Livelihoods for disabled created in rural part of Wuxi

18 local disabled residents living in a rural part of Wuxi, Jiangsu province, have in recent years been able to find jobs and make a living for themselves, thanks to the work of a local rural agency who have been dedicated to helping them do so.

The agency was established by local authorities in March, 2013, in Yangshan village, Yangshan town, Huishan district, in Wuxi.

Yangshan village is the core production area of the Yangshan Peach, a special peach variety of Wuxi that is well-known throughout the nation, leading to the development of a unique peach culture in the village that boosts the local tourism and creative industries.

The disabled people are taught at home free of charge by skilled personnel to make handicrafts out of the peach pits, before moving to work in the workshop exclusively set up for them at the agency.

Livelihoods for disabled created in rural part of Wuxi A disabled worker focuses his attention on making a handicraft out of the peach pits. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com]

The handicrafts, sold online and offline, generated revenue of around 500,000yuan ($73,120) last year, according to an administrator of the agency.

The agency pays them 2,500 ($365.55) to 3,000 yuan a month for their work, in addition to a government subsidy they receive for being disabled, which meets their basic needs for a living.

“I earn 3,000 yuan a month now, and the work here is easy and flexible. I feel my life is much better than before,” said an elder worker surnamed Tang, who had broken his left arm in an accident when he was young, adding that he earned only 10,000 yuan a year through hard labor in the factory before moving to work here.

The agency also provides other facilities to care for the disabled, including a rehabilitation room, a canteen and a reading room, and organizes regular health checks for them.

“We want to try our best to help the disabled and improve their lives, and we also hope that more and more people will show their kindness to support their work,” said Qian Huiju, Party chief of the village and one of the initiators of the agency.