PHOTO: Participants pose for picture
By Emmanuel Mafelah, mafelahemmanuel29@gmail.com
GBARNGA, Liberia- The Sustainable Agriculture Programs (SAPRO) in collaboration with the National Union of Organizations of the Disabled (UNOD) have concluded a day-long media engagement to enhance Journalists’ knowledge on issues affecting persons living with disabilities.
The journalists were urged to mainstream issues affecting people living with disabilities by report on the various issues they learned abou during the training, which was held on Tuesday September 28, 2021.
The project, “Inclusive Media Project”, is designed to amplify the voices of People with Disabilities (PwDs) in this county. The gathering brought together ten local Journalists from five community radio stations in Gbarnga.
SAPRO-Liberia Executive Director, Melvin L. Harding called on Journalists to use their different platforms and elevate the voices of PwDs.
“Journalists and people with disabilities are friends not enemy. From this meeting today we hope that you journalists will help us push our messages through your different platforms. And together, working collaboratively in pushing the agenda of the disabled community this project will be successful,” he added.
Mr. Harding wants media institutions and Journalists to use at least five minutes of their show time to discuss issues affecting the well-being of the disabled community.
Also speaking, the Bong County Coordinator for the National Union of Organizations of the Disabled, Arthur Bondo thanked Internews Liberia for providing the training opportunity.
He then literally begged the journalists to go back to their work places and start talking disability issues, and the health, education, safety and well-being of PwDs.
For their part, participants extended commendations to SAPRO Liberia, Internews, and NUOD for providing them the opportunity to learn how to mainstream issues affecting PwDs.
Speaking on half of the participants, Rancy Clarke of Hot FM Gbarnga and Obe G. Smith of Radio Gbarnga assured the organizers that the “knowledge gained here will be use to speak on issues affecting people with disabilities.”