Awareness and Advocacy
According to a recent UN report, more than 1 billion people or 14% of the world population are
living with some form of disability but many are not aware that they even have disabilities.
Around the world People living with Disabilities face physical, social, economic and attitudinal
barriers that exclude them from participating fully and effectively as equal members of society.
They are disproportionately represented and are among the world's poorest and lack equal access
to basic resources, such as education, employment, health care, social and legal support as well
as having a higher rate of mortality. In spite of this situation disability has remained largely
invisible in the mainstream development agenda and its processes.
In Kenya it's a lot worse according to our experience. Right from the drivers and riders, there
is no respect for persons with disabilities. Many road users cause harm and death to persons
with disabilities while they send others into the states of disability due to reckless use of
roads.
Children with disabilities are often found abandoned. Many are totally ignored by their own
parents who lock them into the houses while the parents go about their business. Others send
them to the village to live with grandparents, having been given up as impossible to help.
There are unconfirmed reports that other parents even kill their children when they are
discovered to have severe forms of special needs, believing it to be a curse.
A lot of marriages have broken down because of births of special children. Many husbands
have
abandoned their wives and other children because of the birth of a special needs child,
believing the child to be a support burden. Rampant poverty does not make things any easier.
All in all, this state of affairs makes it crucial to conduct a continuous awareness
campaign to
curb social intolerance and community stigma directed at persons living with special needs.
The purpose is to create an awareness-raising campaign to build an understanding and
tolerant
community integration of persons with disabilities. When supported, the program has lasting
impacts on the lives of special needs children and society.
