Did you know… March 1st is International Wheelchair Day! Today is a day to celebrate the positive impact a wheelchair can make in someone’s life, as well those that support wheelchair users and strive to make the world a better, more accessible place!
Wheelchairs enable so many people the freedom and opportunity to get involved in and enjoy participating in everyday life- going to school, participating in sports, going to work, visiting friends and being an active member of their community.
USAID Okard CBID teams have been supporting children and adults with disabilities to access wheelchairs to meet their mobility needs.
“In the past, I was at home all day and would only see my mother and siblings, because I cannot walk. Now that I have a wheelchair, I have been able to go outside and see new things and make new friends.” – Opplavanh – a USAID Okard Beneficiary.
USAID Okard will be supporting COPE to partner with International Society of Wheelchair Professionals (ISWP) https://wheelchairnetwork.org/ to provide online intermediate level training to build capacity of staff at CMR and PRC to provide wheelchairs leading to increased availability of specialized supportive wheelchairs at provincial level.
Check out wheelchair basketball in action: https://youtu.be/njumY0suL6g
USAID Okard, funded by USAID and implemented by World Education, Inc., improves access to quality healthcare and economic opportunities for persons with disabilities, and supports design and implementation of disabilities inclusive policies.
“ການສົ່ງເສີມຄວາມຮັບຮູ້ ແລະ ຫຼຸດຜ່ອນຄວາມເຊື່ອ ແລະ ເລື່ອງເລົ່າທີ່ບໍ່ແມ່ນຄວາມຈິງໃນວັນ ພະຍາດຊັກ ເອປີເລັບຊີສາກົນ!”
“After my participation in the business plan development training with the Okard project to get ready and well equipped for starting my own business, I am so glad to receive the motorbike parts and other materials to develop my shop and provide good services to customers.” – Mr. Nota’s caregiver from Hib Village, Kham District, Xieng Khouang Province. Nota is a USAID Okard beneficiary who has an intellectual impairment.
From August through December 2021, the USAID Okard Community Based Inclusive Development (CBID) team provided livestock such as goats, chickens, pigs, and fish, and equipment such as motorbike parts, tractor parts, and grocery items, valued at more than 282,000,000 LAK to 90 households of persons with disabilities in Kham District, Xieng Khouang Province, and items valued at more than 238,000,000 LAK to 86 households of persons with disabilities in Xayphouthong District, Savannakhet Province. These assets are intended to support households to start or strengthen their own business. Recipients attended various income generation training sessions, including business plan development, financial literacy training, technical training, advice about suitable locations for businesses, and household and personal finance management training in order to help them build their businesses.
One of the priorities of the USAID Okard CBID project is ensuring that no one is harmed or fatally injured from Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) while initiating or expanding a farming IGA. Therefore, prior to the handover of livestock, USAID Okard coordinated with the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, the National Regulatory Authority for UXO, and UXO-Lao to clear the land of 33 households of persons with disabilities who live in the high-risk UXO areas in Kham District, Xieng Khouang. Now they can pursue their chosen farm IGA with limited risks to their safety.
Through USAID Okard’s support, more persons with disabilities and their households are now able to initiate or expand a business, increase their household income, and start saving to prevent any risks of unexpected out of pocket expenses that might jeopardize their financial stability.
“These 100 chickens are keeping me busy, but I like it that way, knowing that I have a lot of chickens that can help with my family’s income and enable us to sustain our finances. Thank you to USAID Okard for providing me with the assets and the skills to manage the livestock effectively so I can sell some of them for a good price and start saving money.” – Ms. Dern from Phonthan Village, Xayphouthong District, Savannakhet Province. Dern is a USAID Okard beneficiary with difficulties in mobility.
USAID Okard, funded by USAID and implemented by World Education, Inc., Humanity & Inclusion, Quality of Life Association (QLA), and Association for Rural Mobilisation and Improvement (ARMI), improves access to quality healthcare and economic opportunities for persons with disabilities, and supports the design and implementation of disability inclusive policies.
