04 Apr 2017

People living with disabilities (PLWDs) are said to be struggling to access services that could help develop their lives due to lack of ramps and elevators in offices.

Speaking at a community outreach meeting held by the Mandela Washington Fellowship group at Gerald kgotla , chairperson of Lentswe La Ba-na-le Bogole, Mr Joseph Nchenje condemned parents who hid their children living with disabilities from the public.

He said they should understand that people living with disabilities were also human beings with rights and hiding them from the public could hinder them from people who could better their lives.

A member of the Mandela Washington Fellowship, Ms Mona-Lisa Mungure said the objective of the outreach in communities was to raise awareness for PLWDs.

She further added that the fellowship wanted to inform and educate communities on how to deal with PLWDs.

Ms Mungure, a lawyer by profession said in the legal profession, she had noticed that PLWDs were often excluded and that there was no law in the country specifically dealing with such people.

She also noted they found out that there were a lot of abuse and violation of human rights regarding PLWDs in households.

Ms Mungure called on the community to understand that people living with disabilities were entitled to equality and human rights like everyone else and further encouraged people with disabilities to advocate for their rights.

One of the residents, Ms Kelebogile Jotia expressed gratitude for the outreach, stating that many were living with PLWDs, but had no knowledge of procedures to follow in order to get help for their needs. ENDS