Somali Disability Empowerment Network (SODEN) has organized two days fruitfully kick off workshop held in Hotel Afrik Mogadishu-Somalia the purpose was to promote rights of Somali disability awareness and understanding of UN-convention on rights of persons with disability (UN-CRPD) which SODEN translated into Somali language in order to comprehend entire participants deeply by the convention.
Mr. Abdinor communication director from Somalia state house (Villa Somalia) opened the first day of the workshop and Mr. Abdinor was honored for this workshop from federal government of Somalia and he marked full speech during workshop.
Also SODEN Chairman Mr. Mohamed Ali Farah has provided to entire participant’s full updates about Somali disability situation, progress reached, challenges and constraints exists and current efforts of government including ratification of the UN-CRPD, drafting national disability act, and formation of the national disability agency (NDA).
Therefore, this scheduled workshop was for two days, from 28 and 29 December 2019 that was assigned for different partakers for each day and allocated by each day 35 fresh participants to promote awareness delivery in the society and two TOT presenters from SODEN has presented translated UN-CRPD to whole partakers in the workshop.
1th day workshop:
First day was invited by different delegations from dissimilar sectors including important persons from federal government of Somalia (FGS), members from civil society organizations (CSOs), people with disabilities (PWDs) and media representatives.
Honored participates were include Mr, Abdinor communication director from Somalia state house or known villa Somalia. Mr. Abdinor was opened first day workshop and also marked important speech and said. I would like to thank to SODEN and Abilis foundation of Finland for organizing this important workshop to Somali disability people
Mr. Abdinor added his peach; actually I hope this is important opportunity of people with disability in Somalia to understanding UN-CRPD convention in order to understanding for their primary rights in the society.
Participant’s remarks and discussion:
Most of the participants have marked importance to support people with disability in the country, providing opportunities such as employment, healthcare and livelihood all partakers recommended accepting disability matters and fighting any stigma and social discrimination against them.
Mrs. Hodan Dahir a visual impaired woman said on her remarks during the workshop “We thank SODEN and their supported partner on this project ABILIS for their giving us space to talk and claim our rights we have understood now what does it mean UNCRPD because we received a its meaning in Somali language I appeal SODEN to make people who have visual impaired to have Brile Printer papers how to avoid any exclusion”
However, majority of the people with disability (PWDs) have mentioned their challenges that they face during their day today activities and most of them they underlined extensive discrimination from society and stigmatization issues, calling bad words and etc.
2nd day workshop:
The second day of the workshop was participated more than 35 people such as people with disability (PWDs), civil society representatives and federal government of Somalia (FGS) and was accomplished by party two of the translated convention.
SODEN chairman person Mr. Mohamed Ali Farah provided to all-inclusive participants’ full talk of about updates of disability situation in Somalia and latest progress which have been reached such as ratification of the UN-CRPD that signed by Somali federal government (SFG), ongoing national disability act which is running by the ministry of women and human rights development (MOWHRD) and other efforts including SODEN U-CRPD project in Mogadishu.
All participants have welcomed disability progress in Somalia and most of them have appealed to support people with disability in Somalia (PWDs-S) in terms of providing free education, healthcare supports, humanitarian and capacity building assistance, shelter and etc.
Also participants have underlined it’s significant to understanding United Nations convention on rights of persons with disability (UN-CRPD) in Somalia. Some of them have mentioned its imperative to translated UN-CRPD into Somalia language.
Mr. Muse Hassan from Deaf community said “It’s our first time to attend a workshop which is giving a chance to the deaf society by translating in to the sign language before we used to attend a workshops which has no sign language interpreter, this workshop is giving us space to understanding deaply the important of the workshop and its objectives”
Finally, all participants have received translated UN-CRPD and Two TOT presenters from SODEN were comfortably presented to entire partakers and all participants have welcomed significant of UN-CRPD workshop and they appreciated to translate it into Somali language.
