Dong Ha (20 May 2020) – As part of the Irish Aid-funded project “Victim Assistance/Disability Support and Mine Risk Education in support of UXO survey and clearance, Project RENEW today in collaboration with the Quang Tri Provincial Association for Disabled Persons, Agent Orange Victims, Disability Support and Protection of the Children’s Rights (the Association) organized a workshop to implement the dissemination of the Law on Persons with Disabilities to the communities and support activities in the post-COVID-19.

Mr. Thai Vinh Lieu, Chairman of the Association and Mr. Dang Quang Toan, Victim Assistance/Disability Support Manager of Project RENEW co-chaired the workshop which was attended by nearly 60 delegates representing Project RENEW’s local partners from the Association, the Provincial Blind Society and their chapters at district level.

The workshop focused on assessment of key results of the cooperative efforts between RENEW and the Association. Under the Irish Aid funding, in the period of 2018-2019, Project RENEW’s Victim Assistance/Disability Support had achieved the following remarkable outcomes:

• 362 persons with disabilities, including 76 from Quang Binh Province, had been examined and fitted with prostheses and assistive devices for physical rehabilitation and social reintegration.
• The Orthopedic Workshop in Quang Tri General Hospital was reactivated for bringing rehab services closers to disabled persons.
• 25 families of war victims and disabled persons received breeding cows to raise to develop family economy.
• 45 blind people from the Blind Societies in Dakrong,  Vinh Linh and Quang Tri took part in a vocation training to produce incense and brooms for sales.
• 10 Contests on the Persons with Disabilities Law with integrated musical exchanges were organized to encourage persons with disabilities to take part in social activities.
• 30 information sessions were held to disseminate the Law on Persons with Disabilities and provide explanation of policies for about 1,200 disabled persons and their family members in 30 communes.
• Pro-disabled messages and the UXO hotline number were spread in various forms of billboards, polo shirts, caps and mugs.

Representatives of the Association chapters shared information about different impacts that the Covid-19 had brought upon many targets, of which persons with disabilities had been the most affected. During the social distancing period as per the Prime Minister’s Directive for prevention and control of the pandemic, most of the disability support activities at communities had to be suspended. The workshop attendants agreed to propose suitable and effective ways to support persons with disabilities to overcome their difficulties due to the Covid-19.

In the time to come, Project RENEW will collaborate with the Association to continue the implementation of the following key activities:

1. Enhance the operation of the Prosthetics and Orthotics mobile outreach program at communities.
2. Carry out dissemination of the Law on Persons with Disabilities in underserved communes.
3. Organize six Contests on the knowledge of the Law on Pesons with Disabilities.
4.  Provide a training course on using emails and social media for communication between the Chapters and improvement of dissemination work.
5. Train the trainers of Law on Persons with Disabilities for the district chapters.
6. Vocational training for the blind and other persons with disabilities.
7. Assist families with income generation initiatives.

Founded in 2001, Project RENEW is a cooperative program between the government of Quang Tri Province and foreign non-governmental organizations dedicated to restoring the environment and neutralizing the effects of the war. Project RENEW carries out UXO Survey and Clearance, Victim Assistance and Risk Education with funding from the U.S. Department of State, Irish Aid, Friends of Project RENEW and other foundations and individuals.