The Regional Training Seminar on Capacity-building of Self-help Organizations of Persons with Disabilities
The Regional Training Seminar on Capacity-building of Self-help Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (CBSHOD) was held in Hanoi, Viet Nam from 13 to 17 December 2004. Approximately 60 participants from 21 countries and resource persons from 7 countries participated. The purpose of the Seminar was to provide participants with disabilities from Asia-Pacific developing countries an opportunity to build up self-help organization capacitybuilding for advocacy and management in order to promote equality and full participation of persons with disabilities.
This Regional Seminar was an epoch-making project since the majority of participants were persons with disabilities from developing countries; in other words, the Seminar was clearly identified as South-to-South collaboration with empowered persons with disabilities empowering young leaders with disabilities from developing countries.
Mr. Nghiem Xuan Tue, Mr. Topong Kulkanchit and Ms. Guljahon Mahmadkulova from Uzbekistan
Secondly, the Seminar was organized by 5 sectors such as APCD (Royal Thai Government), MOLISA (Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs), Government of Viet Nam, DPI (Disabled Peoples' International, an NGO) and the JICA Viet Nam and Thailand Offices.
DPI World President, Madame Venus Ilagan enriched the Seminar through her workshop on Collaboration with Diverse Organizations and Resource Mobilization, and Networking and Collaboration with Civil Society; Mr. Monthian Buntan, President of the Thailand Association of the Blind also enriched the Seminar with his lecture on the Convention of Human Rights of Persons with Disabilities; Mr. Setareki Macanawai, Director-General of Disability Action Council of the Fiji Government shared his experience on Information Management in a Cross-Disability Self-help Organization; Mr. Sattar Dulal, Executive Director of Bangladesh Prohtbandhi Kallayn Somity (BPKS), shared about SHO's Membership and Internal Fund- raising, Development of SHO and; Networking and Collaboration of SHO in Bangladesh. Mr. Shoji Nakanishi talked about the International Independent Living Movement; Mr. Muhammad Atif Sheikh, Director of the Students Talent Exchange Program (STEP) and Mr. Khalid Naeem, Directorate General of Special Education, Ministry of Women Development, Social Welfare & Special Education, Government of Pakistan, jointly presented Advocacy for PWD's Rights. Pakistani participants learned that experience Vietnamese participants who actively participated in the Seminar were encouraged to promote and establish a National Cross-Disability Organization in near the future. H.E. Ms. Nguyen Thi Hang, Mr. Nghiem Xuan Tue, Director of the National Coordinating Council on Disability of Viet Nam, MOLISA coordinated the Organizing Committee along with representatives of persons with disabilities. The next CBSHOD is scheduled for Pakistan in 2005.
