No handout from National Commission for Persons with Disability
The Deputy Minister of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs, Mustapha Atila has reiterated that the National Commission for Persons with Disability was not set up by the APC government to offer gifts or handouts; stressing that the commission should only focus on creating the enabling environment for persons with disabilities in Sierra Leone.
The physically challenged Deputy Minister made this revelation Tuesday as Chairman of the opening ceremony of a strategic planning workshop organized in Freetown by the National Commission of Persons with Disability in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs. Reacting to the statement delivered by the Chairman of the Commission, Fredrick J. M. Kamara who was sharing his experience in the newly formed commission, Atila highlighted that the commission is not there to pay school fees or responsible for the burial of persons with disabilities as is the perception some people have about the place.
Speaking on the theme: EQUALIZATION OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITY, the DM assured that government would continue to demonstrate its commitment towards alleviating the poor conditions faced by persons with disability. He said government has gone a long way trying to stabilize the disable community noting that the setting up of the commission alone is a mile stone achievement fort which disable persons need to applaud the current government.
Earlier in the ceremony, Chairman of the National Commission for Persons with Disability, Fredrick J. M. Kamara called for unity amongst organizations dealing with disability issues in the country. He underscored that with unity the vision of the commission would be easily achievable for the good of persons with disabilities in the entire country. He commended H. E. the President for ratifying international standards on disability issues adding that the commission is an extension of government’s commitment towards the disable.
As part of his experiences in the commission, Kamara shared that many a times the commission is approached for domestic assistance by members of the disable community. He pointed out that they don’t have the resources to cover domestic affairs but rather to cooperate with the Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs to create the enabling environment for the development of the deplorable lives of persons with disability.
Delivering his inspiring statement, Regional Programme Manager of Leonard Cheshire Disability, Prof. Osman Bah said the three days strategic planning workshop would provide guidelines on disability issues in the country for the next three years. He called on government to provide free access to primary and secondary schools as a way of empowering persons with disability in the country.
By Ilyasa Baa
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