Babaka village, in the Central Province, is the first village to host the Central Province Survey and Data Collection Program Workshop.
This workshop was funded by the European Union through the Pacific Islands Commission based in Fiji.
Participants from the five districts in Central Province were invited to attend this training.
Ward councilor, Velapo Numa, on behalf of the villagers welcome the visitors to the host venue of Tekira McLeod Training Centre.
The focus is to identify and measure able bodied people from people with special needs, through data collection.
It is one of the European Union funding projects at a cost of €350 million, close to K860 million, facilitated by lead agencies Department of Community Development and Religion, the National Disaster Centre, Department of Provincial and Local Government Affairs and Central Provincial Government.
Disabled Person Organisation Southern Region chairperson, Mary Ikupu, said this is a breakthrough for them after so many struggles of advocating.
District Administrator, Gei Raga, urged his people to recognise the rights of disabled people by respecting their rights.
Community Development Secretary, Anna Solomon, said the department has been fighting for the rights of person living with disabilities.
She said this will empower them to recognise their rights to access government services like health and education.
Following recent surveys of 21 wards, 606 persons living with disabilities were identified many of whom suffer from conditions related to lifestyle diseases.
This workshop is a milestone event for government services to reach the ward level says Department of Provincial Government and Local Government Affairs Secretary, Dickson Guina.
