To celebrate the International Day of Persons with Disabilities in Niger on December 3, IOM and its local partners organized various activities in Tahoua and Agadez, in the frame of this year’s theme of promoting the participation and leadership of persons with disabilities to take action on the 2030 Agenda.

Both Tahoua and Agadez are significant points of departure for Nigeriens migrating to Libya, mostly as seasonal workers. In 2019, 1,739 Nigeriens were assisted with assisted voluntary return and reintegration (AVRR) by IOM’s team in Niger, out of which a staggering 48% were originally from Tahoua.

“It’s important to ensure decent work and equal pay for all, including for people with disabilities. Without a doubt, employment is a determining factor in the social participation of this vulnerable group,” declared Attahir Adam, secretary-general for the governorate of the Agadez region, during the launching ceremony. “Through such celebrations, we hope to empower people with disabilities and promote a resilient society for all.”

For its series of events in Tahoua, support by the European Union, IOM partnered with the Federation of Disabled People in Niger and the communications agency Ader Com, one of beneficiaries of IOM’s project “Initiatives for the Development of the Enterprise” (IDEE). Three of the project’s beneficiaries in Tahoua are living with disabilities and are members of the federation.

Through its activities, the IDEE project supports local businesses and helps sensitize Nigerien youth on the creation of local work opportunities and entrepreneurial activities as alternatives to irregular migration.

Promoting entrepreneurship among people with disabilities can be a lever for development and the livelihoods of people with disabilities, which contributes to the current efforts of reducing poverty and  irregular migration in Niger.

To this end, Ader Com and the federation organized a day of awareness-raising for over 850 people, including people with disabilities, authorities, youth associations, and various public and private partners. Seeing as IOM’s Global Migration Film Festival is in full swing, the day started off with a screening of a film on the risks of irregular migration.

The projection was followed by a conference, a poem recital, a para-cycling race and a presentation of various Tahoua-based businesses run by people with disabilities. The day concluded with a gala evening and a fashion show by Yasmina Couture, own by Yahiaya, another IDEE beneficiary who hasn’t let his disability stand in the way of his success.

The organizers are convinced that true economic and social development for people with disabilities can only be achieved through the creation of viable partnerships between the private sector, development partners and the authorities in order to ensure the actions’ sustainability.

“It’s good to feel that we are included and that the subject is not as taboo anymore as it used to be,” said Adamou, one of the participants living with a disability for more than 20 years. “For our voices to be heard and our needs to be met, partners and authorities need to listen to us because no one knows better the hardships we encounter each day than ourselves.”

As part of the celebration, IOM and local authorities in Agadez organized their own awareness-raising day thanks to a voluntary French contribution. The events were attended by more than 1,000 people, which included a radio debate at radio Sahara on the rights of people with disabilities followed by the launching ceremony and a sitting volleyball game at the Sultanate, and a debate at the vocational training center for the disabled.

 “Only by enabling social protection, can we reduce the vulnerabilities of such disadvantaged groups. To improve the assistance these individuals receive, it is vital for specific and tailored measures to be implemented by all the actors involved,” said Barbara Rijks, IOM’s Chief of Mission in Niger. “Events like these also help raise awareness of the potential people with disabilities have for the economy.”

For more information, please contact Monica Chiriac at IOM Niger at Tel: +227 8931 8764, Email: mchiriac@iom.int.