By Azeh Ngewie
The Program Manager of the Community Based Inclusive Development project of the Socio-economic Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (SEEPD) of the Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Services has requested media professionals to intergrate reporting on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) part of their daily activities. Awa Jacques Chirac made the request in Bamenda on Thursday 30 March 2023 to over 30 media professionals assembled for a two-day training workshop on "disability inclusion and the media." with focus on the role of the media in fostering community based inclusive development.
According to the Program Manager, the underlining factor that gives strength to the SDGs is inclusion inspired by the main theme 'leave no one behind.'
With 15 percent of the world's population made up of persons with disabilities, Awa hopes that the media professionals will challenge duty bearers to make sure no one of them is left behind in the plans and activities of their institutions.
To achieve this, the Community Based Inclusive Development (CBID) phase II Project Coordinator believes that should the media perform this task appropriately, several barriers in the communities that constitute disabilities can be removed.
"Our society has several barriers like policy, attitudes, physical structures, lack of accessible communication, assistive devices, rehabilitation services, and disability disintegrated Data." Lohshie Eugene said
With many events happening around the communities, Tina Ashiyo a facilitator at the workshop has admonished the media professionals to remain conscious about disability each time they do their work.
The media professionals have received guides on disability and law, identifying barriers to disability, language matters:disability etiquette and types of disability, the media and CBID and others