Hope Alive Possibilities Initiative HAPI has organized an inception meeting for their new project on domestication of disability law in Benue State.
HAPI with support from the Disability Rights Fund will be implementing a project to advocate for the passage of legal framework that will protect and promote the rights of persons with disabilities in Benue State as well as creating awareness around disability rights across the state.
The Executive Director, HAPI, Aver Akighir who hails from Benue in HAPI office in Abuja on Monday said that the inception meeting is to bring together board members and other experienced individuals in object implementation to do the following:
- Develop implementation strategies
- Assign roles and responsibilities
- Strengthen commitments from board members
- Identify allies that will play crucial roles in the successful implementation of the project.
Mercy Jovkyundan, a program manager of the project while presenting the details of the project said that it is one year project supported by DRF.
She explained that HAPI journey with DRF started when they jointly worked with Centre for Citizens With Disabilities (CCD) and Spinal Cord Injury Association Of Nigeria (SCIAN) to carry out DRF project on Access to Airports. The project lead to the securing and furnishing of HAPI office.
She also said that HAPI is grateful to CCD for the opportunity but HAPI having received a lot of Capacity Building and Strengthening from CCD decided to apply for DRF grant on their own and fortunately, it was successful.
She enumerated the activities that would be carried out at the course of the project such as advocacy, capacity building of OPDs in Benue State, Training of Media Practitioners, Press conferences, engagement of key stakeholders among others.
She called for the technical support of the board members so that the set goal of the project will be achieved.
The event was attended by board members, Staff of HAPI and some advocates with disabilities.
