Nebbi District Boss Gives Community Officials September Deadline to Count PWDs

What the report says

Nebbi district leaders have told Community Development Officers to produce accurate, non-sample-based data on Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) by the end of September, saying the district cannot plan properly or deliver services well without reliable figures. The directive was issued by Nebbi District LCV Chairperson George Othuba during a stakeholder meeting organised by Humanity & Inclusion at the district planning unit boardroom on Tuesday, according to Nile Post.

Othuba said the district has lacked clear statistics on PWDs, affecting programmes such as special grants, assistive devices, inclusive education and health services. He said the District Executive Committee had already instructed CDOs to take part in the exercise and argued that they are best placed to work with local communities and collect the information needed. The deadline, he said, is meant to ensure the district gets a fuller picture of where PWDs live and what kinds of disabilities they have.

Humanity & Inclusion project officer Annet Babirye said the organisation is also working to estimate the number of PWDs under its PROTECT-SRHR project, while noting that data collection remains difficult. Assistant Resident District Commissioner Donald Owachgiu linked some of the barriers faced by PWDs to stigma and said disability rights advocates deserve support. The article added that recent project data had identified about 619 PWDs by May, though the count was still ongoing.