K350,000 deed for country’s disability centre

National, Normal
Source:

The National, Friday 3rd May 2013

 MORE than K350,000 worth of funding deed from AusAID has been awarded to the country’s National Disability Resource and Advocacy Centre (NDRAC) to help provide more assistance to disabled people.

The funding will go towards enabling the organisation support various areas for People with Disabilities (PWDs).

They will also be working with the AusAID-funded initiative Strongim Pipol Strongim Nesen (SPSN) on coordinating, advocating and promoting awareness, enhancing networking and partnership building with stakeholders for PWDs and building PWDs confidence and capabilities.

Other areas to be looked at include the organisation acting as an information focal point for disability information and strengthening NDRAC organisational capacity.   

A total of K351,690 was given to NDRAC yesterday. 

NDRAC was established in 2006 as a joint venture between Divine Word University and Volunteer Service Organisation.

“We have our challenges also; it has been very difficult for us throughout transition period, but we would like to thank AusAID and SPSN for helping us financially.

“This way, we can keep raising our voices, so the voice of people with disabilities will not die,” NDRAC official Robert Banasi said.

He also said there were many cases regarding people with disabilities in rural areas that needed to be looked into by NDRAC with the assistance of stakeholders.

“We want to be that link to work in partnership with the national board for disabled people and with the department of community development and all other service providers in PNG, so that we can best give that voice to persons with disabilities,” he said.

“Let us all work together to give disability a new standing in the community, so that we can break barriers together.”