Disability
Children with disabilities are one of the most marginalized and excluded groups in the society. Facing daily discrimination in the form of negative attitudes, lack of adequate policies and legislation, they are often deprived o chances of realizing their rights to healthcare, education, and even survival.
Estimates suggest that there are at least 93 million children with disabilities in the world, but numbers could be much higher. They are often likely to be among the poorest members of the population. They are less likely to attend school, access medical services, or have their voices heard in society. Their disabilities also place them at a higher risk of physical abuse, and often exclude them from receiving proper nutrition or humanitarian assistance in emergencies.
Creating Access to Education, quality health care services and wealth creation for Children and people living with disability (CWDs) is often difficult; and the issue of inclusive education for CWDs remains a great challenge in Nigeria for several reasons: parents or caregivers of the CWDs are often reluctant to send these children to school due to lack of confidence regarding their performance at school; or due to limited financial capacity, which compels them to choose to invest more in their children without disabilities on belief that the latter are worthier than the former; Teachers and school staff members are often not well trained to accommodate and manage those children appropriately; The few CWDs who are at school are marginalized by their schoolmates, who nickname them according to their disabilities; this may lead the CWDs to quit school altogether.
The project titled “Creating Access to Education, quality health care and wealth creation for Children and people living with disability, using Advocacy for Inclusiveness” is timely, given that people living with disability in Nigeria are often denied access to Education, quality health care and wealth creation and adequate legislation that protect their fundamental human right.
In African countries in general, children with disabilities are well mentioned in policy documents, but there is no policy and adequate resource allocated to address their specific needs, therefore many of these children become baggers in streets. Sapphire Initiative for Girl child Literacy and Empowerment is here to feel this gap with your support.