By Our Reporter
Naffe Tusobola Foundation, a non-profit organization has reaffirmed their commitment to championing inclusive disability employment in Uganda. They reaffirmed their commitment recently while releasing a Position Paper on the employment situation of youth with disabilities in Uganda.
Speaking during the engagement, Hassan Waddimba, a representative from the Foundation revealed that the foundation is committed to working with different stakeholders to improve access to employment for youth with disabilities through increasing public awareness, providing technical support to employers, and mentoring youth with disabilities with job-readiness skills.
“We want to support multi-stakeholder approaches to deepen the principles of inclusive employment in Uganda. We are committed to developing new knowledge, convening stakeholders, and engaging duty bearers to initiate sustainable and structured interventions to address complex issues related to inclusive employment.” Hassan Waddimba said.
Inclusive employment is when there is no discrimination on the basis of disability in all processes related to hiring and recruitment, remuneration, training, promotion, retention, among others, and the assurance that persons with disabilities are equally protected by all employment and labour rights.
According to the 2014 National Population and Household Census, persons with disabilities comprise about 12.4% of Uganda’s population with about 80 percent of whom are unemployed and live in long-term poverty with limited access to education and health facilities.
Research also shows that even when Persons with disabilities get employed, they often receive lower salaries, and have fewer chances for promotion.
“Without adequate, consulted, socially progressive employment policies and legal frameworks, the systematic exclusion of persons with disabilities in employment will always continue. We, therefore, demand that long-term interventions should focus on changing the system through policy and legal review, and change of societal attitude towards persons with disabilities.” Hassan Waddimba said, adding that, “short-term interventions should focus on building the capacity of public and private employers on disability inclusion, and empowering youth with disabilities to be self-confident, skilled, and ready for employment opportunities.”