Our strategic partner organisation in Vietnam, the Research Center for Inclusion, send us the following story:
Ngoc My A primary school is a school in the Ngoc My commune in Vietnam. There are 13 students at this school who have a disability. These students were always quite timid, they were afraid to talk to strangers and they often tried to hide in deserted places to avoid crowds.
On March 25, 2018, the “We ring the bell” campaign was organized at Ngoc My A Primary School to raise awareness for children with a disability. Many people attended the event, including Leaders of the Education and Training Department of Tan Lac District, the Ngoc My School Board, 31 teachers, 442 students of the school and parents.
During the event, different activities were organized to teach about the rights of children with disabilities, for instance performances by students and a quiz. Also, parents and students were invited to express their feelings and ideas on promoting rights of children with disabilities. A mother of a child with disabilities, for instance, shared that parents of children with disabilities were very happy because their children were taken care of by the authorities, schools and organizations, creating conditions for their children to go to school to study and play with friends without being alienated, they acknowledged that children with disabilities also had the same rights as other children.
Two months after the “We Ring the Bell” campaign took place at Ngoc My Primary School, children with disabilities have changed a lot. The children are more brave and friendly to the project staff, they interact more with their peers and they are no longer teased and alienated. On top of that, children with disabilities receive a lot more help from their peers. A student with intellectual disabilities is helped with reading and writing the alphabet, a blind child is guided around the school and a child in a wheel chair is helped to go up the stairs. Now children with disabilities love to go to school both on sunny days and rainy days. They go to school regularly and have fun with their friends. The situation of children with a disability has changed a lot due to “We Ring The Bell”.
Source: https://www.lilianefonds.org/we-ring-the-bell/story-from-macdi-in-vietnam