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| Students with disabilities perform at the launch of three new USAID activities in support of the disabled in Danang, Vietnam, on October 29, 2008. |
Three U.S.-Funded Activities to Promote Better Health, More Jobs for the Disabled Launched in Danang
Wednesday, October 29, 2008 DANANG, October 29, 2008 – Vietnamese and U.S. officials today officially launched three activities to help persons with disabilities in Danang access health services and gain skills to find jobs.
Funded through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), these new projects totaling $1 million will be implemented by the East Meets West Foundation (EMW), Save the Children, and Vietnam Assistance for the Handicapped (VNAH).
"The American people are committed to bringing a better future to the disabled who can go far in life if given the assistance, encouragement and opportunities for education and employment,” said U.S. Ambassador Michael Michalak at a ceremony with the Danang People’s Committee and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.
“We stand ready to do all we can to assist the government in ensuring that people with disabilities are afforded chances to access facilities, expand their knowledge and skills, apply their expertise, and prosper and lead in their careers.”
VNAH will connect an urban rehabilitation center with four district health centers in the Danang area to provide quality services and education in rehabilitative medicine. The American Rehabilitation Center at Binh Dan hospital, funded by USAID, will be equipped and refurbished to support the other districts. VNAH will help people with disabilities and their families improve their social and economic status and integration, and help local authorities, health service providers, and disabled organizations develop programs to increase resources for disability.
Save the Children USA, will work with the Danang Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs and Inclusive Development Action to expand employment and income generation opportunities for people with disabilities and their households by promoting formal sector employment and self-employment for people with disabilities.
The third USAID partner, EMW, will utilize their grant to improve the quality of life for persons living with disabilities in Danang province, particularly children with disabilities. Key activities will include medical and social screening for people with disabilities, corrective surgery, physical therapy and rehabilitation services, scholarships for children with disabilities, and community-based rehabilitation.
This assistance package for disabled persons is part of $3 million appropriated by the U.S. Congress for Vietnam. The remaining $2 million will be used for dioxin mitigation efforts in the Danang area.
Since 1989, USAID has supported humanitarian programs aimed at improving the life and inclusion of Vietnamese with disabilities. To date, the U.S. government has contributed over $46 million in assistance to people with disabilities.
Through its activities since 2000, the USAID has worked with the Government of Vietnam to help speed up the country's transition to an open, market-based economy, increase prevention and treat cases of HIV/AIDS, improve vulnerable groups' access to educational and other social services, and ensure that environmental governance progresses along with economic and social development. In total, USAID has contributed over $200 million for relief and development activities in Vietnam. For more information, visit: http://www.usaid.gov/rdma/countries/vietnam.html.
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