THE government has pledged to continue empowering people with disabilities, especially women, in order to increase their participation in various spheres of life.
Deputy Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office responsible for the Disabled, Ms Stella Ikupa said that empowerment of the group will help to build a brighter future for themselves and their families.
Ms Ikupa was speaking in Dar es Salaam recently at the launch of a Mentorship Program for Women and Girls with Disabilities initiated by a Non Governmental Organization- Her Ability Foundation (HAF), which works to unlock and showcase the potential of university girls with disabilities.
The launch of the mentorship program was organised on the sideline of the International Women’s Day (IWD) which is marked on March 8 every year.
She said the government has continued to make some improvements in various sectors to create an enabling environment for people with disabilities in education, employment and economic empowerment.
“The government has been taking measures to improve learning environment for people with disabilities by providing enough teachers, friendly infrastructure as well as review of some policies to accommodate their special needs,” Ms Ikupa said.
Ms Ikupa further noted that although unemployment is a global challenge, the government has adopted various strategies to address the problem which has been affecting not only people with disabilities, but also all people in the country.
She said the government has also continued to ensure that people with disabilities, especially women, are empowered to reduce their dependency.
Ms Ikupa, however, called upon successful women with disabilities to inspire girls with disabilities in higher learning institutions to accomplish their dreams.
She, however, said that as the country is scheduled to hold general elections later this year, women with disabilities should use the opportunity to contest for various political posts regardless of their disabilities.
Founder of Her Ability Foundation, Dr Victoria Lihiru said under the programme, successful women with disabilities will mentor and give guidance to girls with disabilities in higher learning institutions to inspire them to fulfill their dreams.
“We are here today to celebrate the IWD as well as the launch of the mentorship programme for women and girls with disabilities. We want girls to know that it is possible for them to become who they want in future despite their physical disabilities,” she said.
Lihiru said the foundation’s initiative, among other things, includes identifying, empower, link, support, and advocate for the rights of people with disabilities in colleges.
She said there are a good number of successful women with disabilities who will inspire college girls to do much better in their studies.
Dr Khadija Jilala, senior lecturer at the Open University of Tanzania and Founder of Dhahabu Foundation for Children and Youth with Disability, said people with disabilities were capable of executing duties performed by other people without disabilities.
She said women with disabilities were facing challenges compared to other women, but they are capable of doing great things. She said people should look at their abilities, not disabilities.
