The Italian Church’s commitment for persons with disabilities

“Creating an inclusive world entails not only adapting structures but also changing minds, so that people with disabilities may be considered full participants in social life.” These were the words of Pope Francis to the delegation of ministers participating in the G7 meeting on Inclusion and Disability, held in Umbria from October 14 to 16. The Holy Father underlined the importance of  “working together to enable persons with disabilities to choose their own path in life, free from the shackles of prejudice.”

This has been the commitment of the Italian Church since 1991. Thanks to donations from taxpayers under the “Eight per Thousand” voluntary contribution scheme, the Italian Church has funded 273 projects in 45 countries for a total of almost 30 million euros, in support of the inclusion, accessibility, independent living, dignity and empowerment of persons with disabilities. According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 1.3 billion people – about 16% of the world’s population – experience significant disability.

The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities upholds the principle of equality and the need to ensure the full and equal participation of persons with disabilities in the political, social, economic and cultural life of society. However, in many countries their condition is still seen as a divine punishment. Persons with physical or mental disabilities are often forced to live in seclusion and on the margins of society, hidden in their own homes by their own family members because of the social stigma which they have tragically fallen victim of. In times of crisis and emergency they face even greater discrimination, exploitation and violence and face numerous obstacles to accessing humanitarian assistance.

Left alone and isolated even from their own communities, the daily life of persons with disabilities becomes a struggle for survival.

But thanks to the commitment of many, opportunities for new beginnings are blossoming, bringing renewed hope. This was the case for Saw Sai, a young boy from Yangon, Myanmar. His case was considered hopeless because he suffered from right hemiplegic cerebral palsy and intellectual disability. His parents found out about the Inclusive Communities project, launched in 2005 to promote the development and social inclusion of children with disabilities in rural areas. To date, it has successfully supported 150 children and their families in 64 villages. Saw Sai was enrolled in a programme and, thanks to therapists and daily exercise, his motor skills improved immediately. He is currently attending special education classes because he is interested in maths and wants to improve his skills to help his parents, who run a small restaurant. Having attended the outreach meetings, his family has become more involved and has understood the importance of teaching him to carry out his daily activities independently, in a calm manner and at the right pace.

“It is essential to reach out to families and local communities in order to change people’s mindsets and make them understand that providing appropriate services to persons with different abilities is not just about helping them. It is a matter of justice and respect for their dignity and their abilities.

This was the case for Berry’s family in Haiti, where only 7 per cent of children with disabilities attend school: “When he was two years old, Berry was diagnosed with a condition that made him suddenly fall and not be able to walk. This led us to discover ‘AKG’, a community association in Haiti. We regularly attend their meetings and training sessions to help the children learn how to improve their lives in the family and in the community. Now Berry attends the public school in Mare Rouge and will have the opportunity to ‘find his way’.

The same opportunity was given to the 638 beneficiaries of the ‘Kanyama for All’ project in Zambia, another project funded by the Italian Episcopal Conference that promotes school integration in seven schools in Kanyama and supports the families of children with disabilities through literacy and sign language courses for parents and economic empowerment courses for income-generating activities. “Sports activities are equally important in this regard,” says Andrew, a judo instructor at the Shalom Centre, “as they give students the opportunity to get to know each other better, to work together, to work as a team and tear down barriers. Judo in particular is not just a sport, it is about taking care of each other, it builds relationships, it helps discover passions and commonalities.”

These small seeds and testimonies inspire us to move forward with the conviction, as Pope Francis reminds us, that “each person is a precious gift to society” and that “a culture of encounter needs to be developed, especially with those who tend to be “discarded by a false culture of wellbeing.”

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