JEAN – JENN Disability Initiative partnered with National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD) to organized a workshop on Wednesday in Abuja on how NGOs can access and manage Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) during outbreak of pandemic or epidemic with reference to COVID-19 pandemic.
The Founder and CEO of JEAN – JENN Disability Initiative, Mrs. Jean Onyekwelu in her welcomed address highlighted that PWDs are disproportionately affected during the COVID-19 pandemic.
She lamented about the sufferings and difficulties that PWDs experienced during the height of COVID-19 lockdown, lack of access to healthcare, loss of means of livelihood, neglects in information dissemination and palliative sharing.
Speaking further, she said that the workshop is timely considering the difficulties encountered by PWDs during the Pandemic (Covid-19) in Nigeria and it is to chat a way forward on how to manage PWDs in future pandemics and how NGOs working with PWDs can engage in order to access interventions designed to cushion the effect of the pandemics.
“This workshop doesn’t just end here, the idea is to sensitize, teach and build a data bank of NGOs. These NGOs would be well equipped on how to handle PWDs during any pandemic (we are not praying for it) or any emergency like natural disasters that can affect PWDs, will be readily available and handy for use.”
“I have to really appreciate the indefatigable, proactive, vibrant Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Persons With Disabilities Mr. James Lalu and his able lieutenants in the NCPWD who facilitated the birthing of this workshop today.”
PWDs have suffered a lot of neglect but there is a ray of hope from the horizon particularly with the coming on board of wonderful development such as signing into law disability bill, establishment of NCPWD which has deepen the the inclusion mantra for PWDs in all facet of life.
The Executive Secretary NCPWD, James Lalu, ably represented by the Director, Social Integration, NCPWD, Mr. Lawrence Idemudia in his remark, appreciated JEAN – JENN Disability Initiative for their giant strides and targeting PWDs is also working to fulfill disability inclusion which geared towards uplifting the lives of PWDs in Nigeria.
He highlighted the ugly experiences of PWDs during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown and acknowledged the need to start equipping NGOs and other groups to engage for the benefit of PWDs in the future.
He applauded the partnership because it is targeted towards addressing an issue that is very important to the lives of PWDs and assured NCPWD readiness for more partnership to change the narrative for PWDs.
He urged PWDs to keep all COVID-19 protocols because the pandemic is still very much around and still dangerous.
The Workshop witnessed paper presentation by the lead facilitator, an educationist who is blind, Ann Ekanem where she spoke about the challenges faced by PWDs during the COVID-19 and the suggested solutions.
A second paper on The Plight of PWD in COVID-19 Era: The need for Inclusion was presented by Aluku James Ashiwel.
Persons with disabilities, NGOs, media practitioners and other stakeholders in attendance made contributions and shared their experiences in regard to COVID-19 pandemic.
TQM reports that major takeaways were there should be continued advocacy to ensure that PWDs are included from the planning stage, peculiarities of PWDs should taken into consideration when government is implementing programmes during pandemic, PWDs should be strategically included in the post COVID-19 programmes and there should be a coalition of NGOs working with NCPWD to engage relevant authorities to ensure that PWDs are not neglected during pandemics.
