03 Mar 2017

 

The Botswana Young African Leaders 2016 cohort – Mandela Washington Fellowship recently handed over four ramps for the physically impaired through four custodians being, the Commissioner’s office, the bus rank and community centre and Scottish Livingstone hospital.

Speaking at the handing over ceremony at Molepolole College of Education, Scottish Livingstone, Matron Ms Agnes Moetse applauded YALI for their noble gesture saying the ramps will help the physically impaired access offices and buildings where they are to get services.

She said Kweneng District was one of the largest catchment areas for people living with disabilities therefore the ramps will be very valuable for them.

Furthermore, Ms Moetse said World Health Organisation estimates that over 10 per cent of the population of African countries had people with disabilities and they faced a lot of exclusion which was a concern.

She said people living with disabilities were not fully incorporated into the society and failure to recognise disabling factors and challenges that they experienced, had resulted in a weak and unresponsive social delivery system in the community.

 

However, she said the idea of providing ramps was to inspire new conversations around issues of disability in Botswana, opening dialogue about possible legislation and policy review regarding disability.

When giving a motivational speech, YALI fellow Ms Candice Muir who has a disability medically termed Amelia of lower right arm, said she might have a disability but as so many abilities.

She said people should be the masters of their disabilities and always know that they can be whatever they want to be.

Ms Muir said being disabled means being innovative and finding one`s own solutions to everyday situations.

She said it rare to find a disabled person in the corporate-working world stating that it is time to change the scenario and see an all-inclusive Botswana, where all regardless of abilities or disabilities become active members of the society.

Nonetheless, Muir said people with disabilities should also be seen positively being wives/husbands parents, CEO`s, entrepreneurs, ministers and even presidents. She said as a person with disability she has learnt to set goals on her own terms at her own pace. She said she had learnt how to drive and how to swim despite her condition.

Ms Catherine Aleseng, another young woman with a disability from Young Voices organization said because of her condition she had fear to go to tertiary school because of being judged and looked down on by others back in primary and senior schools. However, she was grateful for her mother who was always there for her encouraging her, adding that she went to tertiary after two years after completing her BGCSE.

She said her mother used to drop her off at school and even pick her up after, until a time her mother rented her a house as she moved to another country. She said it is then when she started believing in herself, becoming confident to move about alone.

Ms Juby Peacock, also YALI fellow explained that a total of 20 ramps were to be allocated across the districts in Botswana, adding that they will also raise awareness about disability, boost inclusion and prevent abuse against people living with disabilities.

She said for the whole project, they received a total of US$20 000 grant from American Embassy-Public Affairs Office. ENDS