Organised by the Association in Support of Vietnamese Handicappedand Orphans (ASVHO), the event discussed measures to help these establishmentsovercome difficulties and create more jobs for the disabled.
Addressing the conference, Vice Chairman of the ASVHO’sCentral Committee Nguyen Trong Dam stressed the Party and State have alwayspaid attention to generating employment for people with disabilities, includinginvalids.
In line with the nation’s economic growth, these people haveturned their production facilities into cooperatives and companies with soundperformance.
To date, disabled people have operated close to 700 productionestablishments in Vietnam, creating more than 40,000 jobs with an averagemonthly income of between 5 and 7 million VND (220 – 308 USD). Those which aremembers of the ASVHO make an annual contribution of over 500 billion VND (22million USD) to the State budget.
Dam, however, pointed to the modest number of thesebusinesses, adding that they often have small scale of between 10 and 15 labourersand face difficulties in terms of capital, technology and production area. Mostof their products are handmade, hence lacking competitiveness and just beingdistributed domestically, he said.
Nong Van Chuan, a handicraft business owner in Binh Anvillage of Na Ry district in Bac Kan province, proposed authorities ofdifferent levels direct the organisation of more vocational training classesfor disabled people, and help their production facilities obtain loans at lowinterest rates and distribute their goods.
Agreeing with Chuan, Nguyen Thi Thu Huong, head of the ThuongThuong Handmade company in Hanoi, recommended that ASVHO create opportunitiesfor the formation of business links in support to the distribution of thegroup’s products.-VNA