Empowering Change: at the "One for All" Seminar

In February 2008 Manique Gunaratne represented Sri Lanka at an international seminar on “One For All, Persons With Disabilities Self Initiatives To Development” organized by the BPKS of Bangladesh at Dhaka Regency Hotel in Dhaka, Bangladesh. There were participants across the world. Eg. U.S.A., Finland, Germany, Netherlands, U.K., Kenya, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Cambodia, Australia, Fiji, Papua New Guinnea and Bangladesh. The following areas were covered at the seminar.

1. The world today from the perspective of persons with disabilities.
2. The current situation for persons with disabilities, approaches to disability, organizations involved in disability at national and international level.
3. Development of persons with disabilities self initiative to development. (P.S.I.D.)
4. P.S.I.D. overview
5. Basic components of P.S.I.D.
6. What P.S.I.D. set down to do.
7. video presentation on P.S.I.D. activities.
8. The steps involved in implementing the P.S.I.D., approach and its activities.
9. The mechanism to ensure that P.S.I.D. is sustainable after the initial implementation.
10. Success stories of persons with disabilities who have been able to change their lives through P.S.I.D. 
11. How P.S.I.D. make a difference beyond their lives of individual P.W.D.’s and their families.
12. Field visits, reporting and the feedback.
13. Findings of investigating economic, social and cultural impact on P.S.I.D.
14. What is that P.S.I.D. allows it to be adoptable to situations in organizations beyond Bangladesh.
15. Prospective roles in P.S.I.D. implementation outside of Bangladesh.
16. Prospective and potential challenges for P.S.I.D. implementation in other countries.
17. What individual participants and organizations plan to do from what they have learned.
18. Income generating activities and decision making processes of organizations.
19. Sharing meetings with the executive committee members and women with disabilities.

Field visits to persons with disabilities who are engaged in  a plant nursery, a grocery shop, tailoring business, water and sanitation, independent persons with disabilities using tricycle and clutches for independent living, therapy activities, school which has included persons with disabilities for education, persons involved in birth registration and who are involved in loan recommendations, candle production, bulb marketing and whole sale shops.

A field visit was organised to Navokali, a city about 200 km away from Dhaka. Participants left Dhaka on the previous day evening and stayed at Vita World Hotel a joining the Bangladesh India border. The journey was on the Dhaka Chitagon highway. All participants were able to see the whole country from south to the north. The sight seeing was really beautiful.

We  also went to see the Bangladesh Parliament and the Zia Garden.

 

Kishara Manique Gunaratne

Member of the Expert Advisory Group of the United Nations Development  Programme (UNDP)