|
Don`t hide children with disabilities - call
2007-12-31 08:59:17
By Nasser Kigwangallah
Parents and guardians have been urged to expose their children with disabilities to enable the community offer humanitarian assistance to them so they can enjoy life like other children.
The call was made by Tanzania Resource and Assessment Centre for Children with Disabilities (TRACED) executive secretary Ramadhan Mbonia at a function to celebrate end-of-year holidays with parents and children with disabilities in Dar es Salaam on Saturday.
About 30 children with disabilities and 40 parents from Kinondoni and Ilala districts in Dar es Salaam Region attended the function.
He said it was pity to note that a number of parents were hiding their children with disabilities, thereby depriving them of necessary services which the community could offer them.
``Our organisation has been at the forefront in soliciting assistive devices for children with disabilities and making research on early detection of disabilities. Hiding them was making our efforts to help them more difficult,`` Mbonia said.
He said they organised the event to celebrate with children with disabilities and their parents to show their love and commitment to them.
Mbonia reiterated his organisation`s resolve to continue helping them by donating assistive devices to a number of children with disabilities and primary school pupils in Dar es Salaam, Coast, Morogoro, Iringa, Mbeya and Kigoma regions.
He said efforts were also being made to extend distribution of such services to other regions in the country.
``We recognise their right to love and life. It is the duty of every one of us to help them in kind,`` he said.
At the occasion 2.3m/- worth of food items donated by a Sweden-based NGO, Erikshjalpen, were distributed to the children.
Speaking on behalf of the children’s parents, Lucas Swalla thanked TRACED and Erikshjalpen for rendering humanitarian service, care and support to the children by offering them meals and clothes.
He said it was encouraging to note that a foreign organisation was aware of the difficulties children with diabilities were facing in the country.
|