(For Lao language:)
ໂຄງການໂອກາດ ສະໜັບສະໜູນກິດຈະກໍາສ້າງລາຍຮັບ ໃຫ້ແກ່ຄົນທີ່ມີຄວາມພິການ ແລະ ຄອບຄົວຂອງເຂົາເຈົ້າ ຢູ່ແຂວງຊຽງຂວາງ ແລະ ສະຫວັນນະເຂດ ລວມມູນຄ່າ 520,000,000 ກີບ
“ຫຼັງຈາກທີ່ຂ້ອຍໄດ້ເຂົ້າຮ່ວມການຝຶກອົບຮົມ ກ່ຽວກັບການສ້າງແຜນທຸລະກິດກັບໂຄງການໂອກາດ ເພື່ອ ກຽມຄວາມພ້ອມສໍາລັບການເລີ່ມຕົ້ນທຸລະກິດຂອງຂ້ອຍເອງ, ແລະ ຂ້ອຍມີຄວາມຮູ້ສຶກດີໃຈຫຼາຍທີ່ທາງ ໂຄງການ ໄດ້ມອບສິ້ນສ່ວນອາໄຫຼ່ລົດຈັກ ແລະ ວັດສະດຸອື່ນໆ ເພື່ອຊ່ວຍພັດທະນາຮ້ານຂອງຂ້ອຍ ແລະ ພ້ອມໃຫ້ບໍລິການ ທີ່ດີແກ່ລູກຄ້າ.” – ຜູ້ດູແລນ້ອງໂນຕ້າ ຈາກບ້ານຮີບ, ເມືອງຄຳ, ແຂວງ ຊຽງຂວາງ. ໂນຕ້າ ແມ່ນຄົນທີ່ມີຄວາມບົກຜ່ອງທາງ ດ້ານສະຕິປັນຍາ ແລະ ເປັນຜູ້ໄດ້ຮັບຜົນປະໂຫຍດ ຂອງໂຄງການໂອກາດ
ນັບຕັ້ງແຕ່ເດືອນສິງຫາ ຈົນເຖິງ ທັນວາ 2021 ທີມງານການພັດທະນາແບບມີສ່ວນຮ່ວມຂັ້ນຊຸມຊົນ (CBID) ຂອງໂຄງການໂອກາດ ໄດ້ສະໜອງ ສັດລ້ຽງເຊັ່ນ: ແບ້, ໄກ່, ໝູ ແລະ ປາ ແລະ ອຸປະກອນຕ່າງໆ ເຊັ່ນ: ຊິ້ນສ່ວນອາໄຫຼ່ລົດຈັກ ແລະ ລົດໄຖນາ, ລາຍການເຄື່ອງແຫ້ງຕ່າງໆ ລວມມູນຄ່າຫຼາຍກວ່າ 282 ລ້ານກີບ ໃຫ້ແກ່ 90 ຄົວເຮຶອນຂອງຄົນທີ່ມີຄວາມພິການ ແລະ ຄອບຄົວຂອງພວກເຂົາຢູ່ເມືອງຄຳ ແຂວງຊຽງຂວາງ ແລະ ຈຳນວນມູນຄ່າຫຼາຍກວ່າ 238 ລ້ານກີບໃຫ້ແກ່ 86 ຄົວເຮຶອນ ຂອງຄົນທີ່ມີຄວາມພິການ ແລະ ຄອບຄົວ ຢູ່ເມືອງໄຊພູທອງ, ແຂວງສະຫວັນນະເຂດ. ການສະໜອງຊັບສິນເຫຼົ່ານີ້ແມ່ນມີຈຸດປະສົງ ເພື່ອສະ ໜັບສະໜູນໃຫ້ຄົນທີ່ມີຄວາມພິການ ແລະ ຄອບຄົວໃນການເລີ່ມຕົ້ນທຸລະກິດ ຫຼື ສ້າງຄວາມເຂັ້ມແຂງ ທາງດ້ານທຸລະກິດຂອງພວກເຂົາ. ນອກຈາກສັດລ້ຽງ ແລະ ອຸປະກອນຕ່າງໆແລ້ວ ພວກເຂົາຍັງໄດ້ເຂົ້າຮ່ວມການຝຶກ ອົບຮົມຕ່າງໆ ເຊັ່ນ: ການພັດທະນາແຜນທຸລະກິດ, ການຝຶກອົບຮົມຄວາມຮູ້ທາງດ້ານການເງິນ, ການຝຶກອົບຮົມດ້ານວິ ຊາການ, ແລະ ຄໍາແນະນໍາກ່ຽວກັບສະຖານທີ່ທີ່ເໝາະສົມ ສໍາລັບທຸລະກິດ, ແລະ ການຝຶກອົບຮົມການຄຸ້ມ ຄອງການເງິນຂອງຄົວເຮືອນ ແລະ ສ່ວນບຸກຄົນ ເພື່ອຊ່ວຍໃນການສ້າງທຸລະກິດຂອງພວກເຂົາ.
