Disabled people in Nyamira County have been advised to form groups and register them in order to benefit from government grants to boost their economic ventures.
This advise was given Thursday by Lydia Matende, Nyamira County Director for National Council for Persons Living with Disability (NCPWD) at Manga Esise ward, Borabu constituency in Nyamira County during the registration exercise of people living with disability in the area observing that people without severe disabilities can be economically empowered to afford decent lives if only they can accept to work in groups.
“The trend of waiting for handouts from government and other well-wishers by disabled people inculcates a habit of dependency and laziness in them yet some of them can operate simple businesses to make their lives more comfortable and much better than what their caregivers are able to provide them at the moment and even rise to a position of helping fellow disabled persons not able to do anything because of the severity of their disability,” Ms Matende noted.
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NCPWD has an underutilized financial kitty which issues grants to registered groups of disabled persons with an objective of supporting their income generating ventures because some of them have dependents who expect them to meet their daily needs and with lack of access to formal employment, self-initiated business is the only way to go to enable them meet a myriad of their economic needs,” Matende said.
She told KNA during an interview that they decided to undertake the registration exercise out of office and meet the disabled people near their homes in collaboration with the medical personnel as majority of them opt not to register because of struggles in transport logistics which are cumbersome, costly and humiliating.
Mr Felix Ratemo, an Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) specialist said they have a disability assessment team at Nyamira referral hospital which does free disability assessment test every Wednesday to enable the disabled people get a special ID which readily identifies them as vulnerable people and describes the nature of their disability.
“I urge those with disability conditions to visit our facility if they will not manage to be assessed by the time this exercise is ending tomorrow to be able to access an ID card which identifies them rightly and be able to get necessary support.
As per today 500 persons living with disability had been assessed majority of whom are children who are mentally challenged.
By Deborah Bochere
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