Sustainable Family Healthcare Foundation (SFHF) formerly known as Survive Fistula Healthcare Foundation on Thursday 1st December 2022, in commemoration of International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) distributed assistive devices to persons with disabilities (PWDs) in 3 area councils in FCT, Kwali, Kuje and Gwagalada Area councils. This project is supported and funded by CBM Global Disability Inclusion and the Australian Aid.
Mrs Peters Ogunmayin, the Executive Director, SFHF in her opening speech appreciated the donor agencies that funded the project, the Kuje Area Council Chairman for their support and approving of their activities in the area council, Minister of women affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen, for her massive support, the traditional rulers, organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) and the beneficiaries for being part of this great achievement.
She said it is a huge honor to provide these assistive devices to PWDs and impact in their lives especially the women and girls with disabilities (WGWDs) especially as it has to do with providing mobility for easy accessibility of PWDs for them to access healthcare services and other social services, they can no longer be restricted from their day to day activities.
Finally, she assured PWDs of their response anytime they need the services of the organization to ensure sustainable family healthcare and she also assured them that they will always give them support to avoid maternal mortality and safe motherhood for all women including women with disabilities.
Mr. Philip Ode, CBM Global Disability Inclusion Nigeria representing Ekaete Judith Umoh, Country Director CBM Global in his opening speech said the aim of CBM is basically promoting and mainstreaming all persons in the societal sphere and this is the time for the society and the world at large to challenge themselves on issues concerning PWDs in the world, how far have they mainstream issues of PWDs? how far have they tracked PWDs to ensure that the society and government are taking care of their needs? He said all these things are the questions we need to ask ourselves and know where to challenge ourselves on issues concerning PWDs in Nigeria.
He further said that the theme of IDPD 2022 “Transformative solutions for inclusive development: the role of innovation in fueling an accessible and equitable world” the society needs to transform on the ground of equity and equality services for PWDs in all forms of social services. The reason is that we must acquire one form of disability or the other while aging or even before aging factors such as insecurity, insurgencies, bad roads and other factors that can lead to disability. We should always bring on board stakeholders, OPDs, Government agencies to improve on access and challenge duty bearers on decision making and also make input on how decisions affects PWDs.
He finally said that poverty and disability are in a cycle and that is why PWDs should be empowered to ensure they are productive and can contribute their quota to the society.
Irene Ewa Abua from Federal Ministry of Women Affairs (FMWA) Senior Community Development Officer Representing Funke Oladipo Director Women Development in her goodwill message by the Honorable Minister of women affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen in her speech appreciated the organizers and says this year’s theme shines a light on the transformative solutions for inclusive development: the role of innovation in fueling an accessible and equitable world. The aim of adopting this day is to awaken the consciousness of all members’ state towards encouraging and promoting activities that will bring issues of disability in the front burner of national and international discourse well as celebrating and commemorating with PWDs.
The Federal Ministry of women affairs is determined to lead by example thereby urging all sectors to ensure full inclusion especially in the health sector strategies, they affirm commitment of the government of Nigeria towards collaborating with various development partners, NGOs among others to work with PWDs to build a sustainable, inclusive and transformative future in which everyone including women, men, girls and boys with disabilities can realize their potentials.
She implores the society to understand that as we celebrate PWDs and ensuring that their living standards are improved, our society will get better and urged the media to continue promoting issues affecting PWDs for a better society.
Chief Victor S.O Ashoro representing H.R.H ETSU of Kwali Alh. Amb. Dr. Audu Shaban Nizzazon III in his goodwill message acknowledged SFHF for providing these assistive devices for PWDs in commemoration of IDPD 2022, says this is a service to humanity, for SFHF to capture this group of people and give them things that will aid their mobility and participate in the society he hopes that the beneficiaries will be able to take proper care of the assistive devices given to them and also make sure that they do not use it as commercial commodities rather use it for their own good and the benefit of the society.
He said that the statistics of PWDs will help to continue to capture the disability community and know their needs and invest in them, the reason is because investing on PWDs is investing to the future and society because we might meet disability in our live time in one way or the other and we have to treat them with respect and dignity and ensure that they are productive in the society.
Mr Mohameed Gimba Ebbo, the monitoring and evaluation officer, Kuje area council while speaking to TQM said the event is for distributing of assistive device to PWDs in 3area council of FCT, he said the organization has been working with Kuje area council in terms of health care, they have renovated the primary health care in Chikuku to modern healthcare facility to reduce maternal mortality in Kuje and the world at large, repairing of victims of fistula patients, helping to train healthcare workers in their facilities to be able to manage fistula survivors and PWDs especially pregnant and expectant women with disabilities, and also provided the primary healthcare with human resources to prevent maternal mortality and now providing assistive devices for PWDs.
He said the beneficiaries are lucky being given such thing by an NGO which is supposed to be provided by the government, he advices the beneficiaries to ensure that they use it for their own benefit and also pleaded with the government to ensure that they carter for PWDs in the society and it should be a wakeup call for the government and other NGOs to imbibe this kind of gesture for the benefit of PWDs and the society at large.
Judith Emma Joseph, the Disability Inclusive Development Officer at SFHF while speaking to TQM said SFHF is commemorating the IDPD 2022 with distribution of a total number of 178 assistive devices to 178 PWDs who are beneficiaries. 60 wheelchairs, 15 tricycles, 10 zima frames, 20 white cane for the blind, 15 tripods, 8 elbow crutches and 37 walking crutches were distributed.
She said that 322 PWDs was identified at primary healthcare Chikuku in October but with 3 physiotherapist involved they were able to pick 178 beneficiaries with the help of the donors they were able to pull this out. She also appreciated their donor CBM and Australian Aid for their huge support and funding.
Tijani Ahmed from Gwagwalada area council who is a beneficiary said it is a plus for him because he will no longer be restricted from his business he can now easily go out and be productive and contributed his own quota to the society and he said that promises to use his tricycle for good and also appreciated sustainable family healthcare foundation for finding him worthy of getting this mobility aid.
Elizbeth edet who is also a beneficiary thanked SFHF and promise to put her crutches in good use, she said she has been longing to get this device to aid her mobility and now that is here she can now use them to move around and now it will be easy for her to go to the office
