USAID S2S organises training on disability inclusion awareness in Gombe
The USAID State Accountability, Transparency and Effective State to State Activity (S2S), has commenced a four-day training on disability inclusion awareness in Gombe state.
The training holding at Emerald Hill Hotel Gombe drew participants from different Ministries Department and Agencies MDAs to include Budget Planning and Partner Coordination office, Internal Revenue Service, Ministries of Women Affairs and People living with disabilities PWDs.
In an address of Welcome, the State Team Lead of S2S Mohamed Abubakar, said the workshop is the first of its kind and it is aimed conscientising participants on the inclusion of people living with disabilities who are most neglected in the society to be involved in the helm of affairs.
” The workshop is to draw attention of government and citizens to a segment of the society that are mostly neglected therefore the workshop will be intentive.The PWDs are always at the receiving end,” The STL added.
At the end of the workshop, He said participants should have acquired more information and knowledge on disability inclusion.
He said state to state activity which came into Gombe in October 2020 is working in the areas of Public Finance Management,Budget transparency,Water Sanitation and Hygiene,basic Education and gender and social inclusion.
Abubakar said, “We are also extending activity local government areas in the state having recorded some successes in the state and Local government areas are Gombe,Nafada,Akko, Billiri,Yamaltu Deba and Balanga.”
He said with the support of S2S Gombe now has citizens budgets and inclusion of gender and social budget line in some MDAs.
Some the papers presented on the first day of the workshop included impairment types, barriers by Hassana Lawan, the Bauchi State Gender Equality and Social Inclusion GESI specialist, Disability approaches by the GESI Advisor and Facts and Figures Disability Prevalence, intersectionality By Gombe State GESI Specialist
A participant,Abdullahi Sani in an interview who is also a PWD described the workshop as important considering the exclusion and stigmatization of PWDs by the society.
Sani said, “The society need to help people with disability and not to stigmatize.Just because people are living with disability does not mean they are useless.People should help harness the ability in them” Sani Said.
“Government and the society should give children living with disability the required attention and support.Show them how to catch fish and not give them just fish.”
Linda Sukar, also a participant, at the training said it would help her understand that everyone is equal, “the PWDs need to be shown care and support as well as be considered in construction of social amenities like schools and hospitals,” Sukar said.
