Persons with disability undergo capacity building
The Ghana Federation of Disability Organisations (GFD) has organised a capacity-building training programme aimed at educating about 60 participants with the knowledge about their disability rights under the Ghana Persons with Disabilities Act, Act 715.
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The four-day programme seeks to, among other things, empower women and girls as well as regional leaders of organisations of Persons with Disability (PWDs) to understand and actively advocate for their basic rights at the community and national levels.
It was in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and UN Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNPRPD).
Rights of PWDs
The UNPRPD is the world convention for PWDs which stipulates the rights of PWDs, fulfilment of their rights as well as respect for all PWDs.
It was on the theme; “Implementing essential pre-conditions to advance the rights of Persons with Disabilities in Ghana''.
The initiative also formed part of a series of activities outlined for implementation under the United Nations Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNPRPD) programme in collaboration with the United Nations in Ghana through the UNDP.
A Disability Inclusion Advisor with GFD, Rebecca Nunoo, called on the government and all relevant stakeholders to fast track the process of re-enacting the Disability Act.
She also urged them to ensure the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of PWDs in the country.
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“Ensure the full participation of persons with disabilities in the implementation of the sustainable development goals so as not to leave anyone behind”, Ms Nunoo stated.
Capacity building
Addressing the participants at the training in Accra, the Programmes Manager of GFD, Peter Anoma-Kordieh, said the training was aimed at giving women and girls living with disabilities, the voice to speak up for themselves and be actively included in all aspects of the society.
He stated that this was primarily due to lack of awareness, especially among women and girls with disabilities about their rights and privileges in the society.
Hence this lack of awareness often deterred them from seeking their basic rights such as access to quality education, health care among others which ultimately led them to being stigmatised in their various societies.
Mr Anoma-Kordieh further stated that the training was to empower participants with the knowledge about rights as the GFD was committed to promoting the rights and welfare of persons with disabilities in the country.
“So as you receive the training today, I encourage that you gather all the experience you can get throughout the training and put them into practice in order to collectively ensure a positive effect on PWDs in the country”, he added.