Lodwar, 23rd May, 2024
Member of the Turkana Persons With Disabilities Board (T-PWD) and leaders of persons with Disabilities organizations are currently undergoing a service delivery enhancement training led by the County Government through it’s Directorate for Social Protection and World Food Program (WFP).
The four days program is designed to equip the 34 trainees with skills in executing programs and activities targeting to benefit PWDs with cash transfers, bursaries, humanitarian assistance, access to assistive devices and livelihood programs.
Speaking during the opening of the training, CECM for Education, Sports and Social Protection, Elizabeth Loote, described the move as a strategic program by the County to empower PWD leadership to align it’s interventions with Governor Lomorukais’ agenda for transforming Turkana.
“An empowered PWD Board means better leadership for the sector and opens opportunities for resource mobilization for the direct benefit of the vulnerable groups,” CECM Loote observed.
Additionally, the CECM said that the training was the first of it’s kind for the PWD Board, and that it was informed by an assessment showing that limited service delivery capacity was directly linked to lack of such trainings.
Director for Social Protection, Mark Amiyo, re-echoed the position by the CECM on the need for continuous capacity enhancement and said that more partners would be approached to support additional tailor made programs for a better board.
According to Director Amiyo, challenges experienced by PWDs were dynamic in nature calling for a well equipped leadership that is proactive to the emerging changes.
The director challenged the trainees to begin by championing the inclusion of PWDs in workplace and social activities as proposed by the training program.
On his part, Deputy Director for Social Protection, Idoka Hebrew, called on the partners to further support the trainees beyond the training by donating a vehicle to support coordination of social service programs.
In his remarks, the Chair of the the 11 member T-PWD Board, pledged to rally his members to implement skills learnt during the training.
Josephat Ekeno (Assistant Director Social Protection) was present.
Similarly, the trainees will benefit from the participation National Council of Persons With Disabilities (NCPWD), UNHCR, UNICEF, RCK, HI and MI.
