November 15, 2006
Action Plan Presentation
Today seven participants presented their Action Plan at JICA Tokyo, and described knowledge acquired in Japan and what they plan to do as a leader of persons with disabilities after returning home. Each participant made a 40 minutes presentation (5 min preparation / 20 min presentation / 15 min question and answer).
1. Participant from Vanuatu
Title :
A Care Help for PWDs – Skill Development for Unemployed Women with Physical and Blind Disabilities
Summary :
Persons with disabilities have different abilities but in Vanuatu the society perceives PWDs as useless and powerless beings. Most of women with disabilities are unemployed and therefore live dependently on their families, helping out in domestic chore. Action Plan aims to promote independent living and to increase job opportunities for women with disabilities in Vanuatu. The plan consists of 3 vocational training courses in sawing, handcrafts and massage and it is targeted for 6 unemployed women with disabilities (4 with physical disabilities and 2 with visual impairments) to become trainers. Vanuatu Society for Disabled People will implement the plan and the project span is from January to March 2007.
Useful programs and knowledge acquired in Japan :
- Individual Training: NPO Yamaboshi-Kurasawa (community based sheltered workshop for people with intellectual disabilities) and WAKI Bone Setting and Massage Clinic
- Knowledge on disabilities, leadership, management, sheltered workshops run by people with disabilities and their marketing strategies, cooperation with people without disabilities
2. Participant from Laos
Title :
Friendly Service Center for PWDs
Summary :
Due to lack of accessibility in transportation and in school buildings and facilities, many persons with disabilities in Laos are prevented from going to school and also from participating in activities in society including employment.
Targeting for persons with orthopedic disabilities of age between 16 and 28 in Vientiane, Action Plan promotes education of persons with disabilities by offering transportation service to and from school provided by volunteers of university students. It also plans to teach marketable handcrafts so that persons with orthopedic disabilities can have a job in a community and generate their income. Action Plan will be implemented in cooperation with International NGOs, Laos National University, community people, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, JICA, IT workshop in Vientiane, and National Rehabilitation Center. The duration of the plan is from December 2006 to February 2008.
Useful programs and knowledge acquired in Japan :
Management, volunteer, personal assistant, transportation accessibility for PWDs, workshop management skills, proposal writing, laws concerning PWDs, Japanese culture, home visit, history of atomic bomb at Hiroshima
3. Participant from Costa Rica
Title :
Personal Assistant System : A Clue to be Independent
Summary :
In Costa Rica, majority of PWDs live dependently. Being independent means doing everything by him/herself without any help. Action Plan is to promote independent living of PWDs by introducing the idea of personal assistance (PA). The target population are persons with orthopedic disabilities of age between 20 and 40 who live in the Central Valley of Costa Rica. PR of PA and IL concept will be carried out through mass media. A seminar will be held to demonstrate the advantage of PA. 40 PWDs are invited to the seminar and 20 volunteers for PA will then be recruited mainly from universities. This plan will be implemented by CAS (Alternative Capacities in Soridarity) from December 2006 till January 2009.
Useful programs and knowledge acquired in Japan :
- PWDs who have a PA have a better relationship with their families (Home Visit to a person with cerebral palsy),
- Independent Living of persons with severe disabilities. Marriage and women with disabilities (Individual training at ILC Bunkyo)
- The history of PA services
- PWDs in Japan had fought for PA system working as a team
4. Participant from Colombia
Summary :
Along with the 12 Years Plan of the Colombian Paralympic Committee (CPC), Action Plan has 4 goals; to realize an international wheelchair tennis tournament, to build a network consisting of 3 volunteers in each of targeted 10 cities, to improve the organization by making self-sustainable programs, and to promote business around wheelchair tennis. The program of international wheelchair tournament is from December 2006 to August 2007. It will be implemented by CPC.
Useful programs and knowledge acquired in Japan :
- Financial organization of Paralympics system and how to attract sponsors (Individual Training : Japan Sports Association for the Disable and Tokyo Metropolitan Sports Center for the Disable)
- Fundraising – How to write and present ａ project proposal (Proposal Writing by Ms. Rossitto)
- Organizing a volunteer networks (Many examples in visits and lectures. .Sharing information with participant from Belize on his individual training about volunteer network by Mr. Kasumi)
- Accessibility (Transportation Accessibility by Mr. Imafuku)
- Leadership Skills (Many lectures or visits – meeting with Japanese leaders with disabilities. JICA net conference with a former participant)
- Facilitation (Leadership Skill by Mr. Ikezumi)
- Japanese Culture (Punctuality and organization / Humbleness. / Commitment with job. / Respect and care for other's needs.)
5. Participant from China
Summary :
In China Disabled Persons' Federation (CDPF), employment of persons with vision and hearing impairments is lagged behind in comparison with that of persons with physical disabilities. 19 out of 32 provincial offices of CDPF have no staff with vision impairments. Action Plan is to conduct 10 days leadership training to 19 persons with vision impairments. Those who completed the course will be recommended to the provincial offices of CDPF as leaders with disabilities. The duration is from January 2007 till December 2008.
Useful programs and knowledge acquired in Japan :
Rehabilitation centers,. sheltered workshops, accessibilities, education, employment, equal and full participation in social life, laws concerning PWDs, PA system and the volunteer system
6. Participant from Sri Lanka
Title :
Lochana : An Income Generating Project for Unemployed Vision Impaired Women
Summary :
In Sri Lanka, in spite of Act 28 for the Protection of Rights of Persons with Disabilities of 1996, the employment rate stipulated in the law is not met. 95% of women with vision impairments are unemployed due to lack of educational and professional qualifications and also employers' attitudes etc. They are isolated from society, being dependent on their families. Towards the 'Society for All', Action Plan aims to promote employment of persons with vision impairments. It plans to establish a workshop where 5 unemployed women with vision impairments with low educational qualification will recycle papers, make products (boxes for wedding ceremonies and envelopes for company use) according to received orders and sell them. Sri Lanka Council for the Blind is the implementing organization. It mentions a potential cooperation with JOCV to conduct this plan. The duration is from January till December 2007.
Useful programs and knowledge acquired in Japan :
Management and roles of sheltered workshops (Azami joint workshop, Kinuta Kobo, Sukippu, and Tamashiro-no Sato)
7. Participant from Belize
Title :
More Social Integration for Children of Age between 0 and 8 with Disabilities
Summary :
NGO CARE Belize provides physiotherapy to children with disabilities of age 0 to 8 years through field workers. However the children with disabilities have almost no social interaction and no leisure time. Action Plan targets 10 children with disabilities of age 0 to 8 years in Orange Walk Town. It intends to provide the children with disabilities with opportunities to come out of their home and interact with others. The activities will be organized such as playing, singing, learning, making art works and handcrafts etc. Children will learn new skills, increase self-esteem, develop their personality, participate in society, and enjoy their childhood. To make this realize, a group of 10 volunteers will be organized by university students, junior high school students and parents who will assist the children with disabilities. This plan will be implemented under supervision of CARE Belize and Red Cross Belize. It starts December 2006 and finishes in June 2007.
Useful programs and knowledge acquired in Japan :
volunteer network by Mr. Kasumi , social interaction through art work in Social Welfare Juridical Person Personal Assistance 'Tomo', ideal leader with disabilities from the meeting with Mr. Yokoyama.
