Award winner: workshop for people with disabilities in China, supported by DEG

It is estimated that some 83 million people in China are disabled through mental, emotional or sensory impairment. These people currently have very limited options to become an integral part of the society. In the city of Taicang, located in the Shanghai region, various members of the Taicang Roundtable, a professional association of European small- and medium-sized enterprises (many of them German), established a workshop for disabled people. DEG finances the project with funds from the develoPPP.de programme of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The workshop has now received the "More than a Market Award" from Bertelsmann Stiftung and the German Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai. The award recognises German companies and institutions active in China for their social commitment.

First of its kind in China

Institutions such as the handicapped workshop in Taicang did not exist before in China. Specially trained teachers of the Federal Lebenshilfe e.V. association were sent to China to provide support with concept creation and equipment, and to help choosing and training qualified supervisors. The partners who created the workshop function as its customers by initially ordering simple component parts and more and more complex assemblies.

Employees achieve financial independence

The workshop currently employs 30, mainly mentally handicapped, individuals, thereby enabling them to earn their living for the first time. Besides its plans to further expand the workshop, the management intends to advise other companies on professional inclusion of people with disabilities. The project has thus become a role model.

Further information

More than a Market Award