The Bor County’s differently abled learner who missed PLE exams twice after his tricycle got damaged has expressed his gratitude after receiving a new one this week.
“I have received my tricycle from the Organization of the Voice of People with Disabilities. I wholeheartedly appreciate Mingkaman 100 FM for helping me reach out to the well-wishers,” Majok Makuach Ajak said on Wednesday.
The 23-year-old learner is a P8 candidate at Malek Primary School in Kolnyang Payam, Bor County.
In February 2023, he could not sit the important examinations because he said the concerned government office in Jonglei failed to repair or replace his damaged handicapped tricycle.
As per pictures of the tricycle seen by this media outlet, the wheels of the wheelchair are worn out. It could no longer be pushed or ridden.
Recently, Majok expressed fears, saying he might not sit the exams again if the government and well-wishers did nothing about his situation.
However, he could not receive a wheelchair on time thus he missed the November 2023 PLE.
“You people followed up this case, though you are from the other side of the river. I would have not been known by this Organization that provided me with a new trycycle. May God keep this Radio for us to continue speaking our voices,” Majok said of Mingkaman FM.
He added that he will be able to resume learning next year after he stayed at home for more than a year without attending classes.
For his part, the executive director for the Organization of the Voice of People with Disabilities in Jonglei State advised those who received the wheelchairs to take good care of them.
“One of the things that easily destroy wheelchairs in Jonglei State is mud. When the wheelchair is pushed forcefully in the mud, it enters the hubs and that affects the movement,” Philip Maker Anek Akuei explained.
“If it gets rusted and or stays without being serviced, this can easily cause damage. When it passes through the mud, it needs to be cleaned with water and service it with grease so that it stays for long.”
According to the south Sudan Union of People with Disabilities ,close to 11% of the population of South Sudan are probably, in fact, affected by disabilities, representing over one million PwDs.
Within camps for internally displaced persons(IDPs) alone, it is estimated that there are up to 250,000 PwDs.
Some of the most common shared challenges, studies suggest, include accessibility in physical environments and on the Internet, social exclusion, the absence of assistive technology, and barriers in healthcare and in the workplace.