The National Fund for the Disabled of Kenya (NFGK) has donated assorted assistive devices and tools of trade valued at over Sh3.7 million to persons living with disability drawn from the three counties of Garissa, Mandera and Wajir in the Northeastern region.
Speaking after presenting the donations to the beneficiaries at the Government Guest House in Garissa town Thursday, NFDK programmes committee chairperson Prof. Julia Ojiambo said the donations were meant to promote self-reliance and resilience for persons living with disabilities.
Prof. Ojiambo said that empowering the disabled assists them in meeting their needs in a sustainable and dignified manner, thus reducing dependency on society. The donations included wheelchairs, walking crutches, car washes, and sewing and welding machines, among others.
The chairperson said that the donation was part of the organisation’s mandate of enhancing social and economic empowerment for persons with disabilities.
“One way to do this is through provision of assistive devices and vocational tools of trade to individual persons with disabilities and grants to institutions for learners with disabilities,” she said.
“I want to encourage you to use the items whether tools of trade or grant for the intended purpose so that they can truly support your livelihoods and create lasting impact for you, your families and your communities,” she added.
The chairperson said that NFDK recognises that disability inclusion cannot be achieved by one institution alone but by a strong collaboration between national and county governments, development partners, community leaders, families and persons with disabilities themselves.
In addition, NFDK presented 12 institutions with small grants totalling Sh2.4 million to help in infrastructural development and income-generating activities in the institutions to ensure learners with disabilities are well accommodated and catered for. In total NFDK spent Sh6.1 million on the donations and grants.
“We are committed to ensuring that disability inclusion reaches every part of country including marginalised and hard-to-reach regions,” Prof. Ojiambo noted.
“We are therefore calling on all stakeholders to continue supporting initiatives that promote access, equity, and economic empowerment for persons with disabilities, ensuring that inclusion is sustained beyond today’s event,” she said.
On his part, North Eastern Regional Commissioner (RC) John Otieno called on area residents support persons with disabilities, adding that ‘disability is not inability’.
“These are our brothers and sisters. We should not discriminate against them. They are not different from other members of the society and are only abled differently,” Otieno said.
The RC called on the beneficiaries not to dispose of the tools of trade for quick money that he noted will only serve them for a short while.
“The government has put millions of shillings into these tools and equipment. It will be morally wrong to dispose them just like that,” Otieno said.
“If you put these tools into good use, I can assure you that it will turn around your lives and put food on the table for your families,” he added.
Hibo Salah, who received a wielding machine thanked the government for the support, adding that people living with disability were facing a myriad of challenges, particularly when seeking government services in buildings that lack ramps.
“We feel honoured to receive this equipment which will go a long way in realising a dignified living. This is something we have all wished for,” Hibo said.
She further noted that extending similar assistance to schools with children who have special needs would greatly improve their learning environment.
“Extending the same assistance to schools with kids with special needs will go a long way in making their lives more comfortable and learning more friendly,” Salah added.
By Jacob Songok
