By Chris Agbo,
See-Hear Initiative (SHI) on 17th July, 2021 offered scholarship to 13 graduating blind children from FCT School for The Blind, Jabi, Abuja.
The group disclosed this during the graduation ceremony organized by the School authority, they also donated computers and adaptors to reactivate the existing computers and revive the ICT centre of the School. They promised to take over the running of the ICT by ensuring the training of the teachers (ICT instructors) who would in turn impact the knowledge on the children.
According to John Bamidele, a board member of the organization while presenting fifty thousand naira (N50, 000) donation to launch the maiden edition of Vision School Magazine published by the school, he said that SEE-HEAR initiative would ensure that the ICT section of the school is working effectively to the extent that the children will demonstrate their high skill in computer application during graduation next year.
Philomena Nwaeze, another board member of the organization, deputy director at Radio Nigeria Abuja Division said that the organization has been assisting the blind children in the School for more than a year.
“We brought food items to them last year, and now we have brought adaptors to fix their computers, we are going to train their teachers who will in turn train the children, we will also see to the sponsorship of the secondary education of the graduating children because from our discussion with the head teacher, we found out that finance is the problem affecting most of the graduating children from furthering their education” she stated.
She informed that the organization want to see that all children with disabilities become as successful as children without disabilities, stop seeing themselves as second class citizens and measure up with their counterparts in the society.
She encouraged parents to support their children with disabilities because the child being able to overcome disability start from the parents. She informed that it was the kind of support that she got from her parents made her to live beyond her challenges of being blind.
“Some parents live in denial about the disability of their children”.
She reminded that blindness is only a condition, the brain is intact, the child can be managed to become great in life.
She encouraged persons with disabilities to think less about their challenges but look forward to their possibilities. She eulogized what has worked for her “Actually, low self-esteem is a major problem, so I don’t know if anybody is seeing, I just know that I am existing, I am blind but I don’t notice, meaning I don’t even know I am blind, I am blind but I can see, meaning I can do what you think I cannot do. But then I always accept and welcome disappointment because it makes me to succeed. Being able to pick up myself when I fall”.
She called on the public to identify with this initiative and begin to see persons with disabilities the way they see themselves, jettisoning discrimination because it is causing more harm than good. The society should accept the persons with disabilities the way they are and surely the society would be good for it.
She also informed TQM that the organization has been funded so far by members of the board and called on other well meaning Nigerians to come and join the initiative because there are still a lot to cover in term of supporting blind and deaf children which is the interest of the organization.
Video of Philomena Nwaeze encouraging the graduating blind children
Josiah Bukoye, another board member of the organization told TQM that the organization is interested in the education of the deaf and blind children because of the quest to change the narrative going by their low self-esteem and the organization has been partnering with the Honourable Minister of State, Education, Hon. Nwajuba, who is very passionate about what the group has been doing and he is eager to partner with the group to ensure that these 13 graduating children will not only finish secondary education but also proceed to the higher institution. The 13 of them would be going to Federal College Kwali which is an inclusive school. It will provide opportunity for them to mingle with other children and learn new things.
See-Hear Initiative would be taking care of their tuition and other materials required for them to be in school.
Speaking further, Josiah also said that the organization apart from supporting and encouraging these children in their education, SHI also engaging some blind and deaf children who are not interested in furthering their education in vocational training such as arts and crafts, shoe making and many other skills that would be helpful for them to be self-reliance. Some of them are engaged in trading and after they finish learning, the organization has been assisting in providing startup capital.
He solicited for the public help to amplify the initiative, end the discrimination, stigma and stereotypes that have created low self-esteem among the children.
He identified that some parents of these children are not proud of them and they are doing little or nothing to assist them, so the organization is also interested in encouraging such parents to understand that the situation they found their children is not entirely hopeless. The children irrespective of their disability, they can achieve whatever they set up to achieve.
He told a story of a female deaf lawyer who persevered in the face of her challenges and continue to go to court and attend to her clients using technology, she prepares her documents and amazingly, she has been discharging her duties as a lawyer diligently.
“Persons with disabilities have excelled in so many professions” he added.
See-Hear Initiative is not for profit organization focused on providing assistance, support to blind persons and deaf persons ( SEE for Blind and Hear for Deaf) . The organization is barely over a year old and has been basically partnering with schools such as FCT School for The Blind and FCT School for The Deaf to catch blind children and deaf children young through education to build their self-confidence.
The Board members of the organization are Peter Bukoye – Chairman, David Bukoye – Finance Director, Bright Njoku – Executive Secretary, Bamidele John – Member, Philomena Nwaeze – Programmes Director (Blind), Ozoemene Precious – Member, Teniola Akinpelumi – Programmes Director (Deaf) and Josiah Bukoye – Member.
The team who were present at the graduation ceremony of the blind children in FCT School for the Blind, Jabi Abuja are David Bukoye – Finance Director, Bright Njoku – Executive Secretary, Bamidele John – Member, Philomena Nwaeze – Programmes Director (Blind), Ozoemene Precious – Member and
Josiah Bukoye – Member.
SOME PICTURES OF THE TEAM AT THE EVENT
