Hundreds of people with disabilities took to the streets of Kinshasa on Tuesday, November 15, to demand the establishment of a permanent administration for the ministry dedicated to the disabled in the country. President Felix Tshisekedi created this ministry in 2019, but its operation is not effective.
With our correspondent in Kinshasa, Pascal Mulegwa
Some are accompanied by relatives who push their wheelchairs, others lean on crutches. They are several hundred massed in front of the presidential palace after a short walk.
Anny Ngoy is exasperated. “ If I’m not mistaken, we are at 15% of the Congolese population, at least 10 million people with disabilities, but until then people with disabilities have never been well organized. So why we claim our general secretariat that we have already been granted, but only the signature of the decree remains “.
Without this administration, the problem of this segment of the population will remain neglected, believes Olivier, behind a banner. “ If the administration does not work, how can the life of the person living with a disability change? We will continue to wander here and there. We are not hired in companies, a person living with a disability even if she has studied, she is always neglected. In societies, we are not hired before eating, we have to go out, go begging everywhere. It’s not good. We want our general secretariat, it is from this general secretariat that we will decide things “.
Julien Kiyanu jealously holds the memorandum. “ This way of doing things borders on the sabotage of the work done by our delegated ministry and reinforces our marginalization in society. To the President of the Republic to instruct the various members of the government to stop deviating from his vision on social inclusion “.
The presidency received the memorandum. She promised to respond as soon as possible.
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