Quang Ngai: Improve the quality of life and social inclusion for persons with disabilities and their families

A total of 43 persons with disabilities from six wards/communes  (Đăk Bla Ward, Đăk Cấm Ward, Kon Tum Ward, Ngọk Bay Commune, Sa Bình Commune, and Sa Thầy Commune) - received individualized interventions and assistive devices based on their need assessment. The activity was carried out by a team of local resource persons consisting of officials responsible for Culture & Social Affairs, commune health station staff, and trained persons with disabilities, There was also technical support from specialists in rehabilitation, prosthetics and orthotics from Ho Chi Minh city.

The joy and happiness of persons with disabilities when receiving assistive devices tailored to their needs at home

Major activities include:

• providing mobility assistive devices (wheelchairs, orthopedic devices, walking sticks, etc.) with instructions on safety and proper usage;
• counselling and guidance on appropriate home-based rehabilitation exercises;
• supporting access to learning devices and information (computers);
• following-up and counselling to enhance self-care and participation in family and community activities.

Participants (local resource people and beneficiaries) noticed the improvement in daily living skills from N.T.T (Đăk Bla Ward): “I am deeply grateful to the project for enabling me to have a much safer and more convenient living environment.”

Đ.V.A - a person with a disability from Sa Bình Commune - shared his joy upon receiving a new wheelchair: “Thank you very much to the project for providing the wheelchair, which makes it easier for me to move around the house. My old wheelchair was difficult to manipulate and could not be flexible to pass through some places. I am very happy to receive the new wheelchair from the project so that I am not too muchdependent on my wife’s help.”

Staff providing consultation and guidance on basic mobility functions for persons with disabilities at home

On information-access support, P. B. T - a person with a disability from Sa Thầy Commune - said: “On behalf of my family, I would like to thank the project for providing a computer so that I can integrate with my peers and have the means to study and develop further. Now I can complete assignments and access information much more effectively.”

L.T.T, a staff of Sa Bình commune health station, emphasized the effectiveness of the activity: “Through this activity, I feel very proud and responsible to be a part of it in visiting and providing equipment to the beneficiaries. This is not only a supportedproject activity but it also demonstrates a concern for public health. When visiting each household, I clearly felt the warm reception and the people’s expectations for the items provided by the project. While not all items have high monetary value, each of them can bring substantial benefits to persons with disabilities, enabling them to integrate into the community and support their families.”

The activity was implemented under the Project “Improving the quality of life of persons with disabilities in provinces sprayed with Agent Orange”, for which the National Action Centre for Toxic Chemicals and Environmental Treatment (NACCET) under the Ministry of National Defence serves as the project owner. Action to the Community Development Institute (ACDC) is one of the implementing partners carrying out activities under the management of Humanity & Inclusion (HI).

Through direct support activities, many persons with disabilities and their families were equipped with devices, skills, and confidence to live more independently and participate more fully in family and community life. The project will continue to scale up the model and sustain ongoing support for communities in the project areas.