The adult group of persons with special needs have taken the initiative to host a Disability Inclusive Development Training (DID) in Kiunga, North Fly district of Western province.
The training over a week which started on Monday October 17.
The DID training was supported by partner organisations which are Justice and Solicitor Services for Development (JSSD) and Australian Doctors International (ADI) in collaboration with the Kiunga Calan Service and Western Provincial Community Development Division.
The aim of this training is to have people with special needs in North Fly to be well versed on the Disability Inclusive Development Knowledge and to formulate and establish the North Fly District Organization of People Living with Disability (PLWD ) after the session.
Theo Katinggo, a PLWD advocate said;
We also intentionally have invited government, development partners and other stakeholders to hear the concerns of PLWDs in the community.
This is so that we can work as team to address the cross cutting issues that are affecting our persons with special needs.
The training was officially opened by North Fly District Administrator, Greg Issau and witnessed by development partners and officers from the Community Development Division from the district and provincial level.
Isau expressed the importance of PLWDs in the community and urged the partners in development to work together with government to assist the PLWDs in the community with the aim to see their aspirations realised and achieved.
He applauded the PLWDs in their efforts to set up the framework at their level, especially the formulation of the organisation for PLWDs in the district.
This is so that there is an avenue where PLWDs can raise their concerns as a formal structure that links to the main structure that is already in place such as the PNG ADP.
The same sentiment was raised by Fr Andrew Moses, Vicar General to Catholic Diocese of Daru-Kiunga who also expressed this through his speech. The development partners also assured and emphasised government of the day to work with partner organisations to see and help the needs of People With Special Needs in the community like wise to other genuine community needs that needs to be addressed.
Katinggo who is a Secretary to Western Province Person with Disability Organisation (WPPDO) expressed, that it was a new dawn for PLWD in the North Fly District and Western Province as a whole.
Now we sense that there is hope for PLWD as today was just a foundation that we lay for the generation to come.
Katinggo
Katinggo further expressed the pain that many don’t feel as what PLWD feels, and he also urged the government especially Community Development Division (District and Provincial) to work closely with WPOPD leaders to see the needs of people with special needs in the community.
Katinggo further highlighted some disability issues faced with the communities, district, province and needs the support of all to solve the unsolved issues.
Meantime it’s was an emotional moment for PLWD participants at the training as it was first of it’s kind in the District to have such program for them unlike other sectors.
The workshop officially closed on Friday (October 21).