About us

Information network. IDEA, the registered implementer of the Disability Forum Vietnam, is a local NGO working in the field of disability with the overall goal of promoting inclusive and barrier-free national development by providing information, advice and training to people with disabilities, NGOs and international agencies.

IDEA, the registered implementer of the well-known Disability Forum Vietnam: the latter which is the information network of IDEA, was established in 2000 as a network of Vietnamese groups of people with disabilities (PWD) and international NGOs and has now become the information network of IDEA. The objective of the Forum is to promote the empowerment of PWD and a barrier-free society.

Mission Statement

To promote inclusive and barrier-free national development by providing information advice and training to PWDs, NGOs and international agencies.

Objectives

To promote awareness of the general public about disability issues and support the advocacy efforts of subscriber organizations.

Activities

MANAGING DISABILITY FORUM

The issues currently addressed by IDEA include employment, inclusive education, awareness-raising and barrier-free access to public places. Plenary meetings are conducted bi-monthly and a regular Monthly Update is distributed by email to IDEA member subscribers and other interested parties. Monthly Updates can be downloaded from the online library.

IDEA assembles over 100 groups of PWD nationwide receiving Monthly Updates from the Forum. Over 1,000 local and international members subscribe to our mailing list.

PROJECT 'BUSINESS SKILLS for WOMEN with DISABILITIES'

The UN's latest MDGs report appraising country progress towards the Millennium Development Goals in 2015 states: Vietnam is one of the major success stories in the region.   The Vietnamese government has made strong commitments in education, healthcare and poverty reduction.  Although there has been good progress in improving gender equity, serious gaps remain.

Women with disabilities are disadvantaged by their impairment and their gender, and in many cases this is further compounded by poverty. They are more likely than others to be extremely poor or destitute, often with little or no schooling, unemployed and unmarried, with little family or community support.  As a result they are often socially isolated due to stigma and superstition.

A large number of these women have physical impairments but still need to earn their livelihood, in some cases for their families too. Some 5.3% of the population are people with disabilities of whom more than half are women. 75% of these women with disabilities face difficulties in applying for, and finding jobs, with mainstream employers. Many of them make things at home such as brooms, handbags and clothes which they take to market to sell. Others may sell chewing gum or tea on the street.

The Project aims to provide training in basic business skills, follow-up advice on access to micro-credit institutions, and to compile a booklet of stories of women who have been successful in starting and managing their own small businesses. This project would be highly replicable throughout the country and experience of the project would provide IDEA with the opportunity to develop training materials, at the same time as building valuable staff capacity. The project would also create a network of trained peer resource volunteers and participants to provide ongoing support. Since last year 35 groups were supported by Irish Aid. Some 10 groups of women with disabilities got legal status including four that were registered under the Provincial Women’s Union. These groups created a platform for continued sharing and learning opportunities for their members. In addition Irish Aid has supported provincial women’s unions in developing a network for women with disabilities.

Beneficiaries will be women with disabilities living in Hanoi, Thai Nguyen. The project will help women to develop their own micro-businesses and earn an independent living. Initiatives like this will also help sustain the activities of women’s self-help groups in Hanoi and Thai Nguyen set up to achieve the MDGs.

This project is intended to target poverty reduction in a particularly disadvantaged sector of society, by promoting independent living and economic empowerment. With increasing numbers of women with disabilities managing their own businesses successfully, they will in their turn be in a position to write about their experiences, successes and failures, and act as role models and funds of knowledge for future entrepreneurs.

After training project will producing a booklet (success story) second edition.  Accounts of women successfully running small businesses, from all over the country, would be collected, printed and distributed.

Timeline: December 2008 to June 2009