The US Agency for International Development (USAID), partnered with Vietnamese government agencies including the National Action Centre for Chemical and Environmental Treatment (NACCET), launched the second phase of USAID’s flagship disabilities project, INCLUSION, in the provinces of Binh Dinh and Kon Tum, on May 31.
This phase will run through the project’s end in 2026 and provide targeted assistance to persons with severe disabilities.
Having begun in 2021, USAID’s 65 million-USD-INCLUSION project has partnered with the Vietnamese government, local organisations, and the private sector to strengthen the country’s rehabilitation system and community support networks to ensure that all persons with disabilities have the opportunity to fully participate in society while improving their overall quality of life.
The project provides direct assistance to persons with severe disabilities, improves and expands rehabilitation and social services, and enhances policy implementation. To sustain progress, the project also builds service provider capacity of national and local government disabilities agencies as well as community disabilities organisations.
In addition to Binh Dinh and Kon Tum, the project works in six other provinces that were heavily sprayed with Agent Orange during the US-Vietnam War (Quang Tri, Thua Thien Hue, Quang Nam, Dong Nai, Binh Phuoc, and Tay Ninh).
Over its five-year run, the project is expected to support a total of 60,000 persons with disabilities with rehabilitation, care, psychological support, assistive devices, and/or livelihood assistance.
For over 30 years, the United States and Vietnam have partnered to improve the lives of approximately one million persons with disabilities. USAID has contributed more than 140 million USD toward these efforts to-date.
