Posted On: November 7th, 2022

Name of CSO	Draktsho Vocational Training Centre for Children and Youth with Disabilities
Amount	794,820
Duration	5 Months
Dzongkhag	Thimphu, Trashigang

Objectives of the project

• Reduce inequalities amongst children/youth with disabilities.
• To ensure young Persons with disabilities in Bhutan have equal opportunities for developing skills for life, vocation, and education, and for becoming self-reliant, making a living, and leading a contended life overcoming barriers created by gender or other differences. 
• Establish a strong referral program that provides information guides and helps individuals and families link up with services; organize periodic activities like health camps for supporting families in the early identification and intervention stages.
• Mapping to identify the beneficiaries.
• To bring the services of Draktsho to those children who are home-based.
• Prepare and educate families and children to face Coved-19 issues.
• To train the parents as support teachers for their respective children.

Target groups/ final beneficiaries    

• Children and youth with disabilities.

Estimated results

• Community Mapping and Awareness program on services offered by Draktsho and other service providers to persons with disabilities.
• Advocacy on disability issues and the importance of including them in all plans and programs among the different ministries through various collaborative opportunities. Raise awareness with local leaders, family members, professionals, and friends to advocate the cause of the promotion of rights for persons with disabilities.
• Train the students (at least 20) in special education, life skill, and various vocational training (tailoring, art/painting, weaving, basket weaving, doll, envelope, and paper bag making) thus enabling the students to be confident and contributing members of society.
• To establish contact with new students and their families for the continuation of education, vocational training, and development programs.
• Contribute life skill curriculum copies (developed by Draktsho) to families of PWDs that would assist the parents in teaching.
• Provide assistance devices like wheelchairs, hearing aids, walking sticks, and crutches to physically handicapped children/youth.
• Generate information material on various issues related to disability, specifically those related to training and employment.

Main activities

• Community Mapping and awareness by the Draktsho Thimphu team.
• Community Mapping and awareness by Draktsho east team.
• Enrollment, Procurement, and vocational training.
• Policy advocacy workshops with the Ministry of Labor on the importance of including PWDs in their flagship program and doing away with the minimum qualification of class ten to receive an NC Vocational Certificate.
• Initiate dialogue with the Ministry of Labor, other government agencies, and the private sector to encourage them to employ persons with disability
• Advocacy on the inclusion of disability issues in the Parents Manual being prepared by the Department of Youth.
• Advocacy to the Department of Education to include education of children with disabilities in the regular teacher training programs.
• Advocacy on the importance of building accessible infrastructure among ministries and encouraging the tourism sector to ensure new hotels are accessible.