by Chris Agbo
COVID-19 is ravaging the whole world, Nigeria inclusive; experts have advised that social distancing is one way to avoid being infected and have issued advisories requiring people to stay at home.
Disability Right Advocacy Center (DRAC) as one of the foremost organizations that
advocates for the rights of persons with disabilities (PWDs), understands that
persons with disabilities are disproportionately affected by all disasters and crisis.
They are often forgotten and not prioritized in emergency responses.
With social distancing /the stay at home precautionary method to combat COVID-19, in the coming days, PWDs will experience higher levels of anxiety and hardship. They are unable to isolate themselves as thoroughly as other people, because they need regular, hands-on support from other people to do every day self-care tasks. Also, stocking up supplies of groceries and food stuff can be difficult due to poverty as many persons with disabilities do not have any means of livelihood and some may rely on begging to survive.
In addition, our healthcare facilities do not provide disability friendly services, it is therefore
important that they do not expose themselves to risks of contracting COVID-19 that could land them in hospital without proper, adequate and disability sensitive medical management.
In view of the above, DRAC initiated the COVID-19 Disability Support Initiative, a monetary donation of N10,000 to aid persons with disabilities to stock up on food items and sanitary necessities and stay-at-home during this period in a bid to cushion the effect of the lockdown policy.
This initiative took off on March 27, 2019 with an initial donation of 105,000 from the Executive Director, DR. IRENE PATRICK OGBOGU and later, a donation 50,000 from GBOYEGA ALESHINLOYE. Interestingly, these two individuals are also persons with disabilities. They have also received donations from other well-meaning individuals and organizations.
So far, they have been able to mobilize N405,000 and over 35 persons with disabilities have transparently benefited from this initiative with plans to scale up.
The beneficiaries are from different clusters of disability, the Blind, the Deaf, Physical disability, Persons with Albinism and it covered the 6 geopolitical zones.
The group laments that from their records, there are still thousands of persons with disabilities who cannot sustain themselves throughout this lockdown, therefore they need more resources to reach out to more persons with disabilities.
Kindly donate towards the initiative to:
Disability Rights Advocacy Center (DRAC)
4010856674
Fidelity Bank
