On Tuesday 14th July we had a discussion to
further raise awareness of the abilities of a disabled person and the
importance of social inclusion. We presented to a group of Amnesty
International volunteers for the Somgande group, demonstrating to them the
games a person can play regardless of their inabilities; a blind person can
partake in sports the same way a person with eyes can, just in a different way.
By UK standards, change is slow, but not impossible. We tackle these issues on
the ground on a small scale, with the hope of making a longer lasting change.
We are changing Burkinabe perception one person at a time, with the hope these
new perceptions will be relayed and passed on. At the start of our discussion
one person genuinely believed that a blind person could not go to school or
play sports. By the end of the discussion, he was able to actually see how
(self admittedly) wrong this belief was. We ended our discussion with a question;
how would they feel if they themselves or someone they loved were disabled and
ostracised from society? This had seemingly profound effects, with each
admitting it would be a lonely world to be in.
Change may be slow, but not impossible.
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| Amnesty International volunteers play goal ball |
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| Biba teaches goal ball |
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| A discussion between HSB volunteers and Amnesty International volunteers |
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| An Anesty International volunteer plays goal ball |
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| Everyone that joined us on this day |
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