AFRICA/MALI - Disabled seek role in national economy, not just handouts

Bamako (Agenzia Fides) – According to the NGO Handicap International (HCI), Mali's disabled have access to some free healthcare options, and are supported by a number of associations and charities, but what they really want is to find work and contribute to the national economy. A lot of progress has been made on this front, but many disabled people still lack the necessary education or skills to earn a living other than through begging. While the World Health Organization estimates 10 percent of the Malian population is disabled, the percentage is much higher because of road traffic accidents and illnesses left untreated. One way to change attitudes is to encourage proactive disabled citizens to set up their own businesses, says a coordinator of the HCI project, by helping them access micro-credit loans. In a recent study of 200 businesses, some 120 of them employed people with some form of disability. But change can only come about on a wider scale if disabled children are actively encouraged to attend school. Too often, they are either not sent, or they drop out after primary level as teachers are not equipped to meet their needs. Specialist private schools for those with sight problems, hearing problems and learning difficulties, operate in the capital, and FEMAPH (Malian Association of Handicapped People) subsidizes some children's school fees. But they, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), and HCI want more disabled people to be included in regular schools. (AP) (Agenzia Fides 20/10/2010)