The Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, in partnership with Humanity & Inclusion, has launched the National Rehabilitation and Assistive Technology (NRAT) Strategic Plan 2026-2030, aimed at improving disability inclusion and access to healthcare services.
The plan was unveiled this week at Nakivale Refugee Settlement in Isingiro District, where implementation will target refugees and surrounding host communities through the Health, Empowerment and Rehabilitation Teamwork (HEART) project.
Barbara Nyamwiza, the programmes manager at Humanity & Inclusion, said the project targets more than 5,600 people, including 540 persons with disabilities.
"Our HEART programme is targeting over 5,600 people, and 540 of those are persons with disabilities. Nakivale Refugee Settlement is our main focus in Isingiro District, but even host communities will benefit," Nyamwiza said.
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Humanity & Inclusion is an international humanitarian and development organisation that works mainly with persons with disabilities and other vulnerable people, particularly those affected by poverty, conflict and disasters.
It was formerly known as Handicap International and adopted the name Humanity & Inclusion in 2018. It was founded in 1982 and was a co-recipient of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize for its work towards banning anti-personnel landmines.
A key component of the strategic plan is addressing the shortage and poor maintenance of assistive devices, including wheelchairs, crutches and other mobility equipment.
Many beneficiaries rely on worn-out devices that compromise their safety, mobility and independence. To address this, the initiative will establish regional warehouse facilities for storing, rehabilitating, servicing and repairing assistive technology.
Harriet Binobwengye, the chairperson of the Isingiro District Persons with Disabilities organisation, said the high cost of assistive devices remains a major obstacle for people who have limited or no sources of income.
"We are quite many in the district. We don't even know some of our PWDs despite efforts to reach out. Many of our assistive devices are very expensive. These elbow crutches cost Shs300,000, while some wheelchairs are broken and worn out, so it's a disaster," Binobwengye said.
She expressed hope that the new initiative would improve access to the equipment and support needed by persons with disabilities.
"But we are confident that with the launch of this initiative, there will be light at the end of the tunnel. We thank government and Humanity & Inclusion," she added.
The planned regional hubs are expected to bring technical support closer to beneficiaries, reducing the time and cost involved in transporting equipment for repairs.
Agnes Nampeera, the acting commissioner for disability affairs at the Ministry of Gender, said the government was also preparing a programme to assess persons with disabilities and provide them with assistive devices.
"You see challenges in acquisition of assistive devices; those have been there. There have been a number of challenges regarding that. However, beginning this financial year, under the National Special Grant, government is coming up with the programme to assess individuals with disabilities and provide them with assistive devices," Nampeera said.
She added that the Ministry of Gender was working with the Ministry of Health to rehabilitate or refurbish orthopaedic workshops at regional and national referral hospitals to improve the provision and repair of assistive devices.
However, implementation faces another challenge: the lack of reliable data on persons with disabilities, making it difficult to establish the scale of need and plan interventions.
James Odinga, a technical officer at Humanity & Inclusion, said the organisation was also struggling to obtain accurate figures in the areas where it operates.
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He noted that existing data collection approaches often focus on visible physical disabilities, overlooking people with sensory impairments, non-visible disabilities and neurodevelopmental conditions.
"Data is still a very, very big challenge in the areas that we are operating. Even us as an organisation, we are struggling with finding accurate data. The understanding of disabilities is different because people consider physical disability as the only way to measure disabilities, but there are other forms of disabilities that are not usually reported," Odinga said.
The gaps mean some people who need support may remain unidentified and excluded from rehabilitation services and other interventions.
The launch of the strategic plan is intended to strengthen rehabilitation services, improve access to assistive technology and support the economic inclusion of persons with disabilities in refugee-hosting communities and beyond.
Read the original article on Nile Post.
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