The Abia State Commission for the Welfare of the Disabled Persons, has expressed its readiness to collaborate with all in order to remove barriers that hinder effective participation of persons with disabilities(PWDs) in the society.
The Chairman of the Commission, Mr David Anayaele, said this in Aba on Wednesday at a two-day training session to build the capacity of PWDs in Abia.
The workshop was organised by the Centre for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD), in collaboration with the Abia State Commission for the Welfare of Disabled Persons and supported by the Disability Rights Fund(DRF).
Anayaele, also the Special Assistant to the Governor on Persons with Disabilities, said that communities and governments around the world were taking steps to ensure that they invented climate change resilient and adaptation measures.
According to him, the PWDs are affected the most by climate change.
He said that the commission was committed to supporting and ensuring that the PWDs and other residents understood their roles and responsibilities concerning climate change.
Anayaele commended CCD as well as Gov. Alex Otti for the supports to the disability community and the push for everyone to participate in the economic activities in the state.
The Facilitator, Dr Donatus Onu, said that climate change was having overbearing impacts on people’s lives, especially the PWDs.
Onu, a Senior Lecturer, Department of Agricultural Economics, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, spoke on the topic, “Enhancing Climate Resilience Through Smart Agriculture: A Focus on Building Climate Resilient Skills.”
He said that the climate change resilience referred to the ability of individuals, communities, or systems to withstand and recover from the impacts of climate change.
The lecturer also explained that climate smart agriculture practices implied the application of smart practices to reduce the effect of climate change.
Onu, while urging PWDs not to allow their conditions as excuses for failure, further explained that building climate resilient skills was essential for enhancing their adaptive capacity as farmers.
In a remark, the Programme Manager, DRF, West Africa, Mr Theophilus Odaudu, said the PWDs were vulnerable in many fronts, and was therefore important for them to learn to be resilient.
He commended CCD for its continuous support and advocacy, while expressing the organisation’s commitment to support any group that would promote the welfare of PWDs.
Odaudu commended the PWDs for their participation, while urging them not to keep the knowledge to themselves, rather they should extend it to other members of the community.
Earlier, the Acting Director, CCD, Mr Godwin Unumeri, said the reason for the training was to look for ways to move the PWDs out of poverty, since they were the most vulnerable group in the society.
He said that CCD decided to collaborate with the commission because “it is the legal umbrella organisation taking care of the welfare of PWDs in Abia.”
A PWD member, Dr Blessing Ononogbu, commended the organisers, saying that the PWDs needed to be trained, informed and be carried along.
“This training opened our eyes to know that there are ways we can make our lives better,” she said.(NAN)
