HÀ NỘI — Sunway Hotel Hanoi launched a project aiming to support Vietnamese underprivileged youth on Thursday, giving kids an opportunity to earn regular income from quilling handicrafts products.

The hotel, part of Malaysia’s Sunway Group, held a signing ceremony to launch its collaboration with the Quỳnh Hoa Charity Vocational Training Centre. It is Sunway’s first  project to support Vietnamese underprivileged youngsters.

It aims to offer the disadvantaged in the Quỳnh Hoa Centre a steady market for their quilling handicrafts from paper such as pictures, cards, jewelry boxes, etc. These products will be selected and presented as a souvenir to customers in the hotel and be displayed and sold at the hotel lounge.

“Social responsibility forms an integral part of Sunway Group’s business framework. In Sunway, we believe that human beauty is made of acts of kindness. Giving support to the disadvantaged both brings them a light of hope for a better life and improves the quality of the society in Việt Nam, where Sunway Group realises a full potential for tourism and service industries,” said Leslie Chiyoma, Sunway Hotel Hanoi’s general manager.

He added that the hotel is driven by the motto:  “Giving a fishing rod is better than giving a fish”.

The Quỳnh Hoa Centre, part of the Organization for the Support and Education of Disadvantaged Children (OSEDC), was founded in 2007. It aims to provide vocational training, career orientation and job opportunities to underprivileged children from all over the country, including Agent Orange victims’ children, disabled and homeless children. All training courses are free, covering a broad range of skills such as sewing, embroidery, silk flower making, knitting, mat making, etc.

The centre’s director, Nguyễn Quỳnh Hoa, said at the event on Thursday that during its early years, the centre had to face lack of financial support, inadequate facilities, a lack of suitable jobs for the disabled, and a poor volume of sales. Later, thank to a strong determination to cope with difficulties of both teachers and children in the centre as well as the support from the authorities, charitable organisations, donors, companies, university students and media, the centre managed to overcome all the obstacles.

The centre houses 60 students.

In 2010, Quilling (Paper filigree) was added to the centre’s training curriculum and became a favourite skill of the disabled. They make the quilling products which have also become popular among both domestic and foreign customers. This helps them earn their own living. — VNS