Sports festival held for children with disabilities
Hundreds of children and adolescences with disabilities from 18 cities and provinces gathered in Hue city in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue from April 1-2 for a sports festival held on the occasion of the World Autism Awareness Day (April 2) and the Vietnam Day of Persons with Disabilities (April 18).
The sports festival draws 350 children (Photo: VNA)
Thua Thien-Hue (VNA) – Hundreds of children and adolescences with disabilities from 18cities and provinces gathered in Hue city in the central province of ThuaThien-Hue from April 1-2 for a sports festival held on the occasion of the World Autism Awareness Day (April 2) and the Vietnam Day of Personswith Disabilities (April 18).
The event was part ofa project to support the improvement of living quality of persons with disabilities in provinces heavily sprayed with AgentOrange (Inclusion I), which is funded by the US Agency for InternationalDevelopment (USAID).
Director of the USAID Vietnam’s Reconciliationand Inclusive Development Office RituTariyal said that the project is one of the prominent that the USAID hasimplemented in Vietnam in 30 years, aiming to provide the best integrationconditions to the children, as inclusion is a basic human right.
The festival drew 43delegations with 350 children with intellectual and developmental disabilities,together with more than 400 caregivers and teachers. The children competed in diversesports such as swimming, running, walking, wheelchair race, and tug of war.
The organising board also designed a common space with free movement games andcreative corners for children and parents.
A gala night with a “Light It Up Blue” event was held to mark the World Autism Awareness Day.
Doan Quoc Hung, deputy head of the project’s Management Board, said that in Vietnam,children with disabilities always receive special attention. He said thatthrough the festival, the organising board hopes to bring health benefits to thechildren as well as promoting their confidence, inclusion and equality.
Inclusion I Project has been carried out in three central provinces ofQuang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue and Quang Nam at a cost of 6.9million USD./.
Over the years, ensuring rights for people with disabilities has received great attention from the Party and State. There are now numerous policies and legal regulations providing favourable conditions for them to enjoy equal rights to politic, economic, cultural and social activities, stablise their lives, and integrate into the community.
A ceremony to celebrate the the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (December 3) was held in Hanoi on December 10 in response to the Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities (2023-2032).
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In an document issued on August 5, the PM emphasised the need to stablise living conditions for people hit by floods, landslides, and flash floods in late July and early August in northern and north-central provinces, especially Dien Bien, Son La, and Nghe An which suffered some of the worst damage.
Although millions of Vietnamese were affected by AO, only over 626,000 individuals, including war veterans and their children suffering from dioxin-related conditions, are currently receiving state benefits.
The sports festival draws 350 children (Photo: VNA) 
