By Alfred Kollie, alfredkolliejr92@gmail.com
The founder and Executive Director of the Liberia Albino Society (LAS), Madam Patricia M. C. Logan is making a passionate plea to government to increase their national budget from eighty five thousand ($85,000US) to US$150K.
LAS is a Liberian NGO established in 2009 to advocate for people with albinism and work to restore the dignity and build the capacities of vulnerable minority groups through empowerment programs aimed at improving their lives.
‘’Let me say to our government that we are asking their opinion to make sure that the fiscal year 2020/ 2021 that the Liberia Albino Society will no longer sit on the fence to allow their programs die down, the past government were given us attention making sure that glasses, caps including food were all given members making sure that our issue are taking care of,’’’ she warned government.
Like other human beings, people with Albinism are entitled to the same fundamental rights as others. “The United Nations Human Rights Council and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights adopted resolutions (HRC resolutions 23/13, 24/33 and 26/10, ACHPR resolution 263) in 2013 and 2014 calling for the prevention of attacks and discrimination against persons with albinism.”
Madam Logan told www.newspublictrust.com this week that under the past government, the Liberia Albino Society or LAS were receiving from National government one hundred and ninety five thousand United States dollars, while they are currently receiving eighty five thousand US dollars. This, she said is too little to carry out its programs across Liberia.
She maintain that her institution will not allow herself struggle in getting what they should be getting noting that for too long the Liberia Albino Society been suffering to get that they deserved as an institution.
Madam Logan noted that since 2018, all of the programs have been down due to lack of funding to properly implement its activities across the Country.
According to Madam Logan, the Health program, the scholarship prevision for its members, the building project in Grand Bassa County among other have come to a standstill something she said is greatly affecting them.
‘’Since 2019, all of our programs including the school feeding program, back to school program, health outreach across the country so to speak is no longer happening in our institution, it is against this backdrop that we are calling on government to see how best they can bring back our programs,‘’ Madam Logan explained.
The head of the Albino Society in Liberia also told this Reporter that members are often asked to go back whenever they get to the institution two health centers for treatment, due to lack of medical drugs at various facilities been operated by the Albino Society of Liberia.
Speaking Tuesday January 7, 2020 with www.newspublictrust.com in the Logan Town suburb of Monrovia noted that 2019 year was a serious challenging moment for the institution noting that her institution was doing great in the past under the leadership of former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
‘’Our members of the Institution about fifty five persons have been beneficiating from scholarship program but since 2018 the program has since been closed while our medical outreach program which where focusing on pregnant women and children from zero to five years are no more, while our project in Grand Bassa County to build a 25 bed rooms health center is also at a standstill due to financial reason,’’ Madam Logan said.
She explained that these programs were helping over thousands of its members and other citizens across Liberia as such something must be done to address the issue.
The founder and Executive Director of the Liberia Albino Society said they can no longer hold back their feelings in crisis of such but called on president Weah to include every persons in society particularly people living with disabilities.
Madam Logan also disclosed that government is about to for the first time buy Office for the LAS that will owned and operated by the Liberia Albino Society.