By Foday Moriba Conteh
One Family People, a non-governmental organization, which is committed to helping vulnerable children, especially children living with disability, in partnership with the Special Need Education Unit of the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE), the Ministry of Social Welfare, amongst others, has on Wednesday 16th June, 2021 joined the world to commemorate this year’s Day of the African Child with the theme, “Accelerating the Implementation of the Radical Inclusion Policy,” which is centered around the slogan, “We Ring the Bell Campaign 2021.”
The event was held at the Peace Museum, Special Court Sierra Leone (SCSL),on Jomo Kenyatta Road in Freetown and attracted representatives from special need schools, Sierra Leone Union on Disability Issues (SLUDI), Sierra Leone Autistic Society, National Commission for Children (NCC), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), World Hope International, etc.
“We Ring the Bell Campaign” is an international campaign initiated and sponsored by the Liliane Foundation and implemented by Strategic partner organizations in 29 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
One Family People as the Strategic Partner organization of Liliane Foundation in Sierra Leone is responsible to deliver a national program for the empowerment of children with disabilities through a network of partner organizations in 5 Districts in Sierra Leone.
In her welcome address, Hadiatu Diallo, who is the Director of Operations for One Family People mentioned that the organization has been working in the area of children’s empowerment by ensuring that every child, including the disable, gains access to education.
She informed that the organization is presently working in 4 districts including Western Area Urban and Rural.
Hadiatu Diallo stated that the UNDP has been an integral partner of One Family People through providing supports dating back to the Ebola outbreak, in the area of providing educational and other motivational supports to ensure that children are not left out, irrespective of their circumstances.
“We are also working with World Hope International,” she disclosed further underscoring the importance of a multi-sectoral approach in addressing disability issues stating that no single organization can undertake such a much needed effort.
She lauded the Government of Sierra Leone for making the Radical Inclusion Policy a reality, which ensures that no child is left behind in accessing education.
On an extensive interpretation of the Radical Inclusion Policy, Mr. Jalloh from MBSSE noted that the Education Ministry is very concern with having policies that fit the needs of every child across the country and as a result, since 2020, the MBSSE has paved way for what he described as a “more comprehensive policy review that targets pregnant girls (the disable inclusive), children from low income families and also children in remote communities.
Santigie Kargbo, President of SLUDI stated that education is of great importance to the disable child and in that light, he emphasized that it should be a must. He called on parents having disable children to be proud of their offspring and always celebrate them.
He stated that it is high time that stakeholders in the educational sector and those championing disability issues change the narrative of disable children from the begging mentality to think of becoming elites in society and by extension he forecasted that in the next 5 years, more than 20 Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) will be lawyers following their university enrollment.
In her statement, Tanzila Watta Sankoh, the Team lead of the Sustainable and Local Economic Development Cluster at UNDP mentioned that, Article 23 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child mandates State authorities to recognize that a child with mental or physical disability is entitled to a full and decent life.
However, she informed that children with disabilities are among the most marginalized and excluded people in society.
“In Sierra Leone, children with disability encounter daily discrimination in the form of undesirable attitudes, inadequate policies and legislations, which largely prevent them from realizing their rights to healthcare, education and even survival,” she lamented.
She disclosed that the UNDP together with the Ministry of Social Welfare are assessing the Disability Act of 2011 and also working on supporting over 100 PWDs nationwide with livelihood skills and start up kits.
Commenting on the event, Bendu Dassama, Minister of Social Welfare, applauded One Family People for enabling disable children celebrate the Day of the African Child in grand style.
She assured that the New Direction Administration of President Bio is committed to addressing issues of disabilities, adding that schools being built now or being renovated, are disable friendly.
She commended the disable pupils for their dramatic performance as Members of Parliament debating the Radical Inclusion Policy, stating how the parliamentary session is the best ever and therefore encouraged the pupils to rise to such status in their career paths.
The event was climaxed with dramatic performances in the art of singing and dancing and more especially the stunning parliamentary session that stole the event.
Participants were drawn from the National School for the Deaf, the Milton Margai School for the Blind, pupils from the Sierra Leone Autistic Society.
