Parents and caregivers in Busia County staying with children living with physical disabilities have been challenged to bring them out to enable them to get support from wellwishers.
Addressing people living with disabilities in Busia county, Busia Woman representative Ms Catherine Omanyo noted that for many years parents and caregivers of children living with disabilities have hidden them from the public affecting their lives.
“I want to appeal to parents and those looking after children who are physically challenged in their homes, please bring them out and enable them to get education and other support the way normal children do,” she said.
Omanyo added that there are a lot of opportunities out for them and they can only be tapped if the children are exposed to them.
The woman representative was speaking during the distribution of wheelchairs to members of the community.
She promised to reach out to friends and other well-wishers to get more wheelchairs and other facilities that will benefit people living with disabilities within Busia County.
“We are in the process of identifying people living with disabilities across the county so that through friends and other well-wishers, we may take good care of them, especially children who need to continue with their education.
she outlined that every three months, she will be distributing free wheelchairs to deserving cases across the county.
The woman representative challenged organizations that seek financial assistance from donors to help people living with disabilities to come to the villages and identify the needy cases instead of staying and operating from urban areas.
“I know there are organizations out there who are receiving a lot of money from donors in the name of buying wheelchairs and taking care of those with disabilities in Kenya, let them come down here, identify the cases, and see how they can address them instead of them staying and operating in towns,” she stated
In her two-day tour to various groups in Busia County, she promised to issue more grants to self-help groups in the county to empower the members economically.
“Through the National government affirmative action fund, I will continue empowering registered groups in the county to realize their financial independence,” she noted
Mr Ronald Obiero the chairperson of People Living with Disabilities in Busia County welcomed the help adding that Busia County has more than 90,000 people living with disabilities, who have been neglected by both National and County governments
“With these wheelchairs, people with disabilities who have received them will take care of themselves. In many cases, these people have been sidelined, hidden, and forgotten by the community,” he said.
Obiero lauded the initiative citing that the disabled will therefore have the freedom to do things for themselves without depending on anybody.
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