By DisabilityNewsGH
With free exercise books and pens branded with educative information about albinism, Engage Now Africa-Ghana has embarked on a tour of basic schools as a new phase of their albinism advocacy in the country.
The idea is to get the education about albinism out there to the young ones very early in life, in the bid to prepare the way for future generations of Ghanaians who are accommodating to persons with albinism, and disability in general.
It is a no-brainer that the challenges faced by persons with disabilities in Ghana today are largely due to age-long negative perceptions about disability. Even more serious is the fact the Ghanaian traditional system demonizes disability. Such attitudes are transferred from one generation to the other. And particularly about albinism, there are communities in Ghana that do not entertain the presence of persons with albinism.
People with the condition are not allowed to live in such communities, and in cases where children are born with the condition, their parents are forced to relocate, simply because of a claim that their gods abhor the presence of persons with albinism.
Such misconceptions about disability have translated into how the political leaders of the country treat persons with disabilities and issues concerning them with the least of seriousness. And if there is any way to end such negativity about disability, it will be to get the younger ones to understand disability as a natural phenomenon and the need to accept diversity.
It is against this background that Engage Now Africa has embarked on the schools tour, after years of running community sensitization programs.
On Wednesday, February 23, 2022, the first event took place at Solidarity International School at Ashaiman in the Greater Accra Region, a school that has two pupils with albinism.
About 700 school children and 30 teaching and non-teaching staff were taken through topics such as, what albinism is, types of albinism, the rights and inclusion of persons with albinism in education, health etc.
The others are, the legal consequences of discrimination, maiming or any other form of abuse against persons with albinism; the role of the school, teachers and peers in building the self-confidence of children with albinism, behavior change in terms of name-calling, among others.
The participants were offered the opportunity to ask questions about the condition. They are expected to be ambassadors of albinism in their localities.
SOURCE: DisabilityNewsGH
Wow! You people are really doing a wonderful job here. God bless your efforts and increase your love for persons with disability
It’s very important starting such a move because it will surely get the thoughts of the populace clear concerning people with albinism
Good job Engage Now Africa. God bless you all for the good job you are doing to help persons with disabilities in Ghana and Africa as a whole.