The Partners

Sole Disabled Person’s Organisation in the Lao PDR Established in 1990 Membership of more than 3,000 people with disabilities (PWD) Operates in 10 of 17 provinces Close links with the National Committee for Disabled Persons within the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare

International NGO working to prevent and limit the impact of disabilities Established in 1986, started work in the Lao PDR in 1996 Supports PWD, their families and communities to achieve autonomy and social integration for PWD Has projects the areas of UXO, Community Based Rehabilitation and Road Safety

People with Disabilities in the Lao PDR

National Census 2005 Data There are more than 70,000 PWD in the Lao PDR 25% of PWD in the Lao PDR are in Vientiane, Vientiane Capital and Savannakhet target provinces of this project) and provinces with a significant amount of private sector activity

Rights and Legal Framework

UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities signed by Lao Government Government of Lao PDR is drafting a Disability Rights Decree Lao PDR constitution already Guarantees the equality of all Lao citizens

The Project

Purpose To support PWD to overcome barriers to employment and to Have better access to employment

The project is: Market oriented Focused on economic and social benefits for both Employers and PWD The project will: Inform PWD about suitable job vacancies and assist them in applying for jobs Provide employers with motivated, reliable and qualified candidates for vacancies Support PWD and employers to ensure that PWD employees play a full role in the economic success of businesses

people with disabilities are willing and able to work, they face barriers to this: Lack of information on employment opportunities and employer needs Lack of employer awareness of the ability of PWD to meet the needs of most jobs Physical barriers to the workplace, many can be removed with skilled advice and support, such as that available from this project Limited education and experience opportunities, especially for women Barriers to Employment

Access to employment is a pressing need for PWD and many are motivated and able to work research by International Labour Organisation concludes that hiring workers with disabilities positively Impacts upon companies because: Why Employ PWD?

PWD are motivated and reliable and perform well in terms of productivity, safety, and attendance PWD are more likely to stay in the job and can reduce the costs of job turnover Employing PWD increases morale in the workplace PWD are a resource of skills and talents with strong skills developed in daily life Employment empowers PWD and encourages social equality and self-reliance

a number of free services are offered by the project: The identification of suitable candidates (in a timely and professional manner) for consideration for vacancies Support to ensure that vacancies are accessible to PWD Marketing and promotion of model businesses supporting employment for PWD Awareness raising for staff on the importance of providing employment opportunities for all Support for Your Business

What Do We Need from You? To ensure the project meets the needs of your business, we need to better understand your business. To do this, we want to: Interview you Interview the person responsible for recruitment Interview some of your workers Look at the access to your workplace for PWD The project is keen to minimise the interruption to your business and any suggestions you have as to how we could best do that are welcome.