Government\nshould make a deliberate effort towards compiling data for Persons with\nAlbinism (PWA) while carrying out national census, the Speaker Rebecca Kadaga\nhas said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She\nsaid this will help in planning for the special needs of PWAs like healthcare\nand education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEven\nthe local council leaders should make it their responsibility to know the\nnumber of persons with albinism in their areas so that we can plan for\nschools,\u201d Kadaga said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The\nSpeaker made the call after a fundraising walk aimed at raising funds for the construction of a rehabilitation centre\nfor PWAs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The\nevent on Monday, 20 January 2020 is part of the activities of the Parliament\nWeek.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The\nevent that was attended by Members of Parliament, representatives from various\nministries, departments and agencies, private organisations, Non-Governmental\nOrganizations as well as religious leaders saw Shs54 million raised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The\nSpeaker was also concerned about the continued taxation of sunscreen and other\nprotective gear for the PWA even after Parliament scrapped the taxes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The\nGovernment Chief Whip, Hon Ruth Nankabirwa pledged to be a goodwill ambassador\nin cabinet for policy related issues on PWA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe\nSpeaker\u2019s proposals on making the lives of persons with albinism better require\npolicies and I will ensure that these policies are passed when they are\npresented in cabinet,\u201d Nankabirwa said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She\napplauded the Speaker for initiating the fundraising walk saying that\naddressing the plight of PWAs requires concerted efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According\nto the Clerk to Parliament, Jane L. Kibirige, the funds raised from the\nprevious three years will be used to purchase\nland where the centre will be built.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe\nmoney to deposit on the land is available and Parliament is in the process of\nidentifying land without encumbrances,\u201d said Kibirige. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Olive\nNamutebi, the Executive Director of African Albino Foundation applauded\nParliament\u2019s efforts in addressing the plight of PWAs, saying that their\ncondition has now been recognised under the 2019 Bill on Persons with\nAlbinism. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
She\nhowever, said that they are still faced with the challenge of inaccurate number\nof persons with disabilities in the country, saying that this affects services\nfor persons with disabilities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cA\nrecent research carried out by the Albinism Umbrella with support from Oxfam in\nnine districts of Eastern Uganda shows that, there 263 persons with albinism in\nthose districts. Those who did not want to be counted were left out and\ntherefore the 263 total is not accurate,\u201d Namutebi said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She\nalso said that the research found that 68 per cent of PWA did not know the\ncause of albinism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat\ndoes this mean; they are prone to believe anything, you know albinism has\ndifferent myths surrounding it and because you do not know that it is a genetic\ncondition inherited from both parents, this is the reason we are\ndiscriminated,\u201d said Namutebi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Albinism\nis a genetic condition where some people are born without the usual pigment or\ncolor in their bodies. Their bodies are not able to make a normal amount of\nmelanin, which chemical is responsible for eye, skin, and hair color.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The\nFundraising Walk marked the start of the week-long Parliament week, aimed at\nbridging the gap between Parliament and the public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the week which runs from 20 to 25 January 2020, Parliament engages with the public through various activities including an inter-faith prayer service, the Public Parliament where members of the public become MPs for a day, stakeholders dialogue as well as tours of Parliament. Members of the public will also be able to meet their MPs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Parliamentary News<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Government should make a deliberate effort towards compiling data for Persons with Albinism (PWA) while carrying out national census, the Speaker Rebecca Kadaga has said. She said this will help in planning for the special needs of PWAs like healthcare and education. \u201cEven the local council leaders should make it their responsibility to know the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27983,"featured_media":13369,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_paywall_metabox":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[98],"tags":[31],"class_list":["post-13367","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-featured"],"yoast_head":"\n