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Thanks to vocational training courses, ethnic minority people with disabilities in mountainous areas of Quang Tri province have improved significantly.

For generations, the lives of the Van Kieu and Pa Ko ethnic minorities in the mountainous areas of Quang Tri province have largely depended on farming. For people with disabilities, this work is even more laborious and challenging. This is why Plan International Vietnam and the Irish Embassy in Vietnam have supported funding for vocational training for people with disabilities in Dakrong commune of Dakrong district. The aim is to help them acquire skills to assure independent living, and economic self-sufficiency.

Ho Van Khon from Vung Kho village, Dakrong commune, unfortunately, encountered a cluster bomb while tending cassava fields.

Path to financial independence

The broom-making group in Dakrong commune was established on May 19, 2023. It consists of 23 members aged between 17 and 70. Although each person has a different background, they share a common experience of hardship, which fosters empathy, mutual support, and a strong team spirit. The story of Ho Van Khon in Vung Kho village is a typical example.

In the summer of 2002, Khon unfortunately hit a cluster bomb while tending cassava in the field. The accident happened suddenly, making his already difficult family even more difficult. Khon and his wife have 6 children, all the difficulties are a weight on his shoulders - the main breadwinner.

After the Dakrong commune broom making group for disabled people was established, Khon participated in a 10-day vocational training class. Now, Khon can make four brooms a day, while his wife can make eight. In early 2024, Khon's son spent more than 30 million VND (USD 1.193) to buy one ton of raw materials to help his parents produce all year round. In addition, Khon and his wife go into the forest to harvest rattan for tying and bamboo stems for broom handles to reduce costs.

Ho Van Khon confided since joining the Broom Production Team, his wife no longer has to worry about having to sell brooms on the street like before, because there are members of the production team who are connecting with markets to sale the products. Recently, they were also taken by Plan to visit a broom production facility in Quang Nam province and learned that one Kilogram of bamboo can make four brooms, while they can only make two, so they will adjust to reduce the necessary materials, thereby reducing costs.

"I also hope that during the group work process, there will be rooms for creativity, from which the products will become better and more beautiful. Making brooms not only helps my family have more income, life becomes more stable, but also helps me to confidently integrate with everyone. I feel that my life is more meaningful,” Khon added.

The people with disabilities broom-making group in Ta Rut commune, Dakrong district, Quang Tri province.

Another case, 70-year-old Ho Van Nuoi who has mobility disabilities due to war, started his family later in life. All three of his children are currently in school, and his wife has been ill for many years.

"I am old and no longer strong enough for farming. After receiving vocational training in broom-making, I strive to work hard to provide extra income for my family. I am grateful to Plan International and the Irish Embassy in Vietnam for helping people like us find a livelihood," Nuoi shared.

From financial dependence to financial independence

After its establishment, the Dakrong people with disabilities broom-making group developed operational regulations, decided on working times and locations and set up a common fund. Every Monday, the group works together at the Ka-lu communal house, allowing for four collective workdays each month.

In 2023, the group produced brooms from June to September, generating VND 20 million (USD 795) in sales. Right after the Dakrong broom-making group became stable and effective, Plan International supported the establishment of a vocational training class for 20 individuals with disabilities in Ta Rut commune.

According to E Not, head of the broom making group for disabled people in Dakrong, in 2024, with a steady supply of raw materials, the group produced 1,200 brooms in just three months from January to March, earning VND 48 million (USD 1.910). In which, 200 brooms were made collectively, while 1,000 were made individually by members at home. Currently, their main markets for these brooms are Dong Ha city and Hue city. As production increases, E Not said, they also plan to expand our market to other provinces, especially major cities.

Today, besides broom-making, people with disabilities in the mountainous area have skills in weaving bamboo and rattan for everyday items like baskets and trays. Offering suitable vocational training not only helps disabled individuals improve their living conditions and achieve financial independence but also contributes to preserving the distinctive cultural values of the Van Kieu and Pa Ko ethnic groups in the Truong Son mountains of western Quang Tri.

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