An Edo State based Non-Governmental Organization, Network for the Advancement of People with Visible Disabilities (NAPVID), Wednesday, gave scholarship to two physically challenged persons and empowered another with a sewing machine.
The organisation gave Kindness Idahosa, a 300 level cripple law student of the University of Benin scholarship of 70,000( Seventy Thousand Naira only); Peace Eronmonmen, a blind 100 level Student of Federal College of Education, Special, Oyo State, scholarship of 65,400(Sixty Five Thousand Four Hundred Naira only), while Austin Emmanuel, a cripple was given a sewing machine.
Presenting the money and the sewing machine at the formal unveiling and flag-off of Project HELP, the Executive Director of NAPVID, Melody Omosah Esq., said project HELP, which means Health, Education, Livelihood and Palliative was planned to give the visually impaired persons in Edo State a lifeline for the next four years, and an intervention with the view to removing barriers that stop them from fulfilling their dreams.
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Omosah Esq., who is also visually impaired, said the project was in collaboration with the Edo State government, just as he thanked the governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki and the Board of Trustees members
for making the project possible
“We met the Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki on the 15th of February, 2021, after explaining to him what NAPVID is doing and the area the organization would want the government to come in, the governor set up a committee that approved it. With the project HELP, over 10,000 PWDs will benefit From health, education, and livelihood support.
“This would assist in reducing high level illiteracy and dependency ratio among people with disabilities in Edo state, also NAPVID would partner with various MDAs of government to drive disability-inclusive policies.”he concluded.
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Reacting, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Social Development and Gender Issues, Mrs. Dorcas Idehen, said the project was conceived in collaboration with the Edo state government to give health, education, livelihood support, and palliative to the physically challenge.
Mrs Dorcas who represented the Governor as the occasion said the resolve of the Edo State Government to incorporate people with visible disability into the policies of his administration has helped the NAPVID project.
She said, “This administration pays great attention to the needs of people with problems of disability, and that marks the hallmark of social inclusiveness. Edo state has never given this kind of attention to issues that concerned people with disability.”
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In her reaction, one of the beneficiaries, Miss Kindness Idahosa, thanked NAPVID and the Edo State government for giving her the opportunity to go back to school after the ailment that almost ruined her academic pursuit.