High praise for handicraft products made by disabled young people at Hold the Future

Claire Whitehill, VSO’s Regional Programme Officer – South East Asia and The Pacific, visited Hold the Future at the beginning of August. We asked her to let us know once she was back in London, how she enjoyed her visit and what people at home and at the office thought of our handicraft products.

This is what she wrote to us via email on her return to her office:

I would like to send a thank you to the young people and staff of Hold the Future for welcoming me during my visit last week. I was very impressed by the work of the Centre and the way that young disabled people are trained in producing traditional Vietnamese handicrafts. The products are of a very high quality and my family and friends have been amazed that such professional art work can be produced using rolled paper and bamboo.

The way that the Centre empowers young disabled people to learn professional skills is very much part of the philosophy of VSO and I am so pleased that VSO is able to work in partnership with Hold the Future as part of our disability programme in Vietnam.

I was happy to see that our VSO volunteer at the Centre, Anja Merret, is enjoying her time working at Hold the Future. She has an endless supply of energy and enthusiasm for the project. She is currently spending her time working on fund raising proposals which she is confident will bring in the money the Centre needs for the next three years of vocational training.

It was a pleasure to visit Hold the Future and I wish Hold the Future all the best of luck for the future success of the project. I hope to visit again during my next Vietnam trip.

Jewellery boxes made from rolled paper. Handicraft product by Hold the Future

We would love to have you visit again too Claire. Thank you for the good feed-back regarding our products. Here is a picture of one of the many items she bought to take home to the UK as gifts for her family and friends.

It was also a wonderful experience for her to be able to meet the young disabled people who make these lovely boxes. She watched them from rolling the paper to creating small containers with highly decorated lids.  It’s painstaking work and it’s done with great care and pride.

Please visit the Hold the Future commercial site at www.holdthefuture.com to view the extensive product range on offer.