Sightsavers Nigeria, a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO), says it has trained no fewer than 25 journalists from North Central Nigeria on eye health, Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) and social inclusion.
Dr Sunday Isyaku, Country Director of the NGO made this know during a three-day workshop on Saturday in Keffi.
Isyaku said the objective of the training was to partner the media on the importance of eye health, NTDs and social inclusion.
He said more than One billion persons worldwide suffer from different forms of NTDs, adding that the goal of Sightsavers Nigeria was to ensure that NTDs ceased to be a public health issue.
The director disclosed that Nigeria has 28 per cent of Africa NTDs burden at the moment.
He said that even though there were over 20 NTDs cases, Sightsavers focus on onchocerciasis or river blindness, elephantiasis or filariasis, parasitic worms or intestinal worms, schistosomiasis, considered a disease associated with either pain or blood coming out while urinating and trachoma NTDs.
“We are an international organisation focusing on ensuring that no one is needlessly blind and persons with disabilities have access to equal services.
“So we focus on health, education and social inclusion mainly of persons living with disabilities, gender and women .
“Our activities involve provision of drugs through Community Health Centers to ensure that NTDs are no longer a public health concern.
“So we need a system whereby any child that has a disability is able to have access to mainstream schools like others.
“A system whereby anybody who has an eye condition have access to eye health services with the best technology, infrastructure and all the five NTDs diseases are no longer a public health issue in Nigeria. He said
He also disclosed that many people living with disabilities do not need special treatment but equal access to public institutions, jobs, places of worship, schools among others.
He said the society needed to create enabling environment for all human beings to live together without necessarily treating others specially because of their disability.
“We are also involved in inclusive education, our activities involves ensuring that the mainstream education for children include people with disabilities. No need for special schools for people living with disabilities.
“These children after education are coming into a society that does not differentiate between people with disabilities and those without.
“Most people with disabilities do not need special treatment. All they want is to be treated as human beings.
“we live in a society were people living with disability are completely stigmatized due to lack l of awareness, so we need the media to help us in awareness creation for the benefit of all,” he said.
Also, Dr Joshua Ibenu, Program Officer of the NGO said at least 2.2 billion people have a near or distant vision impairment in the world, adding that at least one billion of these vision impairment could have been prevented.
Ibenu said that more than 61 per cent of Nigerians have one form of eye problem to the other, saying that Sightsavers have supported 80 per cent of trachoma treatment in Nigeria in the over 30 years of their existence.
He listed the major causes of blindness in Nigeria to include Cataract, Glaucoma, Trachoma, cornea opacity, and uncorrected refractive errors.
He also said that many of the blindness resulting from these causes could be prevented if detected early.
Mr David Okoroafor, Project Officer Economic Empowerment, Sightsavers, in his paper titled “Promoting Disability Rights,” said that more than one billion people worldwide were living with disability, with many of them being low income earners.
Okoroafor said there was need for social inclusion by correcting the stigma associated with people living with disabilities.
The resource person said that schools should be built to accommodate all children irrespective of their physical conditions.
According to him, this is achievable as demonstrated in Jema’a Local Government Area of Kaduna State through their Support Mainstreaming Inclusion for all Learn Equal (SMILE) project.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the training was meant to ensure efficient and effective reportage of eye health related issues, NTDs and social inclusion.
It was also aimed educating the media to change the narrative on the need for the world to create enabling environment for children living with disabilities to have equal access to mainstream schools without hindrance.
