Joy as PWDs receive supportive devices

People with disabilities (PWDs) in Oyam District and Lira City have a reason to smile after benefiting from a donation of wheelchairs that will help them in their day-to-day movement.

The donation of 30 wheelchairs was made possible by Community Focus International (CFI), a Lira-based Non-Governmental Organisation.

Mr Ponsiano Coda, CFI’s programme manager, while handing over the assistive devices to the beneficiaries in Lira City on Sunday, said there are many PWDs in the communities across northern Uganda who need assistive technology devices. However, he said CFI cannot extend a helping hand to everybody because of inadequate funding.

Ms Jane Frances Ofungi, the Lira District Education Officer, also the deputy board chairperson of CFI, noted that the wheelchairs need replacement as children with disabilities grow and also because of wear and tear.

She also said their organisation is faced with the challenge of inadequate equipment maintenance and urged their beneficiaries to jealously guard against the donated wheelchairs.

Mr Mathew Omara, the chairperson of PWDs in Lira, urged parents to ensure that all children with disabilities are in school and should complete the education circle.

“It’s these PWDs that are going to bury you when you die because they are not always engaged in any life-threatening criminal activities,” he said.

He also requested local leaders to ensure PWDs are not left out of the Parish Development Model (PDM) and other government programs.

Wheelchair crisis

Currently, only two per cent of the 12.4 per cent of people living with some form of disability have access to assistive technology services in Uganda, according to the Ministry of Health. Dr Jane Ruth Aceng, the minister of Health, said the rest are struggling on their own to survive and also move from place to place.

Dr Aceng earlier acknowledged that access to and utilization of wheelchairs to aid in rehabilitation has remained a big challenge in the country as a result of inadequate funding to procure wheelchairs and their accessories.