A persons with disabilities organisation in Kitui is set to launch a programme to nurture and support talents of its over 1,000 members to become self-reliant.
The group wants to change the notion among residents that disabled people must always depend on support and alms to survive.
Persons with Disabilities Association of Kitui seeks to identify the capabilities of the persons and nurture them so that they can earn from their skills.
Resource mobilisation chairperson Monicah Mueni said her group will tap the diverse talents among the people living with disabilities.
Mueni is also a projects manager with the county government.
She said the biggest challenge her association was facing was a lack of funds to fully accomplish its mission for all the registered members.
“It is for that reason that we are calling on well-wishers and people of goodwill to come out and support our cause,” the PEWDAK official said.
The association has organised a funds drive in Kitui on Saturday and is appealing for donations from well-wishers.
“We have a talent search programme to identify talents and nature them as a means to generate income,” she said.
Mueni said that the talent search programme required a lot of funds and thus the reason they are knocking on the doors of donors and any willing financiers.
She lamented that assistive devices like crutches, earring aids, wheels chairs were way too expensive and out of the reach of many persons with disabilities.
The group intends to acquire the assisting aids for those who cannot afford them, Mueni said.
The group is also seeking funds for the economic empowerments of persons with disabilities by extending low-interest loans to them.
“Economic empowerment is the indisputable way to make persons with disabilities become self-dependent. We have a sacco through which we give loans for a low interest of three per cent,” she said.