ໜຶ່ງໃນບູລິມະສິດຫຼັກຂອງທີມງານການພັດທະນາແບບມີສ່ວນຮ່ວມຂັ້ນຊຸມຊົນ ຂອງໂຄງການໂອກາດ ແມ່ນເພື່ອຮັບປະກັນວ່າບໍ່ມີໃຜໄດ້ຮັບບາດເຈັບ ຫຼື ເສຍຊີວິດຈາກລະເບີດບໍ່ທັນແຕກ ໃນຂະນະທີ່ລິເລີ່ມ ຫຼື ຂະ ຫຍາຍພື້ນທີ່ກະສິກຳຈາກກິດຈະກຳສ້າງລາຍຮັບ, ດັ່ງນັ້ນ ກ່ອນການມອບ-ຮັບຊັບສິນທາງດ້ານກະສິກໍາ, ໂຄງການໂອກາດ ໄດ້ມີ ການປະສານສົມທົບກັບກະຊວງແຮງງານ ແລະ ສະຫວັດດີການສັງຄົມ, ຄະນະກໍາມະການຄຸ້ມຄອງແຫ່ງຊາດ ເພື່ອແກ້ໄຂບັນຫາລະເບີດບໍ່ທັນແຕກທີ່ຕົກຄ້າງ ແລະ ໂຄງການເກັບກູ້ລະເບີດແຫ່ງຊາດ ເພື່ອສໍາຫຼວດ ແລະ ກວດກູ້ເນື້ອທີ່ດິນຂອງທີ່ດິນຂອງ 33 ຄອບຄົວທີ່ມີຄົນພິການອາໃສຢູ່ ໃນເຂດທີ່ມີ ຄວາມສ່ຽງສູງຕໍ່ກັບລະເບີດບໍ່ທັນແຕກ ທີ່ເມືອງຄຳ, ແຂວງຊຽງຂວາງ. ໃນປັດຈຸບັນ, ພວກເຂົາສາມາດ ດຳເນີນການກະສິກໍາ ເຊິ່ງເປັນກິດຈະກຳການສ້າງລາຍຮັບ ທີ່ພວກເຂົາໄດ້ເລືອກໄວ້ ໄດ້ຢ່າງປອດໄພ ແລະ ສະບາຍໃຈ.
ໂດຍຜ່ານການສະໜັບສະໜູນຂອງໂຄງການໂອກາດ, ປະຈຸບັນຄົນທີ່ມີຄວາມພິການ ແລະ ຄອບຄົວຂອງ ພວກເຂົາສາມາດ ລິເລີ່ມ ຫຼື ຂະຫຍາຍທຸລະກິດ ເພື່ອເພີ່ມລາຍຮັບເຂົ້າໃນຄົວເຮືອນຂອງພວກເຂົາ, ແລະ ເລີ່ມຕົ້ນການປະຢັດ ເພື່ອປ້ອງກັນຄວາມສ່ຽງຂອງຄ່າໃຊ້ຈ່າຍ ທີ່ບໍ່ຄາດຄິດຈະເກີດຂຶ້ນ ເຊິ່ງອາດຈະມີຜົນ ກະທົບຕໍ່ຄວາມໝັ້ນຄົງ ທາງດ້ານການເງິນຂອງພວກເຂົາ.
