By Nubeh Nai Vonna

The Cameroon Baptist Convention CBC health services has officially launched the 2022 edition of Council Excellence in Inclusive Award CEIA. The launch was done by the conversation’s Socio-Economic Empowerment of Persons with Disability SEEPD program.

The launching ceremony marked the end of a two-day workshop, which took place at Nkwen Baptist Center on October 28 and 29 2021, and was aimed at celebrating the efforts of councils in promoting community-based inclusive development.

The event was presided by the Director of CBC health services Prof Tih Pius.

“We have been working with the council since 2011, we’ve seen that the councils are doing a lot in the communities in the areas of development. But we’ve seen that inclusive development is absent and that not much is done to address the needs of people with disabilities. And so we wanted to stimulate that thought, so what ever is done in council areas must take into consideration the needs of people with disabilities. In effect, our development should be inclusive” Pius told Insight244.

Out of the 35 councils in the Northwest region, 10 amongst which are Bamenda I ll and III, Bafut, and Jakira councils, together with the Magba council in the west region, have joined the competition in enhancing an inclusive development.

Commonly referred to as the disabled in the society, these persons with special abilities encounter enormous challenges on daily basis. Mama Limen Flaurence is the coordinator for Community Resource Center for the Disabled and the Disadvantaged CRCDD.

Limen Flaurence Coordinator, CRCDD

“There’s no pavement along the road for people with disabilities. When your moving you are conflicting with vehicles and pedestrians. It makes movement very difficult. In toilet facilities, there’s no access for persons with disabilities, even to enter the mayor’s office or government offices, it’s talk of war, in terms of the market, it’s difficult for someone with disabilities to roll a wheel chair and enter all the sheds” she laments

Notwithstanding, councils were tasked to rehabilitate structures to meet universal designs, to be humane and make inclusions their discusions and daily habits.

Meanwhile, the remaining 24 councils in the northwest region and others out of the region, have been charged to join the train in fostering an inclusive sustainable development, where persons with special abilities can be considered as any normal human being.

The program is intended to run for 12 months, during which will be evaluated on some seven award categories notably; health, education, livelihood, social inclusion, gender and child protection, inclusive communication and universal design.

The award ceremony will take place November 2022 and will comprise a symbolic and cash prices for meriting councils.