By:
Alusine Rehme Wilson – (AR-Wilson)
Various Persons with Disability (PWDs) in the North including the NCPD Regional Coordinator North, Beatrice Koroma at the Polio Persons Development Association (PoPDA) camp premises situated in Magbenteh, along the Makeni-Freetown Highway on Friday October 18, 2019 ushered a rousing welcome to a high powered delegation comprising of officials from the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPD) including the commission’s Executive Secretary, Saa Lamin Kortequee and the Chairman, James Taiwo Cullen who later simultaneously presented various amounts in Cheque worth about twenty five million Leones (Le 25,000,000) to three Disable Persons Organizations (DPOs): Vision for the Blind, Polio Persons Development Association and Disability Institute for Dignity and Development (DIDDA) based and operational in the Bombali and Tonkolili District.
NCPD outreach officer chaired the event and he invited various dignitaries that include the Measurement and Evaluation Officer of NCPD Patrick Koroma, PoPDA Chairman Matthew Tholley and other invited persons to deliver their various speeches at the event.
The three DPOs from
the two districts: Vision for the Blind, Polio Persons Development Association
and Disability Institute for Dignity and Development (DIDDA) received from NCPD
a sum little over eight million Leones, seven million leones and eight million
leones respectively as part of the commission’s support to help the DPOs run
their organization Saa Lamin Kortequee NCPD’s Executive Secretary confirmed to
this medium.
Saa Lamin further
said that they received several proposals for funding from DPOs in the country
but these DPOs proposals stood out most which is why us as a commission that is
working in the interests of all disable persons in Sierra Leone with support
from the Government of Sierra Leone through the Finance Ministry who has paid
to us the fourth trench of grants for the commission’s 2019 budget decided to
distribute rationally to all functional and well structured DPOs in the five
regions of the country.
Responding to
question from this write, NCPD’s Executive Secretary Saa Lamin Kortequee
replied that the commission’s next move is to work hand in gloves by providing
the necessary support to DPOs to popularize the “Disability Act” Nationwide. He further said that it is the duty of
everyone to ensure that they embrace disable persons in and out of their
surroundings for everyone is able today but probably can be disable tomorrow.
“I am thankful for
the appointment into the commission from the highest seat of this nation, which
I believe came to me as a result of the trust the President and you all have in
me. Like I have always done before for fellow disables and the commission, I am
ready to continue to do more under in the commission” the NCPD Chairman, James Taiwo Cullen said in a statement.
He concluded his
statement with strict assurances on behalf of NCPD that all disables will enjoy
from his astute leadership in all related activities and work of the commission
with priority to promote Gender Equity and Equality between and among able and
disable persons in all facets of society. This is why NCPD is ensuring to work
hand in gloves with our enviable Disable Persons Organizations and by extension
very ready to also work with local and I-NGOs, Private Cooperate Entities,
Government Ministries, Agencies and Departments than never before in ensuring
that all Disables in the country enjoy what due them at all times which he
stressed is also the responsibility of all and sundry to help actualize.
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