People who lost feet, legs need to be empowered

National

PEOPLE who have lost their feet or legs need to be empowered through self-help projects to sustain themselves, an advocate of persons with disability (PWD) says.
Oro Disabled Persons Organisation media officer Nicky Kuvida said from their record, young men with amputated feet were the ones making up the big number of PWD.
Their lives were affected when they lost their limbs.
“Those are the ones that encountered police brutality when they were shot and wounded, had their legs amputated,” he said.
“Some had their legs amputated because of diseases like leprosy and others through accidents.
“Some of these young men, especially those in town, have devices like wheelchairs to help with their mobility. But others are using self-made devices. They are hopeless in sustaining their living.
“These men had been living a normal life but the situation had brought them to where they are and they need something to start somewhere to generate income and forget about what had happened to them.”
He said the organisation this year planned awareness and advocacy.
“We will do a proper data collection of our PWD and their issues and provide them to the government agency responsible as well our donor partners to make it easier for delivery of services.”