ECOWAS Expands Support For Disabled Children In Sierra Leone
Princess-Ekwi Ajide
Across West Africa, children with disabilities often face significant hurdles such as limited access to education, social exclusion, and a lack of essential assistive devices.
For this, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is taking bold steps to bridge the gap, bringing hope to thousands of children in need by expanding its programme to supply assistive devices to Sierra Leone.
At an awareness workshop in Freetown, Sierra Leone’s Acting Director of Social and Religious Affairs, John Conteh, praised ECOWAS for its commitment to supporting disabled children.
He emphasised that the initiative aligns with the country’s social inclusion strategies, ensuring these children are not left behind.
Senior Program Officer for Social Affairs at ECOWAS, Dr. Alves D’almada Jorge Fernando, highlighted the harsh realities faced by the region’s 80 million disabled individuals, including discrimination and limited opportunities.
The ECOWAS programme with a $300,000 budget for its second phase, aims to change that by providing assistive devices to children in Sierra Leone following earlier rollouts in Nigeria, Togo, and Benin.
Local stakeholders, including Joseph Alieu Kamara of the Sierra Leone Union of Disabled Persons and Sightsavers’ Country Manager, Tiangay Gondoe, welcomed the initiative, urging continued technical support.
With Guinea-Bissau set to be the next beneficiary, ECOWAS’ commitment to inclusion is reshaping lives and ensuring a brighter future for children with disabilities across the region.
