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