NUDIP shows resilience amidst adversity

December 13, 2021 in Business, Policy by Editor

NUDIPU members attending the National Disability Forum on December 2, the first in-person national event since 2019

Maintaining program activity and mobilising support for members throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, formed the highlights as NUDIPU, the National of Disabled Persons of Uganda, held its first in-person AGM in two years.

Addressing members December 2, chief executive Ngirabakunzi Edison described the period as one of significant achievements during the period including the launch of the National Action Plan in June 2020 as well as the development of the Gender and Disability Training manual under the Gender and Disability Inclusion Practice Project GADIP. The manual is expected to support training in gender and disability awareness for stakeholders at community, intermediate and national levels.

The GADIP project aims to see that SDG4 on quality of education and SDG 5 on gender equality as well as SDG 10 on social inclusion, equal opportunities and reduction of inequalities are achieved in Uganda and Lesotho.

Through a study on the socio-economic impacts of Covid-19 on PWD’s the lobby collated information that supported evidence-based advocacy for inclusion of PWD’s in Covid-19 interventions by government and other stakeholders. NUDIPU also successfully concluded a national baseline survey that assessed the impact of councilors of persons with disabilities on service delivery in their constituencies for the 2016-2020 period. Additionally, a manual to enhance the capacity of councilors with disability to deliver on their mandate was also developed.

According to Ngirabakunzi, the organisation has also created a job-seekers database and information portal for PWD’s searching for employment. Concurrently, NUDIPU also made input to the amendment of the Public Service Standing Orders 2020 with a view to securing a quota for people with disabilities in the public service and provision of assistive devices, facilities and personal assistants for people with disabilities.