AfricaPress-Tanzania: THE government has called for more support to people with disabilities saying a society without discrimination and stigma is possible.
Acting Director in the Department of People Living with Disabilities in the Prime Minister’s Office, Philbert Kawemama, issued the call while presiding over a training for social workers’ volunteers from Dodoma and Singida regions.
The volunteers are being prepared to help in identifying children with disabilities in the regions so that they could be supported by the World Vision Tanzania.
At least 495 volunteers attended the training that sought to help raise awareness on the best access and use of appropriate wheel chairs among the needy children.
“I am urging division executives, donors and other non-state actors to help the group with necessary gears especially appropriate wheelchairs,” he said.
However, the director urged the public not to hide children living with disabilities saying identifying them and subsequently providing them with the necessary equipment would help a child participate in social activities in their communities.
In a related development, he asked parents and guardians with children living with disabilities to stop stigmatizing them, saying it has been a huge problem affecting hundreds of children countrywide.
The World Vision Tanzania is planning to donate 528 appropriate wheelchairs worth over 220m/-.
At least 289 chairs have been arranged for Arusha, Manyara and Kilimanjaro regions and the remaining chairs are set to benefit children from Iringa, Singida, Morogoro and Dodoma.
The trained volunteers would help identify children with disabilities in the community that will benefit from the international charity.
Mr Kawemama believes that such wheelchairs will help children access their basic education rights.
The Office of the President Regional Administration and Local Governments had so far released 3.5bn/- during the just ended financial year to support groups of people with disabilities.
According to the director, the ministry has further allocated over 200m/- as a special fund purposely for providing grants to groups of people with disabilities.
Zacharia Shikukulu, World Vision Tanzania Acting Central Zone Cluster Manager said a similar training has already been conducted in Kilimanjaro, Tanga, Arusha and Iringa costing over 100m/-.
According to the Manager, the World Vision project is expected to benefit more children from poor homes all across the regions.
Dodoma Regional Secretary of the Tanzania Federation of Disabled Peoples’ Organization (Shivyawata), Mr Justus Ng’wantalima, noted that people with disabilities were increasingly facing challenges in the community.
He explained that a lot more children, especially in low-income families have been using some equipment as wheelchairs, which are completely irrelevant, and further exacerbate their situations.
“People with disabilities must be given right equipment depending on their needs. This includes body size, length and kind of disabilities. People with disabilities find it difficult using facilities which are not right for them, thereby increasing the magnitude of their disabilities,” he said adding: “People with right facilities are able to participate in various social and economic activities.
Children are at higher risk of having more health-related problems considering that they are exposed to poor gears such as wheel-chairs.”
