As part of activities to commemorate the International Day for Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) 2025, the Mimijane Foundation for Women and Children with Disabilities organized a colourful and impactful Christmas Outreach for women and children with disabilities, parents of children with disabilities, and spouses of persons with disabilities.
The outreach, which took place on Saturday, December 13, 2025, at Jewel Secondary School, Kubwa, Abuja, brought together beneficiaries, disability advocates, community members, friends, and well-wishers in an atmosphere of celebration, empowerment, and solidarity.
Speaking with The Qualitative Magazine, the Founder and Executive Director of Mimijane Foundation, Ambassador Beatrice Awala Mube, described the outreach as a deeply personal and purposeful initiative aimed at giving back to the disability community while amplifying the voices and capacities of women with disabilities.
According to her, the event provided a platform to showcase the products and creativity of women with disabilities who belong to the foundation’s self-help and skill acquisition groups.
“This outreach is an opportunity for me to support fellow persons with disabilities. It is also a way of showcasing what women with disabilities can do with their hands. These products on display are made by women with disabilities, and we are calling on the public to patronize them,” she said.
Amb. Mube explained that beyond celebrating Christmas, the outreach was strategically designed to create awareness about market access and economic opportunities for women with disabilities, stressing that economic empowerment remains a powerful tool for breaking the cycle of poverty, dependency, and discrimination.
She urged persons with disabilities to believe in themselves and recognize their inherent abilities.
“There are abilities in every person with a disability. They need to discover themselves, build their capacities, and strive not to be a liability to their families or society. Disability is not inability,” she emphasized.
The Mimijane Foundation boss also called on society at large to rise in support of persons with disabilities by promoting inclusion, respect, and dignity. She specifically advocated for the full implementation of the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, 2018, noting that many of its provisions remain largely unimplemented.
Addressing government at all levels, Amb. Mube appealed for targeted and inclusive support that considers the diverse needs arising from different forms of disabilities. She further called for tax exemptions for persons with disabilities, particularly those running small businesses.
“Many persons with disabilities are struggling to survive through small-scale businesses. Taxing them further will only worsen their situation. Government should tax the rich to support the poor and vulnerable,” she added.
Also speaking at the event, Mrs. Nifemi Adams, Sole Proprietor of JKS Kubwa, Abuja, commended the initiative, describing it as an eye-opener on the immense talents that abound among persons with disabilities.
“This event has created an opportunity for persons with disabilities to exhibit their products. What we are seeing here today is proof that talents abound among them. The quality of these products is amazing,” she noted.
Mrs. Adams also had words of encouragement for parents of children with disabilities, stressing that acceptance and love are fundamental to the growth and success of their children.
“Once you accept your child’s condition, you will love them better, and that love will help the child to thrive,” she said.
She further encouraged women and girls with disabilities to remain resilient in the face of stigma and discrimination.
“There will be obstacles, but you must believe in yourself and push through. You can overcome them,” she added.
One of the beneficiaries, Barrister Tracy Onabis, a woman with disability, urged members of the public to patronize women with disabilities not out of pity, but as a conscious act of supporting hard-working entrepreneurs.
“When you patronize women with disabilities, you are supporting their businesses and dignity. Economic empowerment reduces discrimination, and you will be amazed at what these women can achieve,” she said.
The outreach featured an exhibition of locally made products by women with disabilities, including sandals, slippers, Ankara bags, beads, Ankara clothing, tie-and-dye fabrics, pastries, liquid soap, Izal disinfectant, air fresheners, and perfumes, drawing admiration from attendees.
The high point of the event was the distribution of food and relief items, including bags of rice, groundnut oil, sanitary pads, sachets of tomatoes, noodles, and other essentials to beneficiaries, reinforcing the foundation’s commitment to inclusion and social support.
The celebration was spiced with music, dance, and fanfare, as beneficiaries and guests shared moments of joy, laughter, and unity, truly reflecting the spirit of Christmas and the essence of the International Day for Persons with Disabilities.
The event once again underscored the message that persons with disabilities are capable, productive, and deserving of equal opportunities, while calling for collective action from government, private sector actors, and society to build a more inclusive Nigeria.
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