Annual Report FY2019 – October 1st, 2018 to September 30th, 2019

The project aims to promote equality of opportunity for persons with disabilities by building capacity and improving physical accessibility in Tay Ninh and Binh Dinh provinces. Disability Research and Capacity Development (DRD) is the prime implementing partner, with the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs (DOLISA) of Binh Dinh, Tay Ninh, and Dong Nai provinces serving as major counterpart organizations. The project targets at least 7,740 beneficiaries, including direct beneficiaries such as people with disabilities and disability leaders, and indirect beneficiaries such as service providers, government officials, and provincial departments of construction and transportation. The project expects to achieve long-term impact by providing persons with disabilities with the means to pursue an active social and economic life as equal citizens. During the reporting period from October 1st, 2018 to September 30th, 2019, the project made significant progress in training and capacity building. A total of 35 people were trained in mitigating gender-based violence, with 30 of them being women. The number of training and participants with disabilities increased significantly compared to the plan and expected outcomes, with some training that had not been done before being conducted this year. The project also made progress in auditing buildings and construction, with 10 buildings being audited in the reporting period. Additionally, 10 Disabled Person Organizations (DPOs) participated in monitoring and evaluation of the local program for persons with disabilities. The project also contributed to the strengthening of USG-assisted organizations and service delivery systems, with 30 government institutions being trained. The project also provided direct assistance to 800 persons with disabilities, with 1255 persons benefiting from USG-supported social services. The number of training and participants with disabilities increased significantly compared to the plan and expected outcomes, with some training that had not been done before being conducted this year. The project's communicators continued to reach new beneficiaries and encourage them to become members of the project. The project also conducted a regional workshop on social work on disability and clinical/health social work, and developed a TOT training module on social work with people with disabilities. The project's overall goal is to promote the equality of opportunity for persons with disabilities by building capacity and improving physical accessibility in Tay Ninh and Binh Dinh provinces. The project's objectives include increasing awareness of disability rights among persons with disabilities and the wider public, establishing and strengthening PWD self-help organizations at commune/district levels, building capacity to promote accessibility rights of people with disabilities, and improving capacity of DRD staff and local partners on project management and community mobilization. The project's expected outcomes include achieving long-term impact that persons with disabilities will have more opportunities to achieve greater social inclusion as their rights are actualized through building capacity and improving physical accessibility. The project also aims to provide persons with disabilities with the means to pursue an active social and economic life as equal citizens.