Tamale, July 02, GNA – A project has been launched to create a positive culture of support and care that allows blind persons including people with mental health conditions to access basic, equitable, and quality health care in the Northern Region.
The year-long project (May 2021 to April 2022) dubbed: “Anti-Stigma and Discrimination Against Blind” (ASDAB), also seeks to promote the use of positive languages in communities and public spaces as a way of reducing stigmatisation and discrimination against blind and partially sighted persons.
It also seeks to promote the use of positive languages on persons with disabilities in the region.
It formed part of the Ghana Somubi Dwumadie programme, which is funded by UKaid, and it is being implemented by the Centre for Active Learning and Integrated Development (CALID), a non-governmental organization, in collaboration with the Northern Regional branch of the Ghana Blind Union (GBU).
About 550 visually impaired persons including people with mental health conditions in the Tamale Metropolis and the Savelugu and Sagnarigu Municipalities are the target beneficiaries.
Alhaji Shani Alhassan Saibu, Northern Regional Minister, whose speech was read on his behalf during the launch of the project in Tamale o, called on Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies to ensure that their by-laws positively discriminated in favour of blind people and the marginalized to ensure their well-being.
The Northern Region of Ghana is home to many persons with visual impairment, and they face problems of access to education, employment, and poor health care due to factors such as poverty, accessibility, cost, low awareness, and inadequate priority by government and local community structures.
They also face stigmatisation and discrimination in society making them feel excluded.
Alhaji Saibu further called on religious leaders to support the government to promote the well-being of socially disadvantaged persons and reduce the burden on caregivers by supporting persons with visual impairment including people with mental health to reach their potentials.
Mr Mohammed Awal Sumani Bapio, Executive Director of CALID said some activities to be implemented under the project including awareness creation and public engagements with stakeholders on calls for the implementation of key policies affecting blind people and people with mental health in the region.
Mr Bapio said 10 community monitoring groups would be established to document discriminatory practices against blind and partially sighted people including those with mental health and report them to community leaders for redress.
Mr Mohammed Billa, Northern Regional President of GBU said the stigmatisation and discrimination against blind people in the country had become so pervasive that people did not want to marry them, adding that their products were also not well patronised or shunned, which threatened their livelihood.
Mr Billa called on the government and other stakeholders to implement social strategies to improve their access to education, health care amongst others and expressed the hope that the ASDAB project would help address some of their plights.
Hajia Ayishetu Seidu, Municipal Chief Executive for Savelugu said the project would complement the Assembly’s efforts at improving the well-being of the vulnerable and marginalised in the area.
Mr Lawrence Akubori, Grants Advisor at Ghana Somubi Dwumadie urged all stakeholders and the citizenry to support the project to achieve its objectives for the benefit of all.
GNA