Nippon helps job generation for hundreds of people with disabilities

The Project “Disability – Inclusive Finance: Small Finance for Businesses Employing, Serving or Owned By People With Disabilities” is funded for VBSP by Nippon Foundation to support financial and non-financial services for people with disability (PWDs), helping them with job creation and stable incomes, improving their living standard.

Sew Establishment of Tam Thien Business. Photo: N.Q

In 2012, VBSP and Nippon selected the VBSP branch in Da Nang province as the pilot project area, which opened a great chance for people with disabilities to access preferential credit for improving business and production as well as non-financial services, helping them to confidently assert themselves and integrate into the community.

Mr. Doan Ngoc Chung – Deputy Director of Da Nang branch told as of 31th December 2014, the loan portfolio of this project reached over VND 4 billion serving 39 active borrowers. Up to 31th August 2015, the branch has disbursed VND 750 million for 3 projects, loan collection reached VND 153 million, loan portfolio reached over VND 4.6 billion serving 41 active borrowers.

“Almost all projects are performed well after disbursement, using loan properly, contributing to funding business and production of enterprises, creating stable jobs for PWDs, improving livelihood, incomes and facilitate better benefits for PWDs” - Chung says.

Chung took us to visit enterprise clients of Nippon. So far these clients have not only earned profits but also generated jobs for hundreds of PWDs. According to the evaluation of Dang Thi Ngoc Anh (born in 1969, living in 54B Bui Thi Xuan, Son Tra, Da Nang) – Director of Tam Thien Limited enterprise (Sew business of PWDs specializes in manufacture of textiles, printing, embroidery craft) – she is always “thankful” about the loan of Nippon. She told in 2014 she borrowed 500 million VND from Nippon fund in VBSP for procuring 20 electronic sewing machines for PWDs and 30 mechanical sewing machines. Up to now, her business has created jobs for 68 PWDs, monthly revenue reaches 27 million VND; average monthly salary for PWDs is from 1.5 million VND to 3.5 million VND.

In addition, we visited the enterprise of Tran Manh Huy – director of VBPO - GROP ODC which is the first in Vietnam – and also one of successful example thanks to the Nippon loan. Established in 2010, he borrowed 500 million VND from the Nippon project in VBSP to invest in machines. So far, his enterprise is known as one of 87 leading enterprises in Da Nang with 86 employees of which 30% is PWDs.

 Now the highest monthly salary reaches VND 14-15 million /person; the lowest monthly one is VND 4.5 million/person. “In the next 5 years, the employee force will be increased by 2,000 and expand to Ho chi minh city in addition to Hue, Dak Lak and Phu Yen” - Huy says.