By Staff Reporter
MEMBER of Parliament (MP) Special Seats (Disabled), Hon. Stella Ikupa Alex has called on the private sector in the country to continue to support people with disabilities by providing them with prosthetic limbs due to the increase in the need for such services.
Hon. Ikupa made the remark in Dar es Salaam during a distribution of prosthetic limbs ceremony to 28 disabled people worth 20 million shillings donated by the Kamal Foundation of Kamal group of companies in the city.
She said the private sector is an important stakeholder in supporting government efforts in providing various necessary services to people with disabilities as a step for Tanzania to comply with various international human rights treaties.
“The government has been providing various services to all types of disabled people. And this artificial limb service has been provided by the Ministry of Health through the Muhimbili Orthopedic Institute (MOI). But the truth is that there are so many people in need that it is not easy for the government to reach everyone at the same time, which is why I have called on the private sector to follow the example of Kamal’s company which has regularly provided artificial limbs to people with disabilities,” she said.
She said that many people with disabilities live in poverty, especially in rural areas, and are unable to afford the cost of purchasing artificial limbs, thus losing hope and not participating in social and economic activities.
Hon. Stella Ikupa
Due to this situation, she called on Kamal Company to help in reaching out to the rural disabled who are unable to reach Dar es Salaam due to lack of fare and other expenses.
The company’s Managing director, Mr. Sameer Santosh Gupta said that for the past 10 years, the Kamal Foundation has been actively supporting people with disabilities, especially through the provision of prosthetic limbs.
He said currently over 1,000 prosthetic limbs provided , helping individuals regain mobility, dignity and hope.
“Our aim is to empower people with disabilities bring them into the mainstream, to help them earn their livelihood, and to enable them to live a normal, dignified life,” he said.
The institution started doing assessment of the capabilities of each beneficiary and wherever possible, employ them within the organization. It also reach out to other companies to create additional opportunities.
He pointed out that, this service to make the physically disabled self-confident, live a better life by doing productive activities instead of being dependent and a burden on their families.
However, he advised the government to consider creating specific quota and reservation spaces for people with disabilities in government commercial public areas such as railway stations and government operated commercial markets, while encourage the private sector to employ people with disabilities, as among them are professionals.
“Small steps like these can bring big changes, restore-confidence and offer a dignified livelihood to thousands of people with disabilities… during my visit in India, I learnt about almost 21 types of disabilities, many of which occur in old age, highlighting the importance of structured and comprehensive support,” Mr. Gupta has advise.
He said that next year they intend to reach more than 1,000 disabled people, while indicating the company’s plan in the near future to establish a center of Excellence for disabilities in the near future, where various types of support, rehabilitation services and training can be provided under the roof.
The Executive Director of the UN Global Compact Tanzania Ms. Masha Yambi said that the provision of artificial limbs is part of the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS) where member countries and institutions should, among other things, provide services that take into account dignity and human rights.
She said that statistics show that the number of disabled people in need of artificial limbs in the world has reached 30 million people, while in Tanzania their number is more than 600,000.
“This is a large figure that is clearly increasing due to various unavoidable reasons. However, it is important to take precautions when using motorized vehicles such as motor cycle which are largely a major source of disability caused by accidents,” he said.
One of the beneficiaries, Ms. Shaimaa Abdul, said that after receiving her prosthetic limb from Kamal in 2018, she was able to secure employment with Car & General Trading Co., the distributor of TVS Tricycles, where she has been working for the past seven years as a driver.”
“It has built a lot of respect for me in the community. Before, I was dependent, but now I have a family and I am independent, I am very grateful to Kamal.” she said.
The event was also attended by the Temeke Regional Police Commander, John Malulu, who represented the police force due to the relationship between the force and Kamal, which has been providing incentives to responsible officers.
Kamal Foundation was established as part of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program with the aim of improving the lives of people in need, by investing in projects that directly affect social welfare and bring about sustainable development.
Through its projects, the institution focuses on the fields of education, health, environment, labor justice and humanitarian aid. Each program is in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, emphasizing the organization’s commitment to helping achieve inclusive development.
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