The apex body of Women in Poultry Value Chain (WIPVaC), has urged the Government of Ghana and all stakeholders in the fight for women’s rights, to ensure that women with disabilities are carried along on all fronts.
Dr. Mrs. Victoria Norgbe, the National President of WIPVaC, says the fight for equality or the promotion of the rights of women cannot be successful if women with disabilities are left behind.
She says that is how to ensure that the voices of women with disabilities are heard and are made to feel accepted as equal members of society.
Dr. Victoria was speaking in an interview with DisabilityNewsGH.com on the sidelines of a conference held by her organisation on March 7, 2024, at Nungua in Accra, to mark this year’s International Women’s Day. The theme for this year’s celebration was “Accelerate Progress: Inspire Inclusion”.
The event was also to build the capacities of women who are mostly into the production and sale of poultry and poultry products, as well as those into the aggregation of maize and soya, and livestock rearing.
Dr. Mrs. Norgbe expressed her sentiments about how stigmatization affects businesses of persons with disabilities.
One of the challenges of entrepreneurs with disabilities is low patronage. They complain that the public hardly patronizes their goods and services because their products are perceived as unclean.
They claim that others who associate disability with superstition, shy away from buying from them out of fear or the unfortunate notion that their future children will also become disabled.
Dr. Victoria Norgbe who disagrees with such perceptions, questions how a person’s disability, whether visible or invisible, has anything to do with the products they sell.
She, therefore, calls on the public to patronize the products and services of persons with disabilities as that will help reduce their number on the streets where they go begging for a living.
Dr. Florence Vandapure, the President of PGS Organic Ghana, thinks that some persons with disabilities also stigmatize themselves.
While she agrees that there are people who have erroneous perceptions about disability, she is also of the view that sometimes persons with disabilities, due to low self-esteem, do a lot of harm to themselves, including thinking that others do not like them and that prevents them from taking advantage of opportunities around them.
She, therefore, urges persons with disabilities to change their mindset and explore more opportunities to enhance their livelihood.
A retired Veterinarian, Dr. Joseph Danquah spoke to the participants about the need to take their health seriously while ensuring that their livestock are healthy.
That, he said, will help them achieve their optimum and make the most out of their businesses.
The event was sponsored by Veterinarians Without Boarders-Canada
SOURCE: DisabilityNewsGH.com