At the 11th art exchange titled “One Heart – One World” will be held and broadcast live on the national television on April 13 in honor of the Vietnam Day of People with Disabilities on April 18, in which jobs for people with disabilities will be highlighted, according to the Association for the Support of Handicapped and Orphans of Vietnam. During the exchange, the audience is expected to meet with sponsors, including Superior Buddhist Monk Thich Dinh Tanh, who cares for 210 lonely elderly people and homeless orphans in the southern province of Tay Ninh. Other people who will be present include Tran Van Dieu, a disabled person who has excelled in life and leads a fine art wood crafting foundation, and Do Duy Hieu, who lost two legs in a traffic accident but studied and became a leading student of the University of Natural Sciences. The exchange hopes to draw attention from the community to show efficient, sustainable ways to support disabled people and orphans through vocational training and job creation.
Last year, the exchange received VND409 billion from domestic and foreign organizations and individuals. The money was used to give orthopedic surgeries and rehabilitation to 3,400 disabled people, vocational training and job support to 2,900 people, and regular assistance to 60,000 others. So far this year, the exchange has collected over VND7 billion from domestic and foreign organizations. According to the General Statistics Office, there are currently about 6.7 million disabled people in Vietnam, but of these, only 10% have job or school training. The government hopes to create jobs for 250,000 disabled people by 2015 and give vocational training to 300,000 others. (http://dangcongsan.vn [1] Apr 10)
