Disabled girl starts business with quilling

Optimistic and determined, Ms. Ho Thi Lang (29 years old, Hoa Phuoc commune, Hoa Vang district) has overcome her own limits and confidently started a business with quilling paper.

Ms. Ho Thi Lang won first prize in the 2023 "Startup Idea" contest with her quilling paper painting product. Photo: NVCC

Ms. Lang was born into a poor family of 3 sisters. At the age of 6, she showed signs of bone and joint pain, asymmetrical shoulders, a curved spine, and a tumor on her back that grew larger over time. After going to the doctor, she was informed that she had a curved spine and hunchback, and the cost of surgery was nearly 200 million VND. The amount was so large that her family had to let her live with the disease.

Not wanting to be a burden on her family, in 2014, Ms. Lang went online to learn about quilling and decided to pack up and go to Hanoi to learn the craft and work as a factory worker to earn money to send back home to help her parents. To create a quilling painting, the craftsman uses colorful paper cut into small strands, then rolls them into balls and inlays them onto the surface of different materials. Ms. Lang said that although it sounds simple, this profession requires perseverance and creativity, as well as manual dexterity.

In 2019, after mastering the technique of making quilling paper, she returned to her hometown and was introduced by her relatives to a vocational training center for disabled people. During this time, her intention to start a quilling paper business had to be temporarily suspended due to the impact of Covid-19, the purchase of paper materials was difficult, and there were no customers ordering quilling paper cards. In 2022, with the support of the Women's Union of Hoa Phuoc commune, Ms. Lang boldly borrowed an additional 20 million VND from friends and relatives and used the house where she lived as a place to start a business with quilling paper cards.

Ms. Lang said that in addition to selling greeting cards at home, she also sells quilling paper paintings via social networks. Her products have diverse themes of landscapes, plants, nature, people, etc. Thanks to creating a difference, many customers have placed orders to give to partners, friends, and relatives. Notably, recently, Secretary of the Hoa Vang District Party Committee To Van Hung ordered 1,000 birthday cards and greeting cards of all kinds.

Realizing that quilling is a profession suitable for people with disabilities, after stabilizing her business, Ms. Lang thought about helping people in the same situation. Anyone who wants to pursue this profession is enthusiastically guided by her, with the hope of expanding the facility to welcome more students in the future, helping them find jobs and integrate into the community, so that they are no longer a burden to themselves, their families and society. In addition, every day, Ms. Lang rides her electric bike to the disability center to teach students a profession, and at noon she runs home to take care of her young children.

Ms. Le Thi Yen, President of the Women's Union of Hoa Phuoc commune, said that at the "Startup Idea" contest in 2023 with the theme " Economic development associated with enhancing commercial capacity for local products", Ms. Ho Thi Lang's quilling paper painting product was highly appreciated by the judges for its idea and commercial effectiveness and won the overall first prize.

“Ms. Lang is a disabled person but has a strong will to succeed, is optimistic and has a lot of determination. Not only does she create jobs for herself, she also creates job opportunities for many disabled people in the area. In addition, Ms. Lang is always willing to share the technique of making quilling paper paintings, which is truly valuable,” Ms. Yen affirmed.

KHANH HUYEN

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