“ໄກ່ 100 ໂຕນີ້ ເຮັດໃຫ້ຂ້ອຍບໍ່ມີເວລາຫວ່າງ, ແຕ່ຂ້ອຍກໍ່ມັກທີ່ເປັນແບບນີ້, ຂ້ອຍຮູ້ວ່າຂ້ອຍມີໄກ່ຫຼາຍໂຕ ທີ່ຈະສາມາດຊ່ວຍເພີ່ມລາຍຮັບໃຫ້ແກ່ຄອບຄົວຂອງຂ້ອຍໄດ້ ແລະ ຊ່ວຍໃຫ້ພວກເຮົາມີຄວາມຍືນຍົງທາງ ດ້ານການເງິນ. ຂອບໃຈໂຄງການໂອກາດ ທີ່ໄດ້ສະໜອງຊັບສິນ ແລະ ທັກສະໃນການຄຸ້ມຄອງການລ້ຽງສັດ ໃຫ້ຂ້ອຍຢ່າງມີປະສິດທິພາບ ເພື່ອໃຫ້ຂ້ອຍສາມາດຂາຍສັດລ້ຽງຂອງຂ້ອຍ ເຊິ່ງບາງໂຕຂ້ອຍກໍ່ຂາຍໄດ້ລາຄາ ທີ່ດີ ແລະ ເລີ່ມຕົ້ນການທ້ອນເງິນ.” – ນາງເດີນ ຜູ້ໄດ້ຮັບຜົນປະໂຫຍດຂອງໂຄງການໂອກາດ ທີ່ມີຄວາມພິການທາງຮ່າງກາຍ ຈາກບ້ານໂພນທັນ ເມືອງໄຊພູທອງ, ແຂວງສະຫວັນນະເຂດ.
ໂຄງການໂອກາດ ໃຫ້ການສະໜັບສະໜູນທຶນໂດຍ ອົງການພັດທະນາສາກົນ ປະເທດ ສະຫະລັດ ອາເມລິກາ (USAID) ແລະ ຈັດຕັ້ງປະຕິບັດໂດຍ ອົງການເວີລດ໌ເອດຢູເຄຊັນ (WEI), ອົງການເພື່ອມະນຸດສະທໍາ ແລະ ການມີສ່ວນຮ່ວມ (HI), ສະມາຄົມຊ່ວຍເຫຼືອຟື້ນຟູຄຸນນະພາບຊີວິດ (QLA), ສະມາຄົມເພື່ອການສະໜັບ ສະໜູນ ແລະ ປັບປຸງຊົນນະບົດ (ARMI) ເພື່ອເສີມຂະຫຍາຍການເຂົ້າເຖິງການຮັກສາສຸຂະພາບ ແລະ ໂອກາດທາງດ້ານເສດຖະກິດ ສຳລັບຄົນທີ່ມີຄວາມພິການ, ພ້ອມທັງສະໜັບສະໜູນການມີສ່ວນຮ່ວມໃນ ການອອກແບບນະໂຍບາຍ ແລະ ປະຕິບັດວຽກງານໃນການພັດທະນາມີແບບສ່ວນຮ່ວມ.
“As a representative of National Committee for Disabled People and the Elderly (NCDE), I am glad to participate in this Okard Redesign workshop. The project gives “Okard” opportunities to persons with disabilities. We are the key driver to support and serve persons with disabilities in two targeted districts. Today all sub-recipients presented updates and various information about the Assistive Products to improve people’s functioning and well-being, economic empowerment and other services along with the success, we also have faced some challenges and difficulties that we need to increase our synergies and work together and today we set up the timeline and action plan for extending the project to ensure we all together achieve the goals of Okard to support persons with disabilities.”
– Sisavath Khomphonh, Director General of NCDE, Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare
On 14 December 2021, USAID Okard hosted a project redesign workshop. All Okard partners were in attendance, including the National Committee for Disabled People and the Elderly (NCDE) of the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, the Department of Health and Rehabilitation (DHR) of the Ministry of Health, the Center for Medical Rehabilitation (CMR), Humanity and Inclusion (HI), the Cooperative Orthotic and Prosthetic Enterprise (COPE), Quality of Life Association (QLA), Association for Rural Mobilization and Improvement (ARMI), Disability Mainstreaming Advisory Service Center (DMAS), the Association for Autism (AfA) and United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
The workshop was informed by an external Mid-Term Evaluation (MTE) conducted in August 2021 and focused on making adjustments to each partner’s activities based on the recommendations from the MTE report. For the last two months, partners have been reflecting on the progress made to date and preparing a revised workplan, based on the feasibility to achieve the intended impact of activities in the remaining time of USAID Okard. These preparations culminated in the Redesign Workshop, where each partner had the opportunity to present their revised workplan of key activities and outcomes in pursuit of Okard’s overarching goal: to support disability inclusive development in Lao PDR.
USAID Okard, funded by USAID and implemented by World Education, Inc., improves access to quality healthcare and economic opportunities for persons with disabilities, while also engaging them in policy design and implementation.
