Improving the Livelihood and Well-Being of Persons with Disabilities

 

A. Project design

a. Context and background

Upon the outbreak of COVID-19 in early 2020, in addition to providing financial support for persons with disabilities, ZDPF rapidly mobilized organizations of persons with disabilities to deliver personal protective equipment and daily necessities to households of persons with disabilities. Due to these timely preventative efforts, none of the residents with disabilities in Zhumadian was infected with COVID-19. In tandem with the public health initiatives, ZDPF also focused on mitigating the socioeconomic impacts of COVID-19 and on continued implementation of its poverty alleviation programmes. By the end of 2020, all 90,300 persons with disabilities registered as living below the national poverty line have been lifted out of poverty.

Despite the substantial progress achieved, more needs to be done to improve the livelihood and well-being of persons with disabilities in Zhumadian, especially during the pandemic, to ensure that they do not fall back into poverty. Due to the lack of vocational skills and inadequate community support, persons with disabilities face difficulties in having secure livelihoods and enjoying an adequate standard of living. There is therefore an urgent need to build the resilience of persons with disabilities to withstand crises and mitigate the negative impact of the pandemic.

b. Objective and expected outputs

Objective: To improve the livelihood and well-being of persons with disabilities in Zhumadian, China, thereby enhancing their resilience to contingencies and crises including the COVID-19 pandemic.

Outputs:

• Improved monitoring and tracking of the socioeconomic and livelihood status of persons with disabilities to rapidly identify and support those at risk of falling back into poverty;
• Strengthened vocational skills of persons with disabilities to improve their employment and livelihood opportunities;
• Established self-help and support networks to promote the sustained employment and livelihood of persons with disabilities;
• Strengthened community awareness and support for promoting the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities within society.

 

Home visits to track the livelihood status of persons with disabilities

 

c. Partnerships

ZDPF was responsible for the overall design and implementation of this project, in partnership with township and village committees. Those committees set up working groups to support the tracking of the socioeconomic and livelihood status of persons with disabilities, the delivery of vocational skills training and employment services, as well as the organization of volunteer activities to assist persons with extensive disabilities and those in hardship during busy farming seasons. The committees also helped strengthen community awareness of disability rights and inclusion and promote the full and meaningful participation of persons with disabilities in social, economic and political life.

B. Achievements and lessons learned

a. Impact and results

Improved monitoring and tracking of the socioeconomic and livelihood status of persons with disabilities

• Five rounds of home visits and surveys were conducted to track the socioeconomic and livelihood status of 400 persons with disabilities.
• A mechanism was established to identify persons with disabilities at risk of falling back into poverty and make referrals to relevant government entities for further support services.
• In late May 2022, leaders of ZDPF visited households of persons with disabilities to double-check their living conditions.

Strengthened vocational skills of persons with disabilities

• Ten vocational skills training sessions were organized, covering more than 300 persons with disabilities.
• Training areas included agricultural technologies and techniques, animal breeding, straw painting and crocheting, among others.
• The training laid a solid foundation for persons with disabilities, including women with disabilities, to achieve better employment and livelihood outcomes. For example, one project participant in Laojunmiao Township set up a cattle farm after attending training in cattle raising. With equipment and technical guidance provided by the Laojunmiao Township Disabled Persons’ Federation and experts, he has fully mastered the techniques and is raising 20 cows.

Enhanced employment services for persons with disabilities

• Employment placement services were provided to project participants. For example, a group of persons with disabilities trained in crop production are now working in a planting base in Xiaotun Village. The planting base covers an area of over 500 acres and holds more than 300 vegetable greenhouses. There are more than 100 employees, of which 30 are persons with disabilities, working together with their peers without disabilities.
• Twelve self-help and mutual support groups – consisting of persons with disabilities and their household members, community leaders, successful local entrepreneurs and business owners – were established to facilitate mutual assistance and resource sharing to promote the sustained employment of persons with disabilities.
• Through employment placement services, as well as self-help and mutual support groups, a total of 360 persons with disabilities have been employed or self-employed. Some people work in planting bases and factories together with persons without disabilities, while others manage their farms, restaurants, barbershops and other businesses.

