On 17 February 2025, Dasho Kinzang Wangdi, our counterpart and local representative of the Association of Friends of Bhutan Austria, handed over working equipment, sewing machines and weaving seets worth 5,000 euros to the Bhutanese CSO Draktsho. The donation was provided by the VIC Women’s Group in Vienna. It will benefit girls and young women at the Draktsho centre in Trashigang in eastern Bhutan. Read more
Inclusion of persons with disabilities
Ability Bhutan: Successful completion of Training
To address the exclusion of children with disabilities, the project of Ability Bhutan (ABS) trained 26 ECCD facilitators and 3 primary school teachers from Pemagatshel district to enrol and provide early intervention services to children with disabilities in their centres.
One of Bhutan’s challenges is ensuring that all children with special educational needs and disabilities receive appropriate education and social services. Poor awareness of current resources, negative attitudes, and negative cultural beliefs about disabilities still persist in communities. Besides, most parents/caregivers and community workers don’t realize the importance of early intervention and miss out on the golden opportunity to reduce the impact of disability.
Early Identification and Intervention for Children with Disabilities
Together with the Swiss and the German-Himalayan Bhutan Societies we support the Bhutanese non-governmental organization Ability Bhutan Society. It trains facilitators in the Early Childhood and Development Centers (ECCD) in Trashi Yangtse, in the far northeast of Bhutan, in the early identification and early intervention for children with disabilities. 20 ECCD facilitators will be equipped with the skills and knowledge needed to take appropriate action for the support and inclusion of children and their families. Read more