The United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Will to Live Center and the Embassy of Japan in Vietnam jointly launched a digital employment training program for persons with disabilities co-existing with COVID-19, through which students will develop digital skills to be able to take up digital employment opportunities.

UNDP Resident Representative Caitlin Wiesen (L) and CEO of the Will to Live Center
Nguyen Thi Van pose for a photo at the event – Photo: Courtesy of organizer

The 39 students with disabilities participating in the program will further be able to live independently with dignity, support their families and contribute to the digital economy.

“This is what we are contributing to the increased equal employment opportunities for persons with disabilities—the indicators of Article 27 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Sustainable Development Goal No. 8 on Decent Work for all,” said UNDP resident representative Caitlin Wiesen at the launch ceremony.

“We must ensure that the existing inequalities and risks faced by persons with disabilities are not further deepened by COVID-19 and we can together move forward toward a disability-inclusive, accessible and sustainable post COVID-19 world, which will also be the theme of the approaching International Day for Persons with Disabilities,” she added.

Two of the key findings of UNDP’s recent study on employment policies and their implementation for persons with disabilities are that reasonable accommodation facilities have not been stipulated under the law and persons with disabilities have not been trained in new jobs to meet the demands of the new labor market.

In this project, the Will to Live Center can become a role model for coming up with reasonable accommodation facilities and providing the latest digital skills for persons with disabilities to integrate into the dynamic economy of the fourth industrial revolution.

“I wanted to go to the university but there is no elevator there and my mom can’t give me a piggyback ride climbing the stairs to my class every day, so I have to stay home,” shared Vo Thi Mien, 19 years old, from Ha Tinh Province.

“I was sad and wanted to integrate into the society. This digital skills training opens the second gate for me. I hope I get a decent job after graduation to support my family,” added Mien.

Addressing the event, co-founder and CEO of the Will to Live Center Nguyen Thi Van gave flower seeds to all the students to be planted and wished them strength to overcome all barriers and move forward.

“Each person has her or his own ability and value. We need to create equal opportunities for everyone to unleash their own potential,” she said.