New project to empower people with special needs
Real Inclusion in Disability Engagement (RIDE) Project was launched on December 3 in Port Moresby in line with the International Day of People Living with Disabilities, The International Theme for this year is "Leadership and participation of persons with disabilities toward an inclusive, accessible and sustainable post - COVID - 19 world."
The project aims at improving the well-being and empowerment of persons with special needs and to strengthen Disabled People’s Organization’s (DPOs) capacity to champion their rights in Papua New Guinea.
It is estimated that 120, 000 (15 percent) people in Papua New Guinea are living with disabilities; and with the current trend of COVID 19 transmission and community transmission, the impact of the pandemic on the lives of People Living with Disability (PLWD) is unknown.
Hence the timely intervention of the RIDE project to reduce the lack of attention to PLWD’s priority needs.
To achieve this, World Vision PNG (WVPNG) as lead implementer will work alongside umbrella Disability Organizations in PNG such as the PNG Assembly of Disabled Persons to reach out and identify potential participating provincial-based Organization of People with Disability (OPDs).
The two-year project is supported by the Australian Government and is strategically aligned with the PNG National Policy on Disability 2015-2025, and the Government of Papua New Guinea’s Integrated Guidelines for Disability Inclusion: In the COVID-19 Emergency Preparedness & Response Program.
WVPNG aligns the project with other interventions funded by the Australian Government
including the Australian Humanitarian Partnership, COVID-19 Response Phase III, which WVPNG is starting implementation and will include activities to support disability inclusion in the response and vaccine awareness.
WVPNG coordinates with relevant NGO partners through the Protection Cluster and is an engaged member of the cluster which acts as a functional multi-agency action group during disasters. The cluster is responsible to ensure the needs and rights of vulnerable groups are met and protected.