Celebration of the National and International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2021
On December 4, 2021, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), World Education Laos, Humanity & Inclusion, and Lao Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) organized a virtual event to celebrate the National and International Day of Persons with Disabilities, 2021. This year’s theme is “Reaching for a better life”, which aims to celebrate human diversity including diversity in the ability to move, communicate, see and hear, as well as diversity in learning and well-being. The celebration of persons with disabilities focused on empathy, dignity, equity and non-discrimination particularly in terms of the situation of COVID-19, while at the same time raising awareness and building understanding in society about disability inclusive development.
This event was funded by USAID and organized in partnership with the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, USAID Okard project, Lao Disabled People’s Association, Disability Service Center, Hands of Hope for hearing impairment, Association for Autism, Association for the Deaf, Women with Disabilities Association, Disability Mainstreaming Advisory Service Center, Asian Development with the Disabled Persons Japan, Cooperative Orthotic and Prosthetic Enterprise, Quality of Life Association, and Association for Rural Mobilisation and Improvement.
“This celebration today also reminds us that we need to continue working together to ensure that the post-Covid-19 world is inclusive, accessible and sustainable for all including people with disabilities as mentioned in this year theme.” Said Dr. Peter M Haymond, the U.S. Ambassador to Lao PDR.
Due to the COVID-19 outbreak and restriction, this year marked the very first time in Laos that the celebration of the national and international day of persons with disabilities took place entirely as a virtual event. Joined by several disability inclusive development partners who promote and raise awareness of disability work in Laos, the virtual event also featured performances from persons with disabilities, panel discussions talking about the impact of COVID-19 for persons with disabilities, inspirational stories from persons with disabilities who work in different professions, such as athletes, business owners, development workers, and educators to share their experiences on how to overcome barriers in life. The virtual event was interactive with clips, questions and games with prizes to win for the audience at home.
“I have learnt a lot about the work to support persons with disabilities in Laos, also persons with disabilities can do a lot more than I thought and it really changes my perspective towards them and I am really amazed by their capacity and strong will” – audience at home.
To watch the virtual event, please click here.
World Education Laos is excited to announce the Lawang (“Beware”): Expanding the Scope of Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE) in Laos project. Funded by the U.S. Department of State, the Lawang project will build on achievements of the recent Comprehensive Mine Risk Education project by piloting new modes of EORE that will bring unexploded ordnance safety messages to a wider audience across the country.
WEI is currently in the process of obtaining a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Education and Sport (MOES) for the Lawang project, which will run from 2021-2024. WEI will work with MOES to design and pilot an EORE curriculum for non-formal education centers, and will also partner with village education development committees, helping them train youth volunteers to run EORE events in their communities. As social media is increasing in popularity across Laos, WEI will also work with the Lao government and private sector to create a variety of digital EORE media that will be disseminated through Facebook and other channels.
In partnership with the Department of General Education, the Lawang project will train secondary school teachers to effectively use the new MRE teacher handbooks that were developed under the Comprehensive MRE project. Teachers will be supported to lead fun and engaging EORE lessons while also spearheading additional awareness raising activities with their students.
Together, these activities will reach students, parents, and community members throughout Laos, contributing to greater understanding of the risks of unexploded ordnance and reducing the number of accidents each year.
“Persons with disabilities have capabilities, skills and talents to support and take care of their families, and at the same time they are inspiring and empowering others to overcome any barriers they may face in life” – US Ambassador to Lao P.D.R – Peter Haymond. “The United States is proud to help Lao PDR improve the health and well-being of persons with disabilities under the U.S. Lao Comprehensive partnership”.
On 28 August 2021, US Ambassador Peter Haymond and his wife Dusadee visited the Community Based Inclusive Development (CBID) USAID Okard project in Kham District, Xiengkhouang Province. During the visit, they joined a discussion with a group of persons with disabilities from Kham district. The discussion centered around the effect of the Social Behavior Change Communication (SBCC) and peer to peer support activities of QLA, with CBID beneficiaries sharing their life experiences on how they have overcome barriers and negative attitudes towards their disability, and how they have also inspired others to not give up on life.
USAID Okard, funded by USAID and implemented by World Education Inc,. Quality of Life Association improves access to quality healthcare and economic opportunities for persons with disabilities, and supports design and implementation of disabilities inclusive policies.
