It should be noted that persons with disabilities are also involved in doing business in Uganda in order to sustain their lives and the lives of their dependants. When the bread winner has a disability it not only affects him/her but even his/her family.
When a person with a disability is young, the impact to other family members may not be so big but when this person grows up and also gets his/her own family that is where the dilema is too big.
If this person is not empowered or supported to live independently as an adult, you will find that even his/her family members being dependent on him/her are classified as vulnerable. Hence when you look at adult persons with disabilities let us look at them wholesomely with their dependants.
The current economic / business environment has hit so hard the persons with disabilities. With the current cleansing and renovations of the capital city Kampala by the authorities, the PWDs as people who majorly operate on road-sides have been the first to be swept away to no one knows. The high taxes like space fees, different city enforcement charges have not left them in business too.
The high fuel prices that have led to over-pricing of the products they trade in hence has also led their business to collapse.
The access to market to especially for persons with mobility disability has been a big obstacle when it comes to competing with their able-bodied counterpart as they incur a lot of costs to move their products from place to place.
Having also very low capital worsened by lack of access to financing has made their businesses vulnerable leading to collapse.
Then who can really save the situation as persons with disabilities struggle to attain economic freedom. There are so many hardships they go through.
We still believe engaging ourselves into the field of work, it is when we shall attain an independent life without begging handouts to survive on a daily basis.; A life where we shall marry and get children; A life where we shall educate our children; A life where we shall also get better health care services; A life where we shall be involved in decision making.
Edrisa Muwanga
Tel. +256752549065
Disabled Entrepreneurs of Uganda
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