Saima for collaborative efforts to fight disabilities

Disability is a very complex issue and it requires collaborative efforts to fight against it, said Saima Wazed Hossain, Chairperson of Bangladesh National Advocacy Committee for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders on Wednesday, reports UNB.

Saima Wazed, also a member of the World Health Organisation's (WHO) expert advocacy panel on Mental Health, was addressing as the chief guest the launching ceremony of a project for children with disabilities at Sasakawa Auditorium of the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) in the city on Wednesday morning.

With the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) providing financial assistance, the icddr,b, Faith Bangladesh and Shuchona Foundation are conducting the project titled - 'A Comprehensive Approach to Identify Children with Disabilities through Capacity Building of Government and NGO Health Workers and Disability Service Mapping in Bangladesh.'

It is targeting to early identification of disabled children and to make stronger the capability of related stakeholders as well as help to develop a referral association with proper service providers through service mapping.

Saima Wazed said the project in many ways attempts to identify what the challenges are and how to reduce the vulnerabilities and how to produce an inclusive and beautiful community with productive and dignified population.

She also described about the importance of the project for reducing the vulnerabilities saying that through the initiative they can identify what support the disabled people need, who are able to help them, what resources will be needed and after getting the ideas and data they can step forward for a complete inclusive society by taking further required assistance.