The East Meets West Foundation (EMW) and Vietnam Television (VTV) held a press conference on March 3 to announce the Top 10 Best Practices supporting people with disabilities in Vietnam in 2009.

The best programmes were selected from among 50 that support people with disabilities (PWDs) in the country based on a set of criteria, including response to urgent needs, the involvement of local community, sustainability, quantifiable results, effectiveness and the ability to replicate.

The selection is part of the “Life is Beautiful” campaign which was launched by VTV and EMW in December 2009 to support PWDs in Vietnam .

The campaign aims to raise public awareness of the problems of PWDs in Vietnam , including children and adults with congenital disabilities, landmine victims, Agent Orange survivors and those injured in accidents. It also raises funds for disadvantaged individuals with disabilities.

Director of VTV’s Television International Bach Ngoc Chien and EMW’s Programme Development Director Nguyen Thi Minh Thu expressed their hope that the “Life is Beautiful” programme will meet both domestic and international benefactors so that more PWDs will receive timely, effective support.

At present, there are some 1 million PWDs who need help in Vietnam . A database of this group as well as information on programmes assisting the disabled can be found on the website www.cuocsongvantuoidep.vn .

EMW has been working in Vietnam for more than 22 years and is currently the largest non-governmental organisation in the country. To date, the foundation has provided over 75 million USD for charitable activities in Vietnam./.