women's Union.
 
Minh Thiet
Translated by N.T