FG, RSG Empower Persons With Disabilities

The Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development in collaboration with the Rivers State Ministry of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation, has organised an Economic Empowerment Programme for Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) in the state.

The four-day training programme which started Tuesday, would end today Friday, with the graduation of 100 PWDs in various areas of interest such as making of Beads, cream, cake, Jenellries and Flower vase, The and Dye, Yulcanizing, shoemaking, Hair dressing, and barbing is as well as fish/snail farming among others.

Declaring the programme open, the Minister, Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Zainab Maina noted that PWDs encounter a let of obstacles and challenges that inhibit their capacity to play active roles in  the Socio-economic and political development of the nation maintaining that the empowerment programme would provide them with the opportunities to participate in gainful economic ventures that would assure them a sustainable livelihood and integration into the society.

Maina who regretted that inspite of governments efforts to ameliorate the condition of  PWDs, discrimination, stigmatization and relegation of PWDs still persist in some solieties however, stated that the training would mark another milestone in the ministry’s commitment to address the needs of PWDs with a view to harnessing their great potentials for national development.

Maina explained that the programme had been arranged to guarantee maximum benefits to participants urging them to fake advantage being pioneer beneficiaries at the end of the training sessions saying “sustainability, mainstreaming and partnership renamed the current key variables in this development process.”

She further called on government of all levels MDGs, Non-governmental organizations and corporate Bodies to support in facilitating initiatives towards equipping this vulnerable group with skill acquisition and entrepreneurship.

Also the Rivers State Governor, Hon Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi who was represented by the Commissioner for Social Welfare and Rehabilitation, Hon. Joe Poroma said the 100 PWDs were drawn from the 23 Local Government Areas of the state with at least four PWDs from each Local Government.

Lady Levi Usende