Self-reliant Life for People with Disabilities

Written by: Vi Van Thuan – Project Assistant of Quan Hoa ADP and Phan Thi Thanh Huyen – Teacher in Nong Son district
 
Yen never dreamt of doing any business on her own before. The 17-year-old girl felt useless because she was neither able to take further studies not assist her parents at work in the field.

In fact, Yen even struggles to walk. She has had a muscle disorder since birth at her remote village in the northern province of Thanh Hoa.

Little Tu, 13, and her younger sister, 10, are with intellectual impairment in Nong Son district, a rural area in the central province of Quang Nam. They didn’t say a word all day and if someone asked them, they didn’t reply. They both dared not to play with other children at the village.

Their parents never let them home alone because they were always worried about their children’s safety.  

Both Yen and Tu might be dependent on their parents during their whole life if they hadn’t involved in World Vision’s programmes.

After attending World Vision’s vocational training course for out-of-school youths, Yen now runs her hairdresser’s shop at her hometown. Her simple salon is sparsely furnished with basic equipment but it’s full of laughter from both the owner and her customers.

“I receive 9-10 customers a day and my daily income ranges from VND90,000-300,000 (4-14 US dollars),” says the 17-year-old girl.

“I’ll learn to cut men’s hair so I can expand my shop,” Yen wishes.

The 13-year-old Tu now studies at Grade 4. She is now able to say hi to those she knows and keep her personal hygiene. She also can take her younger sister to kindergarten every morning. She was confident enough to sing a song at a recent music show in front of all teachers and her schoolmates. 

“We can work out from morning till afternoon without worrying about them at home. They have been able to take care of themselves since they attended the inclusive education class which is open by World Vision,” says their mother, Pham Thi Men.

Yen’s parents are poor farmers in a mountainous district of Quan Hoa. All three of their daughters have physical disabilities. One of Yen’s younger sisters is deaf and dumb while the smallest is ill in both mental and physical health.

After years of hospital visits, Yen took her first steps when she was nine years old.

“My family and I were so excited when she started to walk. Words were not enough to describe our happiness,” Ha Thi Tuyet, Yen’s mother, remembers.
Yen was a good student at primary school and junior secondary schools at her village. She was sometimes absent because of her disability.

Her high school was 30km from her house. She decided to leave her hometown, renting a room with friends near her school, but she faced another major obstacle.

“My classroom was upstairs so it was not easy for me to go up and down every day. Studying hard and living without my parent’s care made me have a relapse of my disability. I had no other choice; I left school and came back to my hometown.”

Yen thought the world was closed to her when her studying stopped. “I didn’t know what to do. I was a burden of my parents,” she recalls. “My parents had to spoon-feed me with rice when I was sick, lying on bed.”

In early 2012, World Vision’s Quan Hoa Area Development Programme in cooperation with local authorities organised a vocational training course for out-of-school youths. Yen was one of ten young people who were selected as trainees.

Yen was equipped with knowledge and practical skills during the three-month training. After the course, she was confident to open her own shop near her house.

“My daughter is not as downhearted as before. She is able to find a suitable job,” says Yen’s mother.

Meanwhile, World Vision has assisted Tu to attend a class which includes both children with and without disabilities. Beside knowledge, her teachers and friends have told her how to greet, reply when being asked and play games.

Teachers at Tu’s school have been provided with knowledge and skills training on appropriate and inclusive teaching methods so that they can help such children like Tu to join activities with their schoolmates.

“Going to class is more interesting than at home,” Tu says. “I want to be a doctor.”

To date, World Vision has established and operated more than 70 clubs for children and adults with disabilities nationwide. The clubs help to raise awareness of government policies on disability and provide economic development opportunities. They also aim to remove social barriers, offering recreational and educational activities for those with disabilities and their friends.

“I hope every young people like me can find a job that suits them,” Yen says.