Businesses run by disabled people seek ways to grow
A conference on the development of production facilities run by people with disabilities took place in Hanoi on April 17, gathering suggestions from participating public agencies and disabled businessmen.
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Addressing the conference, Vice Chairman of the ASVHO’s Central Committee Nguyen Trong Dam stressed the Party and State have always paid attention to generating employment for people with disabilities, including invalids.
In line with the nation’s economic growth, these people have turned their production facilities into cooperatives and companies with sound performance.
To date, disabled people have operated close to 700 production establishments in Vietnam, creating more than 40,000 jobs with an average monthly income of between VND5 and VND7 million (US$220 – US$308). Those which are members of the ASVHO make an annual contribution of over VND500 billion (US$22 million) to the State budget.
Dam, however, pointed to the modest number of these businesses, adding that they often have small scale of between 10 and 15 labourers and face difficulties in terms of capital, technology and production area. Most of their products are handmade, hence lacking competitiveness and just being distributed domestically, he said.
Nong Van Chuan, a handicraft business owner in Binh An village of Na Ry district in Bac Kan province, proposed authorities of different levels direct the organisation of more vocational training classes for disabled people, and help their production facilities obtain loans at low interest rates and distribute their goods.
Agreeing with Chuan, Nguyen Thi Thu Huong, head of the Thuong Thuong Handmade company in Hanoi, recommended that ASVHO create opportunities for the formation of business links in support to the distribution of the group’s products.
