LASODA, ARFH TEAM COLLABORATE TO STRENGTHEN SUPPORT FOR VULNERABLE POPULATIONS

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The General Manager of the Lagos State Office for Disability Affairs (LASODA), Mrs. Adenike Oyetunde-Lawal hosted the team from the Association for Reproductive and Family Health (ARFH) led by the Chief of Party, Dr. Iwuala Felix during a courtesy visit to the Agency at Alausa Ikeja on Tuesday.

In her address, Oyetunde-Lawal reaffirmed the Agency’s dedication to prioritising the welfare of Persons with Disabilities, emphasising its readiness to collaborate with like-minded organisations.

She outlined the Agency’s open-door policy and expressed eagerness to work with relevant entities in alignment with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s THEMES Plus Agenda of inclusivity.

Dr. Iwuala, speaking on behalf of ARFH, highlighted the ongoing Integrated Child Health and Social Services Award (ICHSA) project across Lagos, Edo, and Kwara states with the support of the United States Agency for International Development (LSAID).

The project, according to him, aims to mitigate the impact of HIV/AIDS on vulnerable children and households through comprehensive interventions for ensuring health, safety, stability, and education.

Expressing ARFH’s commitment to collaboration, Dr. Iwuala emphasised the importance of supporting vulnerable children, including those with disabilities, through quality health, education, nutrition, psychosocial support, legal protection, and economic empowerment. The goal is to enhance the government’s capacity to cater to these individuals effectively.

“We are here to explore possible areas of collaboration and support to ensure that vulnerable children including those with disabilities who fall within our enrollment categories are provided with quality health, education (formal and informal), nutrition, psychosocial support, leveraged shelter legal protection and economic support, we aim to strengthen the capacity of government to be able to cater for these set of people”, he said

Mrs. Esther Brodric-Shehu, Deputy Chief of Party at ARFH, expressed gratitude for the opportunity to learn about the needs of persons with disabilities and affirmed ARFH’s eagerness to partner with the Agency in addressing these crucial issues.

Other members of the ARFH team include Mrs. Kemi Obalisa, Mr. Olukunle Oshinowo and Mr. Gbadegesin Alawode.