August 14, (THEWILL) – Jela’s Development Initiatives, JDI, a nonprofit organisation, supported by Liliane Fonds, through The Leprosy Mission Nigeria, has staged an Advocacy Walk for the mental health of youths with disabilities and their family members.
The walk which was held on Saturday, August 13, kicked off at 7:30 am from the Teslim Balogun Stadium (Under the Bridge) to 22B, Amosu Street, Off Bode Thomas Street, Surulere, Lagos.
Commenting on the initiative, Angela Ochu-Baiye, the founder of JDI, stated, “Our goal is to draw public attention to the many forms of discrimination that persons with disabilities face every day, the effect it has on their mental health and consequently, the need for a more inclusive society.”
Ochu-Baiye, who urged Lagosians to come out and join the walk to put on the front burner the stigmatisation which people with disabilities grapple with, added that some persons with albinism, dwarfism and sickle cell anaemia, as well as members of the deaf and blind clusters would be part of the walk.
The advocacy walk, which is a component of a larger project involving free group therapy sessions for persons with disabilities and their family members, will culminate in a final report to be shared with relevant stakeholders for improvement in policy implementation.
She, further, expressed gratitude to Liliane Fonds and The Leprosy Mission Nigeria for being a champion of inclusion in the country, while using the opportunity to call on all stakeholders to take necessary actions to end all forms of discrimination against persons with disabilities.
About the Author
Anthony Awunor, is a business correspondent who holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Linguistics (UNILAG). He is also an alumnus of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria Kaduna State. He lives in Lagos.
