Opening of the 'Crossing the Waves' Festival, accompanying people with disabilities

Photo caption — Mr. Nguyen Hong Phuc, Director of Ho Chi Minh City Youth Cultural House, spoke at the opening ceremony.

The festival was held on the occasion of International Day of Persons with Disabilities (December 3) with the message "No Limits", emphasizing the aspiration to rise and the value of each individual in the community.

In his opening speech, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Cultural House Nguyen Hong Phuc said: The "Overcoming Waves" Festival is the opening activity of the project of the same name for the period 2025 - 2030, aiming to build an environment to accompany and support people with disabilities to develop their abilities and confidently integrate. The festival received the voluntary participation of many artists, volunteers and the community, calling on people to continue to accompany through the "tree of love" model - where 60 cases of people with disabilities who need support are introduced.

In recent times, the Party, the State and the whole society have made great efforts in the process of perfecting policies and expanding support services for people with disabilities, especially in the field of education . In reality, people with disabilities still face many barriers in accessing schools, facilities, learning equipment, health care, transportation and employment, along with existing social prejudices. This context requires more forums to discuss solutions to ensure the right to education and comprehensive integration for people with disabilities.

The “Overcoming the Waves” project, which means a journey to overcome adversity to reach good values and discover the potential within each person, is being implemented in Ho Chi Minh City in the period of 2025-2030. The project has the participation of more than 30 special education units, support centers, shelters, open houses and organizations caring for children with disabilities in the City. Each year, “Overcoming the Waves” aims to connect and directly support about 1,000 disabled youth; of which more than 500 students will receive scholarships or vocational skills training support - life skills. The project is expected to mobilize about 30 businesses and social organizations to participate in supporting employment, start-ups and livelihood development for people with disabilities.

The discussion with the theme “People with disabilities and their rights to education” attracted the participation of representatives of management agencies, education experts, social organizations and the disabled community. The discussion aimed to create a space for frank discussion about existing difficulties, promote understanding and sharing among stakeholders in the process of supporting people with disabilities to access education. Delegates exchanged experiences, listened to the voices of insiders and made suggestions and recommendations to improve policies, towards building a more equitable, accessible and humane educational environment for people with disabilities in the coming time.

Nguyen Van Tam, 23 years old, from Hue city, shared the story of his journey to overcome physical obstacles to pursue his passion for creativity. Tam was born with a disability, with muscle atrophy in both arms and legs, leaving only a few fingers that can move and having to depend on relatives for all daily activities. Although he did not undergo formal training, Tam taught himself to read and write, learned to use technology devices and is currently a content creator on social networks with an account with nearly 600,000 followers and more than 5.4 million likes. He said: His biggest wish now is to be able to move on his own to reduce his dependence on family members, to be able to observe life more, and to nurture the goal of becoming a musician in the future.

Within the framework of the “Overcoming Waves” Festival from December 3 to 6, many cultural and artistic activities, exhibitions, interactions and craft workshops will be held continuously at the Youth Cultural House. The “The Limit is the Sky” art program taking place on December 6 will be an opportunity to award scholarships and honor outstanding individuals with disabilities.

According to the Organizing Committee, the "Overcoming Waves" Festival is expected to contribute to creating a more humane, equitable and accessible environment for people with disabilities, spreading the spirit of sharing and community responsibility in the journey of supporting people with disabilities to integrate into society.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/xa-hoi/khai-mac-le-hoi-vuot-song-dong-hanh-cung-nguoi-khuet-tat-20251203160952276.htm