Australian Marist Solidarity and its funding partner Catholic Mission are providing vocational training opportunities to visually-impaired young people and adults in Vietnam.
In Hanoi, where it is estimated that more than one million people are affected by vision impairments, Brother Geoff Kelly—an Australian Marist—works as a co-director for some of the job training programs at the Training and Rehabilitation Centre for the Blind (TRCB).
Brother Geoff has reported that 14 visually-impaired Vietnamese adults, from across the country, recently completed a three-and-a-half-month massage training course.
He says that blind massage therapists are highly regarded in Vietnam because of their so-called ‘seeing hands’ and the extra-sensory touch they develop as a result of being blind.
Students that completed the course were referred to the centre by regional chapters of the Vietnam Blind Association (VBA).
Qualified students have now returned to their home provinces, where they are working—with support from the VBA—to establish their own small businesses.
Next month, 15 new students will begin an intensive computer-training course at the TRCB.
AMS is a major supporter of the TRCB programs, which continue to provide opportunities for visually-impaired and blind people to gain job skills that will enable them to generate income for their families and themselves.
Please visit our website to find out how you can support Brother Geoff’s ongoing work at the TRCB.
Visually-impaired Vietnamese students learn massage therapy. They are highly regarded in Vietnam because of their so-called ‘seeing hands’ and the extra-sensory touch they develop as a result of being blind.