Group Seeks Support for People Living with Disabilities in C'River

Asuquo Cletus Felix | 30th September 2022

A Non-governmental Organization, Cypress Global Health, has called on relevant stakeholders In Cross River State, to pay more attention to the quality of life, education, as well as the needs of girls and persons living with disabilities in the state in order to ensure inclusive, quality and free education for all.

Speaking during an advocacy and awareness creation workshop held in Calabar with a focus on bridging the gaps in addressing gender-based violence amongst women and girls living with disabilities, the Coordinator and CEO of Cypress Global Health, Mrs Mfreke Asibe emphasised on the need to improve the welfare, and living standards for persons with disability, while speaking against gender based violence against women and girls, especially those living with disability.

"We in Cypress Global health, are bridging the gap, in addressing gender based violence, against women and girls living with disability. We seek socio support to survivors of gender based violence, and also we try to encourage girls and women and we tell them about the Violence Against Persons (VAP) law, we link them to get live support from our partner organization and even the government." She said.

Speaking with our correspondent, Mrs Asibe who appealed to the government for support and provision for budget lines for social inclusion-related programmes informed that the workshop was carried out in partnership with Female and More (FAM) and other key partners. According to her, the workshop is FAM Social Impact Fellowship Project that addresses the problems of exclusion and aimed at ensuring social inclusion as it relates to gender-based violence.

Earlier on one of the participant, Abugo Regina, the National Women Leader of Women Living with Disabilities Cross River State informed that the rate of neglect and discrimination has made necessary people living with disability to speak out for themselves, letting the society know the potentials they possess.

She added that the discriminating attitude members of the society put up against them especially when they got job seeking is very alarming.

"Even when we go to look for jobs, they usually look down on us and they don't even regard us because they feel, we can't do anything. Sometimes they will even punish you for speaking up.

"But from this program, I have learnt that we should speak out, and not be afraid nor intimidated, but to agitate for our rights, and also strive to become good ambassadors ". She said.

In her remarks on the need for proper sensitisation of Covid-19 Vaccines, the Director General of the Cross River State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Janet Ekpenyong lamented the lack of proper information about Covid-19 vaccines, frowning at the various misconceptions peddled on social media.

She therefore, charged participants at the event to disregard the narratives that people die after taking the vaccine, stating that the vaccine is an immune booster, and not a means of reducing the nation's popularity as widely speculated on social media.

"With every new and strange thing, there are always misconceptions that surround it, and the Covid-19 vaccine is not left out. There are stories that people who take Covid-19 vaccine will die. Others say the vaccine was imported to Nigeria to kill and reduce the population of Nigeria but those stories are not true.

"I have taken my first doze, the second one and even the booster am not dead, am very much alive and am very fine. So those are just misconceptions and lies the Covid-19 vaccines are totally safe".

In response to the words of the DG of Primary Healthcare, some of the participants got their first dose of Covid-19 vaccination at the event.

The workshop had in attendance 20 women and girls living with disabilities and 15 implementing partners as follows:

1) Female and More

2) Coalition for the Promotion of Gender Justice

3) Girls Power Initiative

4) Basic Rights Counsel Initiative

5) The Living Woman

6) Onyx Foundation

7) The She-preneurs Nation

8) Forum for African Women Educationalist Nigeria

9) American Spaces

10) Women in Mediation Network