Persons with and without disabilities working in a planting base

 

Increased awareness of disability rights and community support

• Training in disability rights and inclusion was organized for more than 70 community volunteers.
• Seasonal farming support and cleaning and disinfecting services were delivered by volunteer groups to households of persons with extensive disabilities and persons with disabilities in hardship.
• All persons with disabilities eligible for vaccination were vaccinated free of charge. None of the residents with disabilities was infected with COVID-19.

Persons with disabilities trained and employed by a medical equipment factory

 

b. Challenges

Although their livelihoods have been steadily improved, persons with disabilities still face difficulties in obtaining and sustaining employment during the pandemic. Workplace disruption severely impacted employees with disabilities. Those running their own businesses also experienced hardship due to lockdown and social distancing measures. To address this issue, Disabled Persons’ Federations at all levels, relevant government entities and community groups closely monitored the socioeconomic status of persons with disabilities and provided financial and technical support for persons at risk of falling back into poverty.

The education level of persons with disabilities is relatively low in the project locations. It is sometimes difficult for them to fully acquire knowledge and skills through vocational training. This project invested resources to design customized training sessions for project participants. All trainers were also sensitized to disability issues to ensure the effective delivery of vocational training.

Self-help group of persons with disabilities, their family members and community leaders

 

c. Sustainability

The project has raised awareness of governments, civil society organizations and the general public on disability-related issues, creating a social environment conducive to the development and empowerment of persons with disabilities. The project has also promoted employment of persons with disabilities to enable them to generate income and enjoy an adequate standard of living. Moreover, improved monitoring and tracking of the livelihood status of persons with disabilities has made possible the quick identification of those at risk of falling back into poverty. Persons with disabilities in hardship have been referred to relevant government entities for further support services. This project has created a long-term impact on the well-being of persons with disabilities.

ZDPF will continue to enhance social protection for persons with disabilities, promote disability-inclusive employment and enhance quality education for children with disabilities. Awareness-raising on the rights of persons with disabilities is also a top priority. ZDPF is striving to advance disability-inclusive development in Zhumadian and support persons with disabilities in all stages of COVID-19 response and recovery.

Disinfecting services provided by community volunteers

Assistance in wheat harvest

 

d. Good practices and lessons learned

• The high-level commitment of the Zhumadian Government to accelerate disability-inclusive development catalysed smooth project implementation. Governments at all levels in Zhumadian, as well as township and village committees, attached great importance to enhancing the livelihood of persons with disabilities. They established working groups and mobilized adequate resources for this project.
• The establishment of the mechanism to monitor and track the livelihood status of persons with disabilities on a regular basis enabled effective policymaking and service delivery.
• To ensure the relevance of vocational training to the needs on the ground, a wide range of training programmes and support services were provided to persons with disabilities. Trainers were sensitized to disability-related issues before conducting sessions.
• The establishment of self-help and mutual support groups, coupled with the organization of volunteer activities, ensured persons with disabilities could access different forms of assistance based on their diverse needs.

 

C. Feedback and resources

a. Voices of participants

Mr. Liu Li lives with a physical disability. He receives a minimum living allowance, disability allowance and care subsidy for persons with extensive disabilities. Mr. Liu opened a barbershop in Laojunmiao Township after completing the training programme. The Government provided him with a sofa to help improve the shop environment. His livelihood has steadily improved.

Barbershop managed by Mr. Liu Li

 

Mr. Liu Heimao lives with a physical disability. He quickly mastered the techniques of cattle raising through the training programme. He received funds from the Laojunmiao Township Government to start his business. Mr. Liu is raising 20 cows now. He said, “I am extremely thankful for having the opportunity to participate in this project. It enabled me to have a better life.”

Cattle farm managed by Mr. Liu Heimao

 

b. Resources

Presentation at ESCAP’s Regional Forum on Advancing Disability-Inclusive Development: Leadership and Participation of Persons with Disabilities toward an Inclusive, Accessible and Sustainable Post-COVID-19 World: https://www.unescap.org/events/2021/regional-forum-advancing-disability-inclusive-development-leadership-and-participation#