Talk on justice and rights of persons with disabilities at primary school in Maputo

the importance of seeking more information on disability and beginning to consider it as a matter of public health and human rights

The first talk on justice and rights of persons with disabilities, held at the Complete Primary School “Unidade 18” in Maputo, focused on addressing, in the school space, the main causes and types of disability, as well as the dilemmas faced by persons with disabilities, in the context of Mozambican society.

The teachers and the school management, as well as some assistants, among others, participated in the talk as a way of drawing the attention of all school stakeholders to the importance of promoting inclusion and including content on disability in the agenda, curricular programs and in the educational process in general.

The welcoming remarks were made by the project manager at medicusmundi, Policarpo Ribeiro, who presented the project and the activity. For her part, Farida Gulamo, executive secretary of ADEMO, highlighted the following: “The causes and types of disability are diverse and the number of people with disabilities increases every year. Most of them are linked to various factors, including social, psychological, biological and others. Therefore, it is important to talk about this issue in the school environment and beyond.”

In the same vein, speaker Emília Chissico, representative of ACAMO (Association of Blind and Visually Impaired People of Mozambique), also visually impaired, explained in first person the dilemmas faced, the causes of blindness, “the importance of seeking more information on disability and beginning to consider it as a matter of public health and human rights”.

“I lost my vision when I was 40 years old. It was not easy to have to adapt to my new reality. At that time, I was working in health, I saw many patients, in the HIV/AIDS area, I lived a normal life, but everything changed and I began to feel discrimination for not being able to see.” (Emilia Chissico)

António Daúde, professor at EPC “Unidade 18”, took the opportunity to talk about the importance of seeking out hospital units. “A few years ago, I felt something different and strange in my left leg; I ignored it, thinking it was something normal that would soon pass. But when things started to get worse, I went to the hospitals. Unfortunately, it was already too late.”

The participants also took the opportunity to discuss the Strategy for Inclusive Education and Development of Children with Disabilities (EEIDCD) 2020-2029, under the responsibility of the Ministry of Gender, Childhood and Social Action of Mozambique, highlighting that these types of activities fit within its objectives and are important opportunities to contribute to its implementation.