Disability Inclusive Development (DID) training for community-based Self-Help Groups in Savannakhet and Xieng Khouang Provinces
From July 27 to 29, 2021 in Savannakhet Province and August 10 to 12, 2021 in Xieng Khouang Province, USAID Okard, together with the Association for Autism (AfA) and core trainer team from four organizations of people with disabilities (Lao Disabled People’s Association (LDPA), Association for Deaf (AFD), Lao Disabled Women Development Centre (LDWDC) and Disability Service Centre (DSC)), conducted Disability Inclusive Development (DID) training for leaders of the USAID Okard-established self-help groups (SHG) from 13 villages in Savannakhet and Xieng Khouang to strengthen their understanding of the rights of persons with disabilities and the role of self-help groups in supporting people with disabilities.
The representatives of the self-help groups who attended the training came with their interests in learning more about how to support people with disabilities to identify their own needs and promote inclusive and meaningful participation from people in their communities. Participants were particularly interested in options to help people with disabilities become self-sufficient, have jobs and income. Participants had the opportunity to brainstorm and share some of the main barriers that people with disabilities in their villages are facing such as inaccessible schools, restaurants, toilets and meeting rooms, bumpy roads making travel more difficult, and a lack of available assistive devices such as wheelchairs, canes, sign language teachers and knowledge about how to support people with intellectual disabilities.
After the sessions, participants finished the training with knowledge and a motivation to return to their groups to share more about different type of impairments, discrimination and equality, and how accessibility to clean water, healthcare, education and employment can improve the wellbeing of people with disabilities.
USAID Okard, funded by USAID and implemented by World Education Inc,. Humanity and Inclusion and Association for Autism improves access to quality healthcare and economic opportunities for persons with disabilities, and supports design and implementation of disabilities inclusive policies.
“It is a good opportunity for us [rehabilitation health professionals] to refresh our knowledge and skills on clubfoot treatment. During the training, after practicing on a clubfoot rubber mould, we had the chance to practice clubfoot manipulation and casting on babies in real time. I think the most important part of the training for us was to refresh our skills on how to put our fingers at the exact place to correct the foot deformities.” – Mr. Phayabseng Vilayvanh, participant from the Provincial Rehabilitation Sub Center (PRSC), Savannakhet Province.
More than 200 babies are born with clubfoot every year in Laos. Boys are twice more likely to have clubfoot than girls and 50% of the babies with clubfoot have both feet affected. If properly treated in the first weeks after birth, the clubfoot deformity will disappear at the time the toddler starts walking.
Correcting clubfoot deformities of a newborn baby using the Ponseti method requires a lot of experience and delicate hand skills. For the therapists, positioning their fingers at the right place on the baby’s foot is crucial to achieve optimal clubfoot correction. The refresher training provided rehabilitation professionals with a better understanding of the entire protocol of treatment including serial casting, bracing, and follow-up, but also allowed them to practice and in prove their hand skills on real babies.
From 3 to 5 August 2021, USAID Okard supported COPE to conduct a refresher training on clubfoot treatment to Lao national rehabilitation health professionals from the Centre of Medical Rehabilitation and four Provincial Rehabilitation Sub Centers (4 PRSCs) from Savannakhet, Xieng Khouang, Champasack, and Luangprabang Provinces.
With refreshed knowledge and skills, USAID Okard and COPE are confident that all babies born with clubfoot and treated by the professionals at CMR and PRSCs, will enjoy an active and happy life.
USAID Okard, funded by USAID and implemented by World Education Inc,. improves access to quality healthcare and economic opportunities for persons with disabilities, and supports design and implementation of disabilities inclusive policies.
“This is a new experience for me to join this social club. I’ve been having fun with other participants through many interactive games, and yet at the same time, I learned about everyone’s stories and how they overcame their insecurities due to their disabilities. I’m so happy that I could share my feelings with others” – Ms. Nee from Heep Village, a person with mobility impairment who has recently joined the USAID Okard’s social club.
On 29 July 2021, the USAID Okard Community Based Inclusive Development (CBID) team from the Quality of Life Association (QLA) in Xieng Khouang Province conducted a ‘social club’. The club is designed to bring persons with disabilities and the communities together, and create a space where role models persons with disabilities can share experience on how they overcome stigma, and ultimately inspire others to do the same. The activity, including role playing games, and sports, will be expanded to more clusters of villages in Kham District, Xieng Khouang province.
USAID Okard, funded by USAID and implemented by World Education Inc,. improves access to quality healthcare and economic opportunities for persons with disabilities, and supports design and implementation of disabilities inclusive policies.