Using Community Strengths to Promote Employment among the Disabled

Erhlin Happy Christian Homes (hereinafter referred as“the Institution”) started as a place for children with medium and severe disabilities, where the children are given with full day care services and training courses to acquire living and working skills for them to live on their own someday. However, the statistics suggested that employment rate among children in the Homes is not positive. In light of this, the Institution came up with an idea of establishing the “Hand-made Dumpling Production and Marketing Workshop.” The Institution picked up hand-made dumplings among its products and expanded production training for the disabled children. By allowing them to earn payment on their own, their sense of achievement can be built.

During training, in addition to instructing vocational skills, the Institution often leads the disabled children and partners to the community to interact with the locals and help them build up confidence and sense of responsibility. With its dedicated efforts for decades, the institution has earned the support from the locals. With the expectation to support more disabled people, provide employments, shorten the lead time for the customer and raise hand-made dumpling production capacity, the institution was hoping to create another hand-made dumpling workshop to help the disable both in and out of the institution. That’s when “Multiple Employment Promotion Program (MEPP)” held by Ministry of Labor (MOL) came in.


Pay regard to Body, Mind and Soul for Everyday Joyfulness

Erhlin Happy Dumpling Workshop started with 11 sales spots in Changhua and now another 3 new ones in Taichung are added in. In addition to sales spots, the Institution often participates in charitable activities held by county governments and clubs to promote its products. For example, the Institution came up with the creative idea of “Train of Love” program in which every organization specifies a public welfare day to place orders for each month. So far, it got eight organizations join in this program and become a regular purchaser for the Erhlin Happy Dumpling Workshop to have steady income. On the other hand, the Institution arrange some tours for Experiential Marketing. From making dumplings, the participants enjoy the fun and also get to interact with disabled people, learning their strong and hardworking attitude. This is what we call educational entertainment.

Erhlin Happy Dumpling Workshop pays great attention to body, mind and soul balance of its employees. In addition to focusing on their quality of work and growth, it cares about their mental wellbeing so that it arranges activities such as birthday parties or BBQ parties from time to time. The workshop even schedules 30-minute work and life attitude training course per day for its employees, hoping them to carry a joyful mind and confident smile at work and in life even when they are challenged by obstacles, difficulties and frustrations. Other than training their sense of responsibilities at work and cooperative spirits in team, the institution wants them to use grateful and positive attitude for every brand new day.

The Business Division of the Institution consists of the dumpling workshop, a restaurant and a bakery with much scale and impeccable financial management systems. Currently, it offers the employment to 12 full-time staffs and 30 production positions to disabled people, heading towards financial independence. For employee empowerment, the institution designs and provides pre-job, on-the job and individual counseling trainings which are based on types of disabilities and positions. It even arranges job-related external training courses and designs and develops Assistive devices to support its employees in stabilizing their employment and fostering their vocational skills.

The Institution has kept good bonding with local companies. Many of them are willing to offer employment opportunities to the disabled to show their community friendliness and local sustainability. Upholding its mission of supporting people with disabilities, the Institution has successfully created the brand, “Erhlin Dumpling”, with flavors of cabbage, Chinese leek, hot and sour Thai style, vegetable and so on to satisfy the needs of various consumers and to identify itself from the competitive market. All of these have shown the possibility and feasibility for the disabled people to develop.

With the Dumpling Workshop, Erhlin Happy Christian Homes provides the disabled people employment opportunities. In the future, the institution expects to scale its market to raise the production capacity of its hand-made dumplings and thus promotes its services and the image of public welfare of its brand. The Institution also aligns with many enterprises to promote the “Delivering the Love Project” in remote areas to deliver the Joyfulness to every corner of the society through the dumplings of love and joy.