People living with disabilities have called for a peaceful and non-violent elections.
This call was made on Thursday (15 Nov 12) in a voter education sensitization programme, held at Disabled International Foundation Sierra Leone (DIF-SIL) head office along Fourah Bay Road in Freetown.
The purpose of the voter education was to educate people living with disabilities on how to vote and to know the different steps of voting on polling day.
According to one of the participants, Isatu Kamara, “we want a peaceful election on Saturday”.
She said they as disabled women are vulnerable to violence and they always suffer when there is violence.
Isatu thanked the Founder for caring for their welfare and providing support for them.
Another participant, Ibrahim Koroma from Pademba Road Disabled Organisation, thanked the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of DIF-SIL Imambay Kadie Kamara for educating them on how to vote.
He said that as a first time voter, he did not know how to vote, but is happy that he has been educated and he now knows how to vote. Koroma also emphasized on non-violence election.
DIF-SIL Programme Manager Robert Kondema Kargbo said that their organisation is a non-governmental organisation working to transform the lives of people living with disabilities in Sierra Leone.
He said that the organisation has offices at Fourah Bay Road, Lunsar,Bombali, and Kenema, working with different types of people living with disabilities.
The Programme Manager said that their organisation targets different disabled persons from Pademba Road disabled organisation, Grafton disabled camp, Waterloo disabled camp, Lungi disabled camp and Lunsar disabled camp.
The founder and Chief Executive Officer, Imambay Kadie Kamara said that they are complimenting the efforts of the National Electoral Commission (NEC) to sensitize persons with disabilities on how to vote.
She said that her organisation seeks to empower people with disabilities by providing them with the necessary resources in their local communities based on the concept of “inclusiveness”.
The CEO who was crowned mother of the disabled, said that disabled persons are generally excluded from all activities in our society, adding that we must understand that disabled people are members of our society and are the most vulnerable.
These are the people, she said, who are faced with discrimination, inequality and are denied access to all social facilities including employment, housing, health care and education.
She stated that NEC has accredited her organisation to observe the elections and that they will also provide food for disabled persons at different polling centers.
She concluded that similar voter sensitization will be done today in Lunsar.
By Abibatu Kamara
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