The purpose for the project is to establish a consensus between main stakeholders on core variables to be used for data collection aiming at user needs-based, compatible information from different sectors and organizations, on numbers, status and needs of persons with disabilities. The project runs from 2004 till 2006. Medical Committee Netherlands Vietnam is the manager of the project.

This objectives directly relates to the contents of the Biwako Millenium Framework (BMF) for Action (Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons 2003-2012): " Lack of adequate data has been one of the most significant factors leading to the neglect of disability issues, including the development of policy and measures to monitor and evaluate its implementation, in the region..........It is also recognized that a common system of defining and classifying disability is not uniformly applied in the region".

To respond to this issue, in the BMF, the following strategy is formulated: "Governments are encouraged to develop, by 2005, their system for disability related data collection and analysis and to produce relevant statistic disaggregated by disability to support policy-making and program planning."

SINTEF Health Research expert is contracted:

• To gain an overview of the existing situation of disability data in Vietnam, by studying a range of documents resulting from earlier activities of the program as well as other related documents.
• To gain an understanding of existing practices and perspectives regarding collection of disability data by conducting informal meetings with ministerial stakeholders, representatives of related mass organizations and INGO's as well as other national and international organizations.
• To prepare and facilitate a workshop to collect feedback on a draft list of core variables, and be the main facilitator for this workshop.
• To prepare for and facilitate a workshop to draft an action plan to ensure that core variables are actually used by all stakeholders.
• To document the results of the activities in this component, including a list of core variables and a questionnaire to collect data on each of the variables
• To develop guidelines for the stakeholders to use the proposed questionnaire.

The main national partner organizations involved are:

• The Department of Treatment, Ministry of Health
• The Steering Committee for Education for Children with Disabilities, Ministry of Education
• The National Coordinating Council on Disability of Vietnam.

Project manager
Medical Committee Netherlands Vietnam