Event affirms capacity of people with disabilities

Hanoi (VNA) – Disabled people who are active in the fields of economics, development, society and management participated in the “We can do it” event in Hanoi on November 29.

The event was held by the Embassy of Switzerland in Vietnam along with the Action to the Community Development Centre (ACDC) and the ICRC MoveAbility Foundation under the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Despite have a leg disability, Truong Cong Nghiem, Chairman of the Da Nang Association of Disabled People, has become an owner of a printing company.

Meanwhile, Dang Tran Thanh has become Director of FiveColour Company, despite having a hearing impairment. The firm, which specialises in handicraft production in Hanoi, also generates jobs for many hearing-impaired people.

Nguyen Thi Thuy, who lost one third of her left leg, represented Vietnam at the ASEAN Para Games in 2015 in track-and-field. She won a gold medal in the 200m and has won a total of 17 gold medals in international competition.

Despite having osteogenesis imperfecta, also known as brittle bone disease, Nguyen Thi Lan Anh, has overcome difficulties to become Director of the ACDC, a consultant of the National Committee for Vietnamese Persons with Disabilities and a member of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Federation for Disabilities in 2017-2022.

Addressing the programme, President of the Vietnam Red Cross Society (VRC) Nguyen Thi Xuan Thu said the VRC has implemented several activities to support poor people and those with disabilities across Vietnam.

The association has also called on organisations and individuals to support disabled people, she added.

Swiss Ambassador to Vietnam Beatrice Maser highlighted the theme of the 2017 International Day of Persons with Disabilities (December 3), which is “Transformation towards sustainable and resilient society for all”.

To realise this goal, it is necessary to create equal opportunities for people with disabilities, she said.

The annual day was launched in 1992 by the United Nations General Assembly, aiming to promote the rights and well-being of the disabled in all spheres of society and development, and increasing awareness of disabled people in political, social, economic and cultural life.-VNA