OSHIFUKWA – Ondonga Traditional Authority (OTA) senior councillor responsible for disabilities affairs Lukas Shawana has urged the community to assist people with disabilities so they can help themselves.

He expressed these sentiments during a Christmas party organised for people with disabilities at the Kufamosha Information Disability Centre (KIDC) at Oshifukwa in the Oshikoto region on Thursday.

“People with disabilities have the same rights as everyone else. So, let us help them with the little we can,” he said, urging people with disabilities to work, and to remain positive and active.

“I encourage the guardians and parents of people with disabilities to teach them to work with their hands or limbs,” Shawana added.

KIDC founder Petrus Tiofelus said they started the centre in 2020 at Oshifukwa to advance the lives of people living with disabilities through incorporating them into the community, and teaching them about their rights.

The centre is currently operating under a tree, and has managed to register and assist 600 people with disabilities from all the 14 regions of the country, and they still go into villages to look for more people.

“We assist them with the social workers to access social grants and get them registered into institutions of higher learning,” said Tiofelus.

He added that another part of their work is to inform people with disabilities about their rights, in addition to facilitating their participation in traditional games such as Owela.

 - Nampa