By Steven Enatu
SOROTI CITY
The O. J disability Care Foundation Soroti has donated a total of 260 Manual wheelchairs to persons with physical disabilities across Uganda.
Executive director of O.J disability care foundation, Julius Opoi during the launch of the distribution exercise at Soroti City yesterday 4th May 2022 said that the wheel chairs will assist people with disabilities to become productive members of their communities and also aid their movement to schools and churches.
The wheelchair is one of the most commonly used assistive devices for enhancing personal mobility, which is a precondition for enjoying human rights and living in dignity.
According to Opoi, the foundation lobbied the chairs from their partners, wheelchair foundation in Europe together with Cheshire Services Uganda in order to ease mobility of the people with disabilities.
James Abilu, a resident of Abaango village and Stella Rose Amebo, some of the beneficiaries commended O.J for easing their mobility since most of them were kept indoors.
The ceremony was grazed by Hon. Minister of state Hellen Grace Asamo representing the PWDs in the Ministry of Gender, Labor and Social Development who commended O.J disability foundation for supplementing government programs.
She also urged the people with disabilities to utilize the special disability grants in order to improve on their livelihoods.
Currently, only two percent of the 12.4 per cent of people living with some form of disability have access to assistive technology services, according to the Ministry of Health. This means the rest are struggling on their own to survive and also to move from place to place.
Opoi noted that the launched wheelchair project for Uganda with support from Don Routh, Josh and Wheelchair Foundation is a pilot project and they target to distribute wheel chairs to all persons with disability in Uganda in five years’ time.
The event was also attended by Soroti City Woman Member of Parliament, Hon. Joan Alobo Achom.
