The National Commission for Persons with Disability (NCPD) has ended it covid 19 impact assessment on the livelihood of Persons with disabilities and Disabled Persons Organizations in the North, South and eastern Regions.
Since covid19 was declared a global pandemic by WHO, there has been huge economic, financial and health concerns with loss of lives and high risk of PWD contacting the disease more especially those with visual, speech and hearing impairment and mobility difficulties.
During the Commission’s Makeni engagement on Saturday 12th December 2020 NCPD Program Manager Tamba Mondeh said that during the covid19 pandemic, lives have been lost, businesses and livelihood sources have shattered and economies broken down, “In all of these, persons with disabilities suffer the most and since the restrictive measures still remain in effect, the depth of the impact of Covid-19 cannot be assumed but rather, doing a comprehensive assessment will not only help to understand the socio-economic impact on DPOs and PWDs in Sierra Leone, but it will further guide the Commission to determine which regional, district and category intervention to consider”.
He revealed that the Commission had prepared and submitted the 2021 budget to Ministry of Finance and Parliament respectively; as a result of that management thought it fit, to engage DPOs and stakeholders on an inclusive, accessible and sustainable intervention and support in the coming Financial Year.
On Monday 14th December 2020, Monitoring and Evaluation Manager Patrick Koroma mentioned in the Southern city of Bo that his department has designed questionnaires that will be administered in the regions and information, data, experiences and feedback from DPOs and PWDs will be recorded and share with partners in the sector and also align the interventions with the Mid-Term National Development Plan Cluster 5.3 Policy Objectives and targets.
In Kenema on the 16th December 2020, Mawusie P.I Dumbuya Head of Outreach and Advocacy maintained that persons with disabilities have an ever-growing expectation from the Commission and it is important to engage DPOs, PWDs and other stakeholders on the provisions of the Persons with Disability 2011 especially with the view of stating the role of the Commission in addressing issues relating to empowerment, inclusion and livelihood support; “This will be an opportunity to guide persons with disabilities and shape and their expectation as provided for in the Persons with Disabilities Act 2011”.
Representatives of DPO in all the regions thanked NCPD for planning with them to actualize the dream of the president in Government’s Mid Term Development Plan.
They also lauded the work of NCPD’s Chairman James Tiawo Cullen and Executive Secretary Saa Kortequee for taking the Commission to their various Regions.
Part of the assessment tour was a presentation on covid19, government mid term development plan and monitoring and evaluation.
The Training in Western Area is scheduled for Saturday 19 December 2020.
