Imrongkumba Aier
Mokokchung, November 26
A nine-year-old Katibenla from Khensa village of Mokokchung district has been selected for national award for the Empowerment of Person with Disabilities 2015 under Minister of Social Justice & Empowerment, Department of Empowerment of Person with Disabilities.
This was announced by Imchawati Kichu, Managing Directors of Care & Support Society during a press conference on Thursday. The Community Base Rehabilitation Coordinator Menangchaba Kichu, Community Based Rehabilitation Worker T Imkongnungchet Kichu and Mary Changkilari , president of Mokokchung District Disables’ Parent Organization were also present at the conference.
Katibenla is the youngest among the three siblings of Rongsennungba and Arentula. She suffers from locomotor disability (having limited movement of body parts/relay on wheeler chair), but she started singing at church programmes when she was five years old.
Katibenla is now studying in Class I. She has already released an album, “Ku Salang” last year and called by 14 churches to partake in their programmes.
Katibenla was nominated for the Best Creative Child with Disabilities Award. The award will be conferred at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi on December 3 - the World Disability Day 2015.
Meanwhile, the World Disability Day 2015 will be held at Mokokchung at Town Hall.
The state level function is being jointly organized by Care& Support Society and Department of Social Welfare in collaboration with District Election office Mokokchung, Mokokchung District Blind Association, Mokokchung District Parents Association PwDs & DMA (SSC) under the theme “Inclusive matter: access and empowerment for people of all abilities.” Dr. Atha Vizol, State Disability Commissioner Government of Nagaland and T Merengtsungla Aier Director Department of Social Welfare will grace the event as the chief guest and guest of honour respectively.
Care & Support Society officials also disclosed that stigma and discrimination, transportation, manpower, financial, over dependency, unfriendly environment for disability are the main challenges they face while working with disabilities.
Imchawati Kichu also disclosed that to overcome those challenges mass sensitization is needeed in the society. He also mentioned that the NGO that he runs looks after seven villages under Ongpangkong Block. And they focus on providing Education-Social-Livelihood-Empowerment –Health for the differently-abled persons.
Altogether 197 disabled persons are registered in Mokokchung including both children and grown up. Out of the said total more than 60 of them are students mostly in primary level.
The Coordinator Menangchaba Kichu also disclosed that many of the parents do not come forward for registration and certification due to stigma or they don’t want to reveal their sibling are suffering from such cases. He also added that parents give less afford to give education them because of their cases.
Imchawati Kichu also informed that the certification for the disabled is issued by the Imkongliba Memorial District Hospital (IMDH) Medical Board twice every month.
Imchawati Kichu also enlightened that certified disabled persons gets lots of benefits from The Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995. However, he lamented that State government should enact a policy so that the Central Act can be implemented and benefit the mass.
“We only get Disability pension but we do not get the other benefits such as job reservation and other benefits. When we go to the departments for help they say they don’t know such schemes or reservation/ it’s not here, instead of showing the path to avail such benefits,” asserted T Imkongnungchet Kichu, who is also a differently-abled person . He looks after three villages as a Community Based Rehabilitation Worker under Care & Support Society.
Care & Support Society in Mokokchung is a NGO working for the disable persons in the district since its inception in 2001. Under their initiative Mokokchung District Blind Association, Mokokchung District Parents Association PwDs & DMA (SSC) and Forum for Special People was formed to support and work for the disables.
