By Chris Agbo,
The Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent De Paul, through the coordination office for the Child Empowerment Programme in Nigeria, supported by the Liliane Foundation, on Tuesday 3rd of November 2020, in Abuja, organized a one-day disability learning exchange with her partner organizations and the Directors of Rehabilitation in the States covered by the partners, as well as selected persons with disabilities.
Sr. Fidelia Unigwe,
The programme Coordinator of the Child Empowerment Programme
The programme Coordinator of the Child Empowerment Programme, Sr. Fidelia Unigwe, in her opening remark said that the essence of the programme was to facilitate collaboration between the partner organizations, persons with disabilities and the ministries, commissions, boards and agencies responsible for disability affairs at the State level in order to enhance disability inclusion at all levels in the States.
She also said that the forum provides an opportunity for the partner organizations to understand the programs of the rehabilitation departments in the State ministries, as well as those of the Disability Commissions and Boards and the Lagos State Office for disability Affairs (LASODA), build capacity of the partners and State actors on disability inclusion and social protection programs, sensitize them on disability inclusive budgeting and expose them to global best practice
Speaking further, she said that States should be more interested in mainstreaming disability issues by ensuring that they domesticate the National disability act in their various States. This will ensure a shift from the charity approach that has characterized disability interventions to a rights-based approach.
The Director, Special Needs Department, Mrs. Nkechi Onwukwe, presented a goodwill message on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development. In her speech, she commended the Daughters of Charity for “their resourcefulness in organizing this estimable meeting. She said that the agenda 2030 Sustainable development’s “Leaving no one behind” have necessitated the need for a more inclusive approach to development where every person is given equal opportunity both as contributor and beneficiaries”. She further called on the participants to join forces to reduce barriers to inclusion while also advocating for meaningful participation of persons with disabilities in general. She distributed copies of the Discrimination against persons with disabilities Prohibition (Act) 2018 and the National Policy on Disability in Nigeria to the participants.
Prompted by the facilitator of the meeting, (Mr. Rasak Adekoya, Program Officer at Sightsavers Nigeria), the participants expressed how their local languages referred to persons with disabilities, most of which were derogatory in nature, which established that discrimination stems from the society. Ekaete Umoh (the National President of JONAPWD in Nigeria) built on that when she took the participants on the Concepts of Disability, the different models of disability and their applications, as well as the correct terminologies.
The participants worked in four small groups to look at four different case study scenarios of barriers faced by persons with disabilities. The groups identified policy, infrastructural and communication barriers as limiting the potentials and effective participation of persons with disabilities in the society. They saw the need for the government to put in place enabling laws and policies and also implement the existing ones, to provide for inclusive social protection programmes. While they commended the Federal government for setting up the National Commission for persons with disabilities, they called on the government to ensure adequate budgetary allocation for the commission, for the implementation of the provisions of the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2018.
The event also witnessed experience sharing from the different State representatives on their programs, achievements and challenges. The Directors were from Lagos, Edo, Akwa Ibom, Niger, Abia, Rivers, Plateau, Benue, Imo and Ebonyi States.
In conclusion, Sr. Fidelia enjoined the partner organization(s) and participants from the State Ministries to follow up this encounter by organizing a similar forum when they return home, to involve more stakeholders in their States and design programs they could work on together for the inclusion of persons with disabilities. She said that the popularization of the Discrimination against persons with disabilities Prohibition (Act) 2018 and the implementation of the National Policy on Inclusive Education are possible starting points. The Daughters of Charity coordination office for the child empowerment programme, distributed copies of the National Policy on Inclusive Education to the participants.
SOME PICTURES OF THE EVENT:
