Meeting marks Vietnam Day of Persons with Disabilities

Addressing a meeting to mark the 20^th anniversary of the Vietnam Day of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in Hanoi on April 18, Mrs Mai said this is the eighth year since Vietnam enacted the Law on Persons with Disabilities and the fourth year since adoption of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. 

PWDs have been assisted in accessing education, healthcare, and occupational services. Many disadvantaged people have been able to improve the independence of their daily lives and are capable of helping others.

The VNFFD was set up in 2010 with the aim of protecting and supporting PWDs in exercising their rights and obligations in accordance with the law. It has 62 chapters, which focus their operations on improving their capacity to introduce products, job opportunities, and legal assistance to PWDs while creating the best possible conditions for them to take part in social activities.

Phan Bich Diep, vice president of the Hanoi Association of People with Disabilities, said the Day is an important event for nearly seven million PWDs across the country as it provides a chance for them to show their desires for an equal level of integration in the community across all social fields, thus contributing to national construction.

In recent times, in addition to State support, organizations of PWDs have made great efforts to remove barriers which can lead to disabled persons becoming marginalised from society. Since 2012, the Hanoi Association of People with Disabilities has worked closely with the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies to allocate preferential loans worth more than VND40 billion, helping to generate jobs for more than 2,000 households with PWDs.