“I have heard of support to IDPs here and there but nobody has ever thought of persons with special abilities.” These were the words of Agwe Eric Tata, president of Mbengwi Association of Persons with Special Abilities. He was speaking last Tuesday June 4th 2019 at the premise of Rainbow Radio, Mbengwi during a ceremony to hand over financial support to persons with special abilities. The gesture came from the fon of Guneku village, H.R.H Dr. Fomuki Walters and his traditional council.
 |
| PWDs After Benefitting from the Fon's Largesse |
In the face of the ongoing Anglophone Crisis in Cameroon, all attention seems to have been tilted only towards assisting Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) yet the situation of Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) who are also victims of the situation is precarious. “People with physical challenges suffer more than IDPs because in the face of danger, an IDP can run but a visually impaired or physically challenged person can’t” opined Agwe Eric.
 |
| AGWE Eric Tata, President, Mbengwi Association of Persons with Special Abilities |
How did the donation come about? Moris Tagyen is the Station Manager of Rainbow Radio. He explained that it all originated from a local language program that was broadcast over the station a couple of months ago. On the said program, Meta News, he zoomed into the plight of Persons with Disabilities in the ongoing conflict through a recorded interview he conducted with Tayong Yerima Peter, a visually impaired person resident in Mile 17 Mbengwi during which the concerned painted a gory picture of the experiences he’s been through amidst ghost towns, shutdowns, curfews and even fire exchanges. It was a pathetic story
 |
| Morris Tagyen, Station Manager, Rainbow Radio |
Rainbow Radio has a WhatsApp group on which some of her recorded programs are often shared for connected indigenes round the globe to download, listen and be abreast with happenings back home. And so when this particular edition of Meta News was shared, it got to the ears of H.R.H Dr. Fomuki Walters, Fon of Guneku village, resident in Germany. From thence, he made contacts back home and was given every information he required about Persons With Disabilities residing in Mbengwi and when he learnt they have an association, it became a good opening for him to come to their need with a financial package of a hundred and fifty thousand francs (150.000), using the radio station as contact point.
 |
| Cross Section of Beneficiaries |
They were twenty six in number that answered present, suffering from visual and mobility impairment. At the end, each person went back home with a financial assistance of five thousand Francs (5000). From findings, there are over fifty Persons with Disabilities resident in Mbengwi excluding those housed and taken care of by the Chistadaelphian School for the Blind and Handicapped, Kobenyang-Bome Mbengwi. The highest concentration of these persons is in Mile 17. Apart from basic needs like food and toiletries, some visually impaired complained of the need for a new white stick while others expressed need for crutches.
 |
| Ngwa Vitalis, Fon's/Traditional Council's Representative |
Ngwa Vitalis, an elite from Guneku village, representing the fon and traditional council of his village told the disabled that “The cry of your colleague on your behalf has been heard by the village, the fon and the traditional council reason why the fon decided to answer you where the cry was made, at Rainbow radio. That’s why we are all here today.” He went ahead to appreciate them for braving the odds to be physically present despite their impairments and for being easily accessible through their association so that in case subsequent potential aide providers may want to intervene, a good database of persons living with disabilities in Mbengwi would be easily gotten.
 |
| A Visually Impaired Receiving his Envelope |
At the end, the beneficiaries showered thanks on the fon and pleaded on others to emulate his example while affirming that the financial assistance received shall be of great help to them especially as in the midst of the ongoing Anglophone Crisis, many able persons don’t care about the disabled as if to say “Man for himself, God for we all.” When all attention is on IDPs, the fon of Guneku and his traditional council cares for PWDs in Mbengwi.
No comments:
Post a Comment