Jean passes on empowerment with passion and purpose

Jean van Wetter's China story began almost 10 years ago in the classrooms of the National University of Singapore. He was a business administration student and most of his teachers were always ending their class with an intriguing question: "And what about China"?

The idea piqued his curiosity. However, he visited China for the first time only three years ago and was wowed by the bright lights of Shanghai. "With a passion for architecture, my first exaltation was for the marvelous combination of older and contemporary architecture in the city," he says.

"I was living in Cambodia at that time, and was impressed by the modern nature, openness and the audacity of the citizens of the city of the Bund.

"I also realized then that a few days in Shanghai were not enough to understand and appreciate the country at its right value and I decided to come back."

The Belgian man became the country director of Handicap International China at the end of last year and is now based in Beijing.

Handicap International (HI) is an international non-governmental organization whose mandate is the prevention and rehabilitation of disability. The seeds of group were sown in 1979 when two French doctors were working in the refugee camps on the Thai-Cambodian border. The reality they faced was beyond their belief. Hundreds of men, women and children had been atrociously wounded and maimed by antipersonnel landmines. Three years later HI was formed.

Today, HI has projects in more than 60 countries and the organisation has broadened its fields of intervention towards a more global approach of disabilities.

HI currently has projects in Sichuan Province, Guangxi Zhuang and Tibet autonomous regions, with a head office based in Beijing.

"Our main objective in China is, in collaboration with the China Disabled People Federation and the local authorities, to find innovative solutions to provide adequate rehabilitation and social inclusion services in rural China, where 75 percent of the disabled population live," he says.

"We also work with the Ministry of Civil Affairs to develop a national certification and professional training system for orphanage's caregivers.

"Although I am based in Beijing where I witness every day the rapid

transformation of China, I often work in various rural areas where I can learn and share the true values and numerous aspects of Chinese culture and life." Van Wetter says the social inclusion of people with disabilities is a challenging component of his work in China and in every society. Sport is a powerful inclusion mechanism, he says.

"I warmly welcome the organisation of the Olympic Games, and in particular the Paralympics that will be held just after, to provide the necessary catalyst to encourage more young Chinese with disabilities to engage in sport activities and to discover the joy of self-accomplishment," he says.

"I am very happy that Beijing has been selected to host the Olympic Games next year.

"It will be a unique and deserved opportunity for all Chinese citizens to show the enormous efforts and accomplishments they have done over the last years to build a harmonious society."

China Daily

(China Daily 12/07/2007 page19)