The Voice of Disability Initiative (VDI), in collaboration with the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD), Bayelsa Chapter, has called on Governor Douye Diri to enhance access to education for persons with disabilities in the state. This appeal was made during a two-day Life Skills Training Workshop for out-of-school adolescent girls with disabilities, held in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital.

The event, part of an 18-month Education Access Project funded by the IGNITE Consortium through Urgent Action Fund (UAF-Africa), brought together over 90 out-of-school adolescent girls with disabilities and their parents or guardians. Participants included girls with albinism, physical challenges, and sensory impairments, among others from minority disability clusters.

Barr. Catherine Edeh, Executive Director of VDI, emphasized the collective responsibility of stakeholders in ensuring educational opportunities for adolescent girls with disabilities. Sharing her personal journey, she urged parents to support their children in achieving their goals despite challenges. “Educating out-of-school adolescent girls with disabilities is a collective responsibility. We must encourage these children to stay focused and never give up on their life goals,” she stated.

The workshops featured experience-sharing sessions, evaluations, mentorship programs, and sensitization dialogues, both for the girls and their guardians. The initiative aims to increase access to education for 320 out-of-school adolescent girls with disabilities in Bayelsa and the Federal Capital Territory.

VDI commended the efforts of the Bayelsa State Government while urging Governor Douye Diri to prioritize educational access for persons with disabilities, particularly adolescent girls. “We call on the governor to ensure that education for out-of-school adolescent girls with disabilities is given top priority,” Edeh concluded.