Promoting social responsibility – UEB to sign MOU with two Thriive businesses

On 7th May 2019, VNU University of Economics and Business held the MOU signing ceremony with 2 Thriive enterprises: Ngan Ha Xanh Media and Thuong Thuong Handicraft.

Attending this special signing ceremony, there were leaders from Thriive USA: Ms. Linn Kincanon – Co-founder and International Director, Mr. Kellen Williams – International Program Officer and Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong Huyen – International Program Officer. The delegation had a week working with Thriive businesses in Vietnam.

These two businesses were owned by disabled young entrepreneur, who are enthusiastic in developing business and creating jobs for many other disabled people. Ngan Ha Xanh Media employed 5 young people with disabilities working in graphic design, printing and online advertising. Ngan Ha Xanh Media Enterprise has also organized vocational training for 16 young people with mobility disabilities.

Thuong Thuong Social Enterprise organizes the production of cards in rolling paper, ecruiting 20 young people with disabilities. In addition, Thuong Thuong Handicraft organizes a free vocational training course for 10 trainee at Viet Nam- Korea Rehabilitation Center and 6 young adults who are struggling with kidney disease at production facilities in Phuong Mai ward, Dong Da District.

When visiting and working with these businesses, Ms. Linn Kincanon (Co-founder and International Director of Thriive Program) said “Thriive is the unique program, there is nothing like this anywhere else in the world. It’s unique because the businesses don’t ever payback in cash, they pay their loan forward with training and donation for the poor and their community so many of the people who received help from our businesses are disabled and the training has changed their lives forever. Those people don’t really have the opportunities to get out or to have jobs and these opportunities can change their lives. And the same is true for the poor people that we’ve trained as well, or the school uniform that we give so that the children can go to school and feel like they belong.”

At the ceremony, leaders of the UEB wished to promote social responsibility by ordering products and services from these businesses to create jobs and income for the disabled people.

In addition, the University will support the enterprises in some business activities such as public relations or providing free strategic consultants for the company.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Thuong – owner of Thuong Thuong Handicraft, said: Despite of being a disabled, I was still given a job to make handmade things to support myself. Since the foundation of the company, many disabled people come to work with me, even though the company is small and we couldn’t afford high salary. With the support from Thriive program and the UEB, Thuong Thuong Handicraft has been known by many foreign visitors. The UEB has also ordered a certain number of products, creating a stable income for the business, I feel extremely happy and believe that our cooperation is getting better and better – for a prosperity society.

Lam Hoang