GAIBANDHA, NOV 30: An initiative has been taken to distribute assistive devices to the children with disabilities residing at chars of the district to help them stand move easily.

Friendship, a leading non-government voluntary organization of the country, would implement the activity at different chars of Fulchhari and Sadarupazilas of the district under the project of ‘Improving the lives of Persons with Disabilities in the Northern Chars of Bangladesh’.

Under the project, base line survey for the persons with disabilities, research activities for them were conducted by the organization.

Not only that physical therapy by the Bachelor degree achieved therapists are providing to the persons with disabilities as per their demand for early recovery from the sickness. The char dwellers are also being aware on various issues including social and superstition ones and good governance, human rights through char theatres formed by the organization.

Apart from it, their problems and need base demand are also being assessed under the project and necessary measures like distribution of assistive devices and other supports had also been taken at the initiative of the project so that the persons and the children with disabilities of the project command areas could move easily.

Basic rehabilitation training is also being imparted for the speech impaired persons at the project command areas of the upazilas, said an official.

The overall activities of the project are being supervised by Friendship Inclusive Citizenship Sector(FICS) directed by senior director Barrister AyeshTaasinkhan along with a group of energetic officials.

As per the initiative, an inaugural function on assistive devices distribution to the children was also held at char Karaibari under Kamarjani union of Sadarupazila on Monday afternoon around 2 PM.

Deputy director(DD) of Department of Social Services here Md. FazlulHaque attended the function as the chief guest.

BetekeDegaayfortman, director of Friendship Netherland, assistant director of FICS Ahmed Toufiqur Rahman, Team leader Abu Mohammad Shihab, regional manager Mohammad Nayeem Kamran and local union parishad chairman Matiar Rahman also spoke at the event.

Speaking on the occasion, DD Md. FazlulHaque in his speeches thanked the authorities of the Friendship for taking the welfare activities for the persons and the children with disabilities residing at the chars of Sadar and Fulchhariupazilas of the district.

The DD also urged the Friendship to bring the rest or remaining persons and the children with disabilities residing at other chars of the district under the project as early as possible.

Later, DD FazlulHaque formally distributed the assistive devices to the children with disabilities as the chief guest.

After getting the devices from the organization, the guardians of the beneficiary children are happy and expressed their gratefulness to the Friendship for standing beside them with assistive devices for the easy movement of their kids.

Regional manager Mohammad Nayeem Kamran told this Correspondent Friendship had been working for the char dwellers of Gaibandha and its neighboring Kurigram districts for two decades last aimed at changing the socio-economic condition of the char dwellers through providing them with need base support and assets from the development projects of the organization.

Many of the char dwellers had become self-reliant economically and the lots and living standard of the char inhabitants   had also been changed after involving themselves in the projects run by the Friendship, he concluded.

In reply to a query Runa Khan said all children with the disabilities residing in the project command areas would get assistive devices from the Friendship in phases.