Somalia seeks to learn from Uganda to how to cater for PWDs
By Naomi Musiimenta
Delegates from Somalia are in Uganda to learn how best to meet the needs of People With Disabilities (PWDs) in their country.
The delegates were hosted by the Equal Opportunities Commission on Tuesday at the committee’s head office where the meeting was held to discuss the pressing issues at hand.
The delegation is led by Muhammad Harood, the disability and inclusion adviser for the Ministry of Human Rights and Gender Affairs in the Somali government.
Speaking on behalf of the delegation, Harood explained that Somalia has one of the highest numbers of people with disabilities on the continent because of the decades of civil war.
He said that legislators in Somalia were seeking knowledge and experience from sister nations to understand how to better equip and look after their people with special needs on a national scale.
He went on to elaborate that Somalia, which got its independence in 1960, is struggling with a poor education system, unemployment, and segregation which affect individuals with disabilities more.
The chairperson of the Equal Opportunities Commission Sylvia Muwebwa Ntambi pledged to collaborate with people with disabilities from Somalia to promote equality in the war affected country.
The Equal Opportunities Commission is a statutory body established by an Act of Parliament to effectuate Article 32(3) and Article 32 (4) of the Constitution of Uganda.
The Equal Opportunities Commission is mandated to eliminate discrimination and inequalities against any individual or group of persons on the ground of sex, age, race, colour, ethnic origin, tribe, birth, creed or religion, health status, social or economic standing, political opinion or disability.
It is tasked to take affirmative action in favor of groups marginalized on the basis of gender, age, disability or any other reason created by history, tradition or custom for the purpose of redressing imbalances which exist against them, and to provide for other related matters.
