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A person on a wheelchair.
The second Bi-Annual Africa Children’s Summit has highlighted the urgent need to address the challenges faced by children living with disabilities across the continent.
Delegates living with disabilities presented their own set of resolutions during the summit, which was hosted by the Department of Social Development and the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund.
Their resolutions include calls for free education, improved access to healthcare, and the right to feel safe and secure.
Speaking on behalf of children with disabilities were Temogo Lekgotle, a South African delegate, and Salman Abdirahman from Kenya.
“I’m here to stand for disability people. They face many challenges such as accommodations in universities whereby some of them are using wheelchairs. So, some universities do not have ramps,” says Lekgotle.
Salman Abdirahman says they go through a lot of challenges such as abuse.
“I’m here to advocate for equal opportunities. Most of the time, we, children, we are abled differently in the village. We have a lot of challenges. There are no schools and the government does not take any action to make sure that we are comfortable. We are sometimes abused and the government does not take any action,” says Abdirahman.
