The government has pledged to support the proposal to have a rehabilitation/vocational centre to meet emerging needs of people living with physical disabilities (PLWDs).The State Minister in Charge of Social Welfare Alvera Mukabaramba, said that following the request by PLWDs, this is something that the government will consider, but did not give a timeframe within which this centre will have been built.She said this at a consultative meeting of the National Council of People with Disabilities, (NCPD) in Kigali last week.“Their request was based on the fact that different centres that are all in place are privately owned; we should have a government-built centre specifically for these people and it will be done after appropriate consultations,” Mukabaramba said on the sidelines of the meeting.According to her, the consultations will be between her ministry, and the ministries of education, health and infrastructure. However, she was quick to add that such a facility was costly given the special equipment and expertise required.She encouraged the NCPD to collaborate with other governmental institutions and private sectors to properly address problems of PLWDs.Earlier, Emmanuel Ndayisaba, the Executive Secretary for NCPD, pointed out that some districts do not have offices to help people with disabilities yet all districts need to set up mechanisms of assisting PLWDs.
