The Network for Advancement of People Living With Visible Disabilities (NAPVID) with the support of the Edo State government has commenced training of about 200 persons in various vocations in the 18 local government areas of Edo State.
The Non Governmental Organisation notable for training, scholarship and empowerment of people living with disabilities unveiled the program on Thursday in Benin City.
The executive director of NAPVID, Bar Melody Omosah, said the program was borne out of the fact that they recognised that people with disabilities stand the chance of making a difference in society if they are empowered and an enabling environment is created.
He said, “In 2021, the Network for Advancement of People Living With Visible Disabilities entered a partnership with the Edo State government and since February, 2021 the government has been supporting our programs.
“On 29th May, 2021 NAPVID launched a program known as NAPVID HELP Project which is to focus on health, education, livelihood and palliatives for indigent persons with disabilities, it is targeted to reduce vulnerability and ensure that people with disabilities will be able to be stabilized and contribute to the society.
“This is coming in the eve of our HELP Project where we are focusing with livelihoods and empowering people with skills and setting them up to start businesses of their own. People with handwork have been set-up to be on their own and a good number of them are doing well.
“We have done much on education, where we have given scholarships to pupils in primary schools, students in secondary schools and higher institutions. Our focus today is on people with skills.
“We have decided to help people with disabilities to acquire skills, the fact that you have gone through school and acquired certificates and you have not got your dream job should not be the end of life, we have designed various skills like shoe making, bag making, fashion designing, perfume making, content creating, computer, iron fabrication and others for people with disabilities to make a choice suitable for them. Anyone with disability can enroll for any one of his or her choice.”
Also, speaking, the first lady of Edo State, Mrs Besty Obaseki, represented by Hon. Godsent Erhunmwunse, said the opportunity was a unique one because it was helping to remind everyone that one is not disabled because he or she has physical disabilities, but rather has nothing positive to contribute to the growth of the society.
One of the participants, Racheal Ewemade, a graduate of Laboratory Technology from Auchi Polytechnic, said she was happy because it would help her get a shop in order to be her own boss, after being trained in shoe making.
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