Ms. Nguyen Thi Van - Chairwoman, Nghi Luc Song Social Enterprise

Mr. Nguyen Canh Hong - Deputy Chairman, Nghi Luc Song Social Enterprise & Eurowindow Holding

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am delighted to join you at the Launch of “Will to Live- Nghi Luc Song” Social Enterprise. At the outset, I would like to congratulate Ms Van and her colleagues on this critical and impactful milestone- today, Will to Live- Nghi Luc Song has become a Social Enterprise. I want to thank the members of Red Star Club, who have shown strong commitment and solid support to Will to Live in the challenging but exciting and impactful journey ahead.

Nguyen Thi Van has been a close friend of UNDP in Viet Nam for a long time. We are constantly impressed by the amazing work and inspirations that she and her colleagues have done in Will to Live and Imagtor.

The desire to build a sustainable model to assist people with disabilities, reduce the dependence on external financing, and change society's perception of these people was the driving motivation for Van to found Imagtor in 2016.

SDG Challenge 2017, a flag ship competition and incubation programme of UNDP to find and incubate the social impact business, was a first competition that Van participated in. Through her perseverance, Imagtor was eventually recognized as one of four startups awarded in this competition. By participating in SDG Challenge 2017, not only did Van gain financial support, but Imagtor also received widespread publicity, as well as the chance for training, conferences, and interaction with investors. 

Will To Live is regarded as one of the flagship centers in job training and recommendation for the handicapped in its 15 years of operation. UNDP, supported by the Government of Japan, provided a training course for disabled youth with hearing and physical impairments on new digital skills, including video and photo editing and clipping paths. As a result, these students have been able to join the workforce.

Van, you are such a great ambassador who has proved that people with disabilities can live, work independently, and make significant contributions to our society.

2022 marks 6 years of operation of Imagtor, and I am happy to see that Van now has turned Will to Live into a social enterprise. It is great to see that Van’s passion for strengthening the mental and physical health of Persons with Disabilities, supporting them to have vocational training, decent jobs, and social inclusion now has support from the leading corporations in Viet Nam.

Ladies and gentlemen,

There is no doubt that the private sector plays a crucial role in achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Social impact businesses (SIBs), a model in which businesses adopt a triple bottom line, earning profits but also generating positive social and environmental benefits. The model of the Will to Live social enterprise provides a positive signal to the SIBs and to other partners on the innovative business model, where the large corporations are on the Board of Directors of a Social Enterprise, providing technical and financial support to ensure the sustainable growth and create an impact for the company. 

From 2021, with the sponsor from the Global Affairs of Canada, UNDP and the Ministry of Planning and Investment are implementing the “Leveraging the Social Impact Business Ecosystem in Viet Nam”- the ISEE- COVID project, which aims to enhance the resilience of SIBs in Viet Nam and contribute to reducing the impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable groups. We hope that this project will continue the momentum of supporting the development of SIBs, which Will to Live is an innovative and outstanding business model.

In conclusion, I would like to express my strong belief that the shared development vision and the commitment of large private businesses, combined with the creativity and innovations of SIBs ecosystem stakeholders will strengthen the resilience and accelerate the development of SIBs in Viet Nam.  This is foundational to leaving no one behind, including persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups, and achieving the SDGs. UNDP looks forward to strengthening our partnership for building a vibrant social impact business ecosystem in Viet Nam that prioritizes women and vulnerable groups in its design, leadership, and delivery of benefits.

I wish you good health, happiness, and success. Xin cam on.