Persons with disabilities in Yei River State have urged the state government and NGOs to design empowerment programs for them.
The call comes amid claims that disabled persons in the state have been neglected by the relevant authorities.
Edina Sunday, one of the disabled persons in Yei, said she has been neglected and does not receive any support from either the government or NGOs.
“I am not happy because many times, NGOs come and talk about issues of people with disabilities, our names are recorded, but we don’t get any support,” Sunday said.
She added, “My call to the NGOs and the government is that we need empowerment programs so that we see a change in the lives of people living with disabilities”.
Simon Jamba, a disabled man, said persons with disabilities are being discriminated against when it comes to employment opportunities.
He called for empowerment of disabled persons through programs like tailoring, bicycle repair and shoe mending to enable them generate some income.
“There are disabled people who have the ability to do things for themselves. If you look in all the offices, you don’t see people with disabilities in the government and NGO offices. People with disabilities are normal and they can also do things like the able ones,” Jamba said.
For his part, the secretary of the disabled action group, Monday Isaac urged the government and NGOs to empower persons with disabilities in soapmaking and tailoring so they can avoid depending on others for survival.
“Let NGOs offer simple trainings to people with disabilities so that they can earn a living. We don’t want to be directors, but we want empowerment programs so that we get things on our own,” he stressed.
Meanwhile, the director general for social welfare in the state ministry of gender, Augustine Ayeko vowed to hold meetings with NGOs to develop joint empowerment programs aimed at supporting persons living with disabilities in the state.
“People with disabilities have rights as stipulated in the constitution to access services, and they have the rights to work for NGOs and government sectors. Some have children who can one day help this country and they deserve to be helped,” Ayeko said.