Leave No One Behind

Born with a disability, I grew up facing series of challenges. When I did not know, nor understand issues concerning disability and challenges that surround persons with disabilities, I have always felt left out. I had so many questions running through my mind and I was a very sad person. I always felt like I am the last in position for every opportunity and the world is against me. Deep in my quietness, I will cry all the time. Though my family and foster parents did all they could to empower me, psychologically I was not healthy because I see the deformity I have as a difficulty I have to deal with all my life. I was so worried because I could not wear the kind of shoes or dresses my girlfriends wear. I could not dance and take part in girls’ activities. Most of the time I will be insulted using my deformity.

When I went through school and have walked a certain milestone in my career as a disability advocate, I started having an understanding what disability is all about in relation to rights for persons with disabilities, violence, advocacy, inclusion, leadership and decision-making roles. I understood clearly the specific needs of women and girls with disabilities, gender-based violence (GBV) and how it is perpetrated against women and girls with disabilities at the level of the family which finally spread out to the community.

Looking back at the challenges I faced in my family, I realized they did it out of love but were ignorant of the harm they were causing me. My family saw me as a sick/fragile person. They wanted to over protect me and did not teach me how to leave my comfort zone and endure to become a strong person in the society. They made me swim in self pity and see myself as incapable to do anything for myself. They made decisions for me and determine the choices I make in life based on the fact that I am disabled.

“As time went on, I realized I was not alone but every person with disability face similar challenges”

As I moved forward in my career focusing on rights for women and girls with disabilities and preventing GBV, I realized all challenges I have faced were not barriers but a very thin glass ceiling in my mind that I had to break. I break that thin glass ceiling when I created the Community Association for Vulnerable Persons (CAVP). At the CAVP, we promote the respect of rights and advocate for effective inclusion and participation of women and girls with disabilities at all levels of community life.

While collaborating with other stakeholders, we use the slogans “Nothing for Us Without Us” and “Leave No One Behind”. CAVP identify the various forms of violence faced by women and girls with disabilities in families and communities and work to mitigate this violence. We educate families to prioritize education for girls with disabilities and link women with disabilities to volunteering and employment opportunities.

At CAVP we are passionate to digitally empower women and girls with disabilities to access more opportunities online because it helps them to build their digital skills that can enable them access more opportunities locally and internationally.

Cameroon leaving in crisis since 2016, has destroy almost every opportunity, coupled with COVID-19, the situation is even worse for women and girls with disabilities. But CAVP is ensuring these women access training that will improve on their livelihood, build their skills, create opportunities for employment for them, attain financial independence and build resilience.

With all the efforts we make, there are rooted issues of GBV that are so difficult to totally change and they are posing a lot of challenges to our work. Most cases of violence are perpetrated from common practices like harmful cultural practices and non-respect of human rights in our communities. These practices generate barriers that relegate women and especially women with disabilities to the background limiting them including me from fully participating in decision making circles.

I want to tell the world that “Nothing For Us, Without Us” and “Leave No One Behind”. This means that let women and girls with disabilities be given a chance and they will strive with no limits. Give them the opportunities to be contributors to attaining the SDGs and promote the worlds economies. Let the whole world adopt the concept of universal design to promote accessibility for all disability type and do not allow persons with disabilities to be a burden to the global economy. I think with this violence against women and girls with disabilities can be reduced to a great percentage.

The governments can review their policies, intentionally prioritizing the gender and specific needs of women and girls with disabilities. They can rectify all conventions and resolutions that stand to promote the respect of rights for women and girls with disabilities. And this should not be done on paper but practically implemented at all levels and institutions of the country. The government should collaborate with organizations and international donors/funders to create accessible employment, internships and volunteering opportunities that can help build experience and professional skills for women and girl with disabilities and people with disabilities at all levels. Individuals as well as families should be partners of advocacy and promotion of the respect of rights for inclusion and participation of persons with disabilities at all levels of community life. Persons with disabilities themselves should stand up for their rights and push hard to break barriers that generate from their families and follow them to community life. Advocacy, sensitization, education and awareness should be a continuous process promoted by all.

Governments, organizations and individuals should join forces to subsidize services (health, education, social, economic, etc.…) for persons with disabilities.

Being a leader of women with disabilities in the North West region of Cameroon is a good experience for me because I feel included at all levels. I not only lead women with disabilities but have a diversify leadership role that I mentor women generally. I am called up at consultative meetings to represent the voice of women with disabilities and I am intentionally and actively involved in many leadership roles and decision-making circles. This is a great milestone in my career because it makes me feel I am on the right path to bring all women with disabilities on board one day. And my voice will leave a legacy in disability works.

For now, a truly accessible world has not yet been attained. We will continue to learn and improve over time. This is because disability evolves just as technology. There are certain factors that cause disability to evolve like age, illness, cultures, emotions, birth defects, etc.... To get a truly accessible and inclusive world, we need to continuously research and understand more about disability and specific needs. Personally, I think individuals have to build passion and love for disability, help to prevent violence and stigma then the world will be a better place for persons with disabilities.

Veronica Ngum

Cameroon