By Prince j Musa in Kenema
The Minister of Social Welfare, Baindu Dassama Kamara, has announced plans to conduct a survey to determine the number of Persons with Disability (PWDs) living across the country. Kamara said the data will help the ministry plan to address the challenges of PWDs in Sierra Leone.
The Minister was addressing PWDs in Kenema at the National Commission for Persons with Disability office in the district.
“We have approached statistics Sierra Leone to do a survey nationwide on disables so that the ministry will get accurate database on them. Our aim as a government is to get disable people off the street and place them in training centers to acquire skills that will enable them earn income,” she said.
“We can’t plan for people when there is no total figure for those people,” she added.
The Minister’s engagement with the PWD also brought out a number of other concerns that were expressed. Regional Coordinator for the Disability Commission, Michael Gborie, cited lack of adequate staff, mobility to reach other districts in the region, inadequate moveable devices for disabled people such as wheel chair and crunches as just some of the problems they face.
Chairman of the Sierra Leone Union of Disability, East, Hanafe Sowa, said they also have a problem of discrimination against their members in most communities.
“Our union has plans to reach out to other disables in rural communities, but we need support. Those in the rural communities are more vulnerable and neglected by the communities than some of us in the cities,” Sowa said.
Sowa added: “We need strong laws that will stop social discrimination against disables, nobody is above being disable.”
Responding to the numerous challenges highlighted by the disable, Madam Dassama said she will be meeting different PWD groups across the country and engage with them. “Almost the problems are similar all over the regions disable are facing,” she said.
“From now on any resources from government and its partners will be spent in a way that will help improve the lives of disables instead of celebrating disable day that will not impact them.”
She assured them that her ministry will continue to work positively for the disables and change the perception of people about disables.
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