The Eduere Girls Foundation in collaboration with the Do Foundation has led scores of women in Bayelsa State on an awareness walk for the Special Educational Need and Disability (SEND) for children with special needs and disability.
The founder of Eduere Girls Foundation, Elizabeth Ijeh-Tarila Jack, who is based in the United Kingdom, said the awareness walk is a fund raising walk to raise the awareness on the need to recruit and train teachers to handle the educational needs of special children in Bayelsa State.
The walk, which started from Onopa in Amarata and ended at the Ekeki Motor Park in Ekeki, was supported by the State Commissioner for Ijaw National Affairs, Chief Godspower Oporomo and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Political Matters, High Chief Collins Cocodia.
Also on the walk are the founder of the Do Foundation, Dr. Dise Ogbise Goddy Harry, the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities, Bayelsa State chapter led by Hon. Ekpomokumo Doutimiaeyo, Barr. Nyingi Kazoo of the Eduere Girls Foundation, Rivers State Chapter, representative of the Ministry of Women Affairs, Queen Diogoli Foundation and many others, declaring their support for the planned training of special teachers for the challenges children.
The National President and Founder of the Eduere Girls Foundation, Elizabeth Ijeh-Tarila Jack, said the walk became necessary due to the noticeable shortage in special trained teachers that can conveniently teach children with special needs in the state.
According to her, ” the walk is to call attention to the need to sponsor the training of teachers in the state to handle the educational needs of children with disabilities.It is also to provide resources for the schools for our children with disabilities to excel.”
Also speaking, the Founder of the Do Foundation, Dr. Dise Ogbise Goddy Harry expressed the support for the walk and the targeted goal,calling on individuals and corporate organisation to support the Eduere Girls Foundation.
She expressed gladness at the collaboration between Eduere Girls Foundation, Do Foundation and many others women based organisations.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Political Matters and the Chairman, Collins Cocodia Foundation, High Chief Collins Cocodia emphasized the need to support young people that are physically challenged, also with special educational needs and cannot get educated due to their situation.
He stressed that education was the right of every human, no matter the circumstances, and called on well meaning personalities to join in contributing to the education of physically challenged young people and also to help further train teachers in that specialized area.
The State Commissioner for Ijaw National Affairs, Chief Godspower Oporomo also called for total support for the targeted aim of the walk insisting that the beneficiaries of the planned programme are of the Ijaw extractions and the support is needed so that children with disability will not feel excepted by the society.”
