Africa-Press – Eswatini. The Minister of Housing and Urban Development Prince Simelane has applauded His Majesty King Mswati III for maintaining the bilateral cooperation between the Kingdom of Eswatini and the Republic of China (Taiwan) which has yielded the construction of the first autism rehabilitation centre in the country, amongst other benefits.
This was during the official opening of the Manzini Autism Rehabilitation and Respite Centre held at Fairview yesterday.
The centre was constructed by the Municipal Council of Manzini through funding from the Republic of China (Taiwan). The event was attended by amongst others the Minister of Education and Training Lady Howard-Mabuza, Ambassador of the Republic of China (Taiwan) in the Kingdom of Eswatini Jeremy H.S Liang, Director of Health Services Dr Vusi Magagula, Manzini South Member of Parliament Thandi Nxumalo, Municipal Council of Manzini Chief Executive Officer Lungile Dlamini and the Mayor of the city, His Lordship Councillor Quinton Els to name a few.
Making his remarks during the event, the minister congratulated the municipal for venturing into this uncharted territory in the country.
The prince stated that having the facility was long overdue.
He said this would provide relief to many parents and other stakeholders, who were directly or indirectly affected by autism.
The prince said by spearheading this project, the municipality had demonstrated that indeed it practiced its organisational value of inclusion.
He said children, who were on the autism spectrum missed out a lot on early childhood education because of their inability to communicate.
“They also have difficulty accessing other essential services like medical, psychological and physiological services that they need for their mental development.
“This means they often get denied enjoyment of most of their basic human rights,” he said. The prince said as His Majesty’s government, they were proud of this achievement. He said it was not only the city’s milestone but that of the Kingdom of Eswatini at large.
“It is placing our country on the world map. From now on, the Kingdom of Eswatini will be viewed differently in the global space as a country that is committed to the attainment of goal number three of the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals,” he said.
The prince further stated that the milestone was in line with the United Nations convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which Eswatini ratified in 2020.
He said at national level, it was in line with the Eswatini National Disability Act of 2013 as well as the National Disability Plan of Action.
“We want to express our sincerest appreciation to the Republic of China (Taiwan) for their generous donation.
“This facility is one of the many benefits of the bilateral cooperation between the Government of Eswatini and the Republic of China (Taiwan). We will forever be grateful to the Republic of China ( Taiwan) for this assistance and we commit to ensuring that this centre grows and expands to the extent of providing services even to adults who are on the autism spectrum.
“We further express gratitude to Their Majesties for maintaining the Kingdom of Eswatini’s bilateral cooperation with the Republic of China (Taiwan). If it was not for Their Majesties, we would not be having this exciting occasion today,” he said.
The prince encouraged parents of children with autism to make use of the facility.
He further urged the Municipal Council of Manzini to live up to its mission and ensure that the facility provided quality services that added value to its citizens.
…Ambassador Jeremy Liang happy with opening of autism centre
The Ambassador of the Republic of China (Taiwan) in the Kingdom of Eswatini Jeremy H.S Liang has stated that the opening of the Manzini Autism Rehabilitation and Respite Centre marked one of the cornerstones to the collaboration and friendship of Taiwan and Eswatini.
Liang said the construction of the centre was donated with love and care by the government and people of Taiwan since 2017, to provide a vital tool to foster a more inclusive and caring society in the kingdom, under the partnership of Taiwan and Eswatini. “In 2008, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously declared the 2nd of April as World Autism Awareness Day (WAAD), to highlight the need to improve the quality of life of those with autism, so they can lead full and meaningful lives as an integral part of society. I am sure that the centre we launched today will play a significant role in fulfilling the need highlighted by the WAAD, while deepening the bilateral relations between Taiwan and Eswatini,” he added. Liang said although the road was long when it came to narrowing inequality, progress could be achieved through concerted efforts.
He said Taiwan and Eswatini had stood together through thick and thin, and would continue making headways in attaining the UN Sustainable Development Goals, especially the core value of SDG4: Ensuring the persons with disabilities have the right to inclusive and quality education
He said the founding purpose of Manzini Autism Rehabilitation and Respite Centre echoed that of SDG4, which promotes better lives for all children and adults with autism.
Liang said Taiwan and Eswatini were true friends and partners in prosperity, and they would leave no one behind, that’s why they endeavoured to promote, protect and ensure the equal enjoyment of basic human rights by all persons with disabilities, including persons with autism.
He said the construction of the centre as well as their many previous cooperative efforts, reflected the strength of bilateral relations, and was another strong step forward in building more resilient, sustainable and prosperous societies.
“On behalf of the government and people of Taiwan, let me congratulate the official launch of the centre and express my heartfelt appreciation to the government of Eswatini and honourable ministers for jointly making this achievement,” he said.
…Children with autism exposed to rape – mayor
“It is heart -breaking to note that children with autism often become victims of rape and other forms of abuse from sexual predators.”
These submissions were made by Manzini Mayor Quinton Els.
Speaking during the official opening of the Manzini Autism Rehabilitation and Respite Centre, Els said the reason they were so overjoyed by the milestone as a municipality was not only the fact that they had made history as the first city to have an autism rehabilitation centre in the country but rather what excited them was that the launch and operationalisation of the facility marked a huge relief to the many parents and guardians of children with autism spectrum disorder.
“Autism spectrum disorder is a relatively new phenomenon that we are still trying to understand as a country,” he said.
He said as a municipality that throve on inclusion as one of its core values, they were deeply touched when they learnt of its presence in the community some few years ago. Els said as soon as they learnt of existence, they conducted a research and tried to gather as much information about it as possible.
“What we discovered was extremely shocking. Many parents have been suffering silently with no much support mechanism. Autism spectrum disorder remains hidden, not only in Eswatini but the African continent at large,” he said. The mayor divulged that also discovered was that schools were grappling with the challenges posed by this new phenomenon, whose solution seemed far-fetched.
Victims
He said most heart breaking was that children with autism often become victims of rape and other forms of abuse from sexual predators.
Els said all their discoveries were enough to convince them as a municipality this was not the time to fold their arms and be apathetic to the situation.
“That is the reason we are grateful to our parent ministry and His Majesty’s Government in its entirety for their support as they rolled their sleeves and made a commitment to confront the challenge head on,” he said.
He said the facility they were opening yesterday was as a result of the support that they received from His Majesty’s Government.
Most importantly, he said they were grateful to the Republic of China (Taiwan) who favourably considered their application for funding and extended to them a grant to the tune of E1.6 million.
“I would like to express our special appreciation to the King for his wisdom towards ensuring that the country maintains bilateral cooperation with the Republic of China (Taiwan). These are the fruits of the diplomatic relations with Taiwan,” he said.
Els said as a municipality, they trusted that the facility would provide the desired relief to parents of children with autism.
“We therefore, encourage them to make use of this facility. We are an ISO 9001 certified municipality, hence they can be guaranteed of service of the highest quality,” he said.
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