BY LYNTON AARON FILIA
PROVINCIAL officers of Isabel province have made a fruitful youth and community-based rehabilitation integrated tour raising awareness and assessing people with special needs.
They include Provincial Youth Coordinator Mr Edward Tadarea, Liaison Officer Mr Collin Poloso of the Isabel Provincial Government and the Community Based Rehabilitation Mr Jasper Boiregia and Self-help Group of Isabel Province Mr Benjamin Analau.
The tour covered remote villages in Maringe and Hograno highlands, including Tirotonna, Bara, Kolkofa,Koge, Nemei Primary School and Peopeko settlements.
Tadarea said such activity is a first of its kind, and it brought a lot of appreciation from the rural people.
He adds rural people are excited group of provincial leaders spent three to four hour walk through the jungle to meet with these people with special needs who have forgotten sometimes in the societies.
Analau said as an advocator for the self-help group from Isabel it is a wonderful opportunity to shares with the people with special needs.
He shared his life experience as being neglected by his friends and people in his communities once.
With the experiences, Analau encourages people in the communities to respect the rights special needs people and involve them in any social activities within the communities.
Thus this will empower them to live a happy life, he adds.
“Living as being disabled is for life-time and it’s good to participate and advocate them to any development in the communities,” Analau said.
Following that team is calling on donors and relevant Ministries to prioritise any activities that will support people with special needs in the communities and Solomon as a whole.
Boiregia said they have reach 1200 people living with special needs in 2005 and now it should be double this year.
He calls to relevant stakeholders to support such people with their sanitations and other special needs.
According to National Youth Policy 2017-2030 it has prioritize youths with disability which is a way forward to address social issues affecting them.
This tour is funded by Provincial Youth Division, Isabel province.
