“The light shines brightly within our hearts and souls,” is a simple and heartfelt message about gender equality that visually impaired women wish to express through a song they have co-created and performed.

 

 

The song “Shining from within” is a narrative about a blind mother with her sense of life and a message to her child about how each person’s genuine light emanates from the heart and soul. That light transcends physical eyesight and gender differences. The mother wishes that her child tries to spread the light of love, knowledge, and inner happiness, because that is something that all people share, regardless of appearance, race, religion, gender, or ability. Only by truly cherishing the light within each person, can the awareness of equality actually begin.

 

 

The song is the result of a gender equality training, many honest conversations, many hours of working and practicing of the blind female musician and other visually impaired women participating in the Project, as well as the contribution of many other individuals and organisations. The Center for Research and Development and Knowledge Co-Creation (CKC) would like to express our heartfelt gratitude on behalf of all Project members for all such efforts and support, particularly the partnership of the Center for Education Promotion and Empowerment of Women (CEPEW) and the Thua Thien Hue Association of the Blind.

 

 

The song is part of the Project “Music-Based Storytelling: A New Approach for Promoting Gender Equality of Blind Women in Thua Thien Hue Province,” which was initiated by CKC and collaborated with CEPEW through i4Equality Fund, with the participation of 19 visually impaired women from Thua Thien Hue Association of the Blind.

 

Gender Equality Innovation Fund – i4Equality (Innovations for Equality) was initiated by CEPEW to seek and support new ideas from individuals/groups towards promoting gender equality in Vietnam.

 

With the goal of “Rethinking Equality,” i4Equality encourages initiatives aimed at increasing gender equality awareness, providing critical reflections on diverse gender equality discourses, and promoting dialogue about gender equality in a variety of contexts and offering novel approaches to addressing the root causes of gender inequality.

 

Chi Duong

Center for Knowledge Co-creation and Development Research (CKC) organised “Circle of Peace” – gender equality training-sharing and music co-writing activities on September 27, 2021, with the participation of blind women from the Niem Tin Massage Center and the Hue City Association of the Blind.

 

The training-sharing activity facilitated by a gender expert not only provided participants with fundamental knowledge about gender equality but also created a secure and open sharing circle, promoting reflections on the challenges, roles, and rights of women with disabilities in society. Many inspiring and heart-touching stories were told in this circle in which their privacy is protected, voices are heard, feelings are respected, and positions are recognised.

 

Participants continued to contribute and convey their own aspirations and messages into the song based on the shared stories through a music co-writing session coordinated by a female blind composer. Parenting without sight, seeing the world through positive lens, and mutual support of disability community are main topics of interest discussed in this music co-writing session. Participants highly appreciate these training as this is an opportunity to build their confidence and widen thier horizons, as shared by a young blind female.

 

 

 

 

The activities were carried out as part of the Project “Music-Based Storytelling: A New Approach for Promoting Gender Equality of Blind Women in Thua Thien Hue Province,” with the collaboration of the Center for Education Promotion and Empowerment of Women (CEPEW) through i4Equality Fund (Innovations for Equality). Following the foregoing activities, a music product based on the shared stories will be produced by the participants in order to convey the message of women with disabilities towards gender equality.

 

Chi Duong

 

1.    Introduction

CKC Employee Well-being program (CEW program) launched by Center for Knowledge Co-creation and Development Research (CKC) since July 2021 aims to operationalise CKC’s existing policies and business plan on the well-being of CKC members, vitalise individual efforts in putting CEW into effects; and boost employee well-being, business performance, and organisational attachment. The operational rationale of the program is based on four focal pillars: Health and Safety (H &S); Physical and Emotional Well-being; Social Welfare; and Work Space.

 

2.    Program areas

2.1. Health and safety

CKC is committed to providing and maintaining a healthy and safe working environment for all staff and collaborators under its H&S policy. Accordingly, CKC provides safe procedures and systems of work and in the field; maintaining the workspace in a safe and healthy condition; continually reviewing the workspace and field trip systems and procedures and implementing improvements; and providing adequate facilities to protect the health, safety, and welfare of CKC staff and collaborators. Many initiatives have been implemented, such as Emergency First Aid Training and work from home practice amid the COVID-19 context.

 

2.2. Physical and Emotional Wellbeing

To foster work productivity, satisfaction, and attachment among CKC staff, we have initiated various activities focusing on improving physical well-being (Office Yoga Sessions, Trekking Trips, and Care Packages); emotional and mental well-being (Tea Talks, Get-together Days, Mental Health Check-in on RUOK Day); and community well-being (Gardening and Environmental Clean-ups). Taking care of co-workers’ well-being is essential in our culture to manifest an ideal working environment in which every employee can sense their engagement and embrace, and therefore enhance their resilience.

 

2.3. Work Space

CKC attempts to create a cozy, effective, and highly welcoming workspace with the greatest comfort for all CKC employees and co-workers engaged in our office. CKC has been adopting its Green Office Policy, which commits to curbing single-use plastic, saving energy, planting in the office, and maintaining hygienic conditions with the aim of creating a “green” workplace and promoting environmental protection among CKC members. In addition, to foster a culture of knowledge co-creation and career well-being, an Office Library with a diverse collection of books has been established, and a regular series of professional development training has been maintained over the years.

 

2.4. Social Welfare

CKC social welfare is to ensure that services, facilities, and benefits given to the employees to work in a better environment. These policies are in place so that employees may maintain proper productivity and fulfillment in the workplace, as well as to express CKC’s appreciation for each contribution. Welfare activities are reserved for special days (birthdays, weddings, funerals, religious and cultural days, and other anniversaries), public holidays, health care (flexible sick-leave policies and health care gifts), work arrangement (flexible working hours and work from home policy), workplace amenities and facilities (drinking water, toilets, washing facilities, seating, temperature, workspace, lighting, and access to equipment).

 

3. Program Coordinator

We are pleased to inform Vinh Tran as the first one-year-term CEW Program Coordinator of CKC.