By Daniel Tyokua
The Global Exchange on Religion in Society (GERIS) has re-echoed the need for government and strategic stakeholders to provide the enabling environment for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) to continue to excel in the society.
Briefing journalists on Thursday in Abuja, Miss Apolmida Haruna Tsammani of Haly Hope Foundation and Zubairu Babajide Atta (Media Advocates for Peace) tagged, ‘CSO and Media Networking Project’ said PWD should always be given the desired attention.
They said the scheme is a microproject as part of the Global Exchange on Religion in Society (GERIS) project funded by the European Union and Implemented by Particip.
According to them, after review of the various scenarios faced by the target population, benchmarking from experiential observations during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, some developments called for the need to push the conversation further by engaging on critical mass awareness.
“During COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, it is viewed as imperative to push the conversation further by engaging on critical mass awareness on emergent issues around Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) of women with Disabilities (WWD) and other matters through advocacy.
“Education and dialogue engagement within the matrix of selected key opinion leaders, religious leaders, persons with PWDs, law enforcement and the mass media. It is recommended and equal access in planning for service delivery by all stakeholders.
“It is a theory of change that, once these actors and stakeholders are equipped with the appropriate knowledge, inclusive decision making and early warning mechanisms can be designed for effective implementation especially in a pandemic situation like the COVID-19 and other community health occurrences”
She explained that the programme is in the process of developing a simplified version of the National Policy on Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights of Persons with Disabilities with emphasis on Women and Girls.
