THE PLIGHT OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES AND
THE OLDER PERSONS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
PART 2.
RIGHT TO EDUCATION, TRAINING AND REHABILITATION.
Article 6 of the U.N Declaration on the Rights of Disabled Persons states thus:-"Disabled Persons have the Right to medical, psychological and functional treatment, including prosthetic and orthetic appliances, to Medical and Social Rehabilitation, Education, Vocational Training and Rehabilitation, Aid, Counseling, Placement services and other services which will enable them to develop their capabilities and skills to the maximum and will hasten the processes of their social integration or reintegration."

More than any provision, this Article (6) propelled the promoters/founders of Living water Foundation to found the Foundation because of the lip service paid by government especially in Sub-Saharan Africa to the plight/suffering of the vulnerable groups generally and the physically challenged fellows in particular. Interestingly, the founder of the Foundation had to go to special school to acquire special skill in order to attend to the Health needs, Educational needs, Vocational needs, Rehabilitation needs, and counseling needs of these vulnerable groups. The Living Water Foundation has completed arrangement for the construction of Rehabilitation Centre for the physically challenged persons in Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria. This Centre/Institute is designed to empower them with their Educational needs especially Computer Education. It is also geared towards developing the capabilities and skills of these our fellow brothers and sisters to the maximum to make them productive members of the society and contribute to world economy while Old People’s Rehabilitation Centre in Aba were carefully planned in order to address the medical needs, vocational training needs (Educational needs), Rehabilitation needs and Counselling needs etc of older persons. It is the believe of LWF that once these vulnerable groups become productive and are contributing to world economy their Dignity which has been sapped by their present beggarly disposition would become a thing of the past and the society would accept and respect them because they have something to offer to our world.

To continuously wait for government to provide the foregoing needs would amount to waiting in vain forever especially in the third world countries. This is because government provision of social services is fast declining. For instance in Nigeria, a statistics released by Federal Ministry of Education shows decline in Government Budget for Education in the last 10 years.
Whereas the International Community (UNESCO) recommended 26% of the Budget to be spent on Education annually, a country like Nigeria is Budgeting as little as 8% on Education and at the end of the day the whole 8% may not be released to Educational Sector. Meanwhile, one of the millennium goals is Education for All, EFA which is at the heart-beat of LWF to see that all handicap persons within its areas of operation in the 3rd world countries complete full course of basic Education by 2015.

The example of the Education Budget applies to Budget on Healthcare, Housing and Provision of Basic Social Services etc with the result that the physically challenged and other members of the vulnerable groups do not benefit anything from the government because the able-bodied people appropriate the little resources without giving them the special consideration as required by Law and U.N Declarations. The bulk of the money earned in third world countries are spent on overhead cost of servicing politicians in powers and their insatiable needs, execution of white elephant projects, stashing away money in foreign banks (monumental corruption). The result is that the vulnerable groups are forced to live in extreme poverty and in most cases become destitutes to the extent that their blood relations abandon them. And since poverty represents voicelessness, insecurity and social exclusion, they are suppressed and oppressed. It is therefore not surprising that the disabled constitute the majority of "Professional" beggars while their potentials are wasted. However, LWF have discovered the potentials in these abandoned persons and it is committed to transforming their disability into ability. LWF is committed to giving the physically challenged a voice by developing their potentials and empowering them with skill and make them employable and productive members of the society. LWF would also advocate for the establishment of Disability Commission in various States.
APPEAL: The enormous task facing this Foundation cannot be funded by one man, but requires the solidarity of kind-hearted persons such as you and I who are minded to serve humanity. We appreciate your presence here today and appeal to you to support the Foundation materially, financially and even in your prayers in its efforts to meet the needs of the disabled, old persons and less privileged in the World.

Rev (Dr.) Damian Etonyeaku-Nduka
President

Living Water Foundation Inc Worldwide
1440 West Little Creek Road
P. O. Box 6134
Norfolk, VA. 23508 USA
Tel & Fax: +1-757-481-8085
Cell: +1-757-217-7652
E-Mail: info@livingwaterfoundationministries.org
Website:www.livingwaterfoundationministries.org
www.lwfm.us