The NHE Workshop aims at organizing the Core Group/Technical Working Group and develop a logical framework/plan of action for the NHE expansion to facilitate implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the project. This will be participated in by the officials and staff of the following agencies namely: Â鶹´«Ã½, DSWD Central Office, Department of Health, Department of Tourism, Department of Transportation and Communications, Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of Labor and Employment, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority and representatives from the sector with disabilities. As part of the workshop, the two (2) Mayors of the pioneering municipalities have been invited as resource persons to share their experiences and best practices in their NHE implementation to guide the participants in the development of their plan.

The NHE is a pro-poor project aimed at enhancing the physical and social accessibility of persons with disabilities.  It was pioneered in the municipalities of New Lucena, Iloilo(Region VI) and Opol, Misamis Oriental (Region X) from 2008-2012.  This was a technical cooperation project between Â鶹´«Ã½ and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) wherein two (2) JICA Experts were dispatched to help in the implementation of the project.  The rich experiences and the impact of the project to persons with disabilities resulted to the expansion of the project in other Local Government Units (LGUs) of the country.

]]> /2012/08/14/nhe-forum-closing-marks-opol-and-new-lucena-success-stories/ Tue, 14 Aug 2012 10:56:36 +0000 http://www.ncda.gov.ph/?p=3584 ]]> /2012/06/26/asia-pacific-resource-center-on-disability-apcd-holds-knowledge-management-workshop-for-ncda/ Mon, 25 Jun 2012 18:35:51 +0000 http://www.ncda.gov.ph/?p=3291 continue reading : Asia Pacific Resource Center on Disability (APCD) Holds Knowledge Management Workshop for Â鶹´«Ã½ ]]>

International Cooperation at best.   APCD Information and Knowledge Management Manager Ryuhei Sano engages Â鶹´«Ã½/Japan International Cooperating Agency (JICA) officers and staff in the KM Workshop held last June 6, 2012, focused on Video Documentation of the Non-Handicapping Environment (NHE) in Rural Areas.   With a storyboard as workshop outcome, this Â鶹´«Ã½-APCD-JICA synergy aims to produce a brief but dramatic tool, to show NHE Project’s proofs of success, in most powerful way.

(Prepared by: Ms. Fatima A. Garon – Project Evaluation Officer I, Technical Cooperation Division)

The population of PWDs in the Philippines is about 940,000 people (1.23% of the population at large) according to the census executed in 2000. However, if the estimate ratio 10% of World Health Organization (WHO) is applied, about 9.2 million people are PWDs in the Philippines as of 2010. The rights of PWDs in the Philippines have been covered by the enactment of the Philippine Republic Constitution in 1987, the promulgation of the Republic Act No. 7277 (alias “Magna Carta of Persons with Disabilities (Great charter)”) in 1992 and the promulgation of the Republic Act No. 9442 (articles of amendment on the Magna Carta) in 2007.

With regard to accessibility, the Accessibility Law B.P. 344 intended for barrier-free on building and public transportation. However, in terms of the implementation of the law, little progress has been made and a further effort should be undertaken in the Philippines. For example, steep ramps and ramps without handrails are seen left and right and most buildings are not accessible for PWDs. Thus, PWDs cannot fully participate in community development activities, which lead them to be trapped in poverty. Access to education, access to health care and access to employment are all limited for PWDs towards self-reliance and economic independence. Negative attitude toward PWDs worsens their situation and makes their participation more difficult.

The project aims at promoting physical accessibility on built-environment, and social accessibility on regulation, system, and people’s attitude in community. In order to create NHE in the Philippines, the project implements activities based on a series of five (5) components/outputs as follows:

Output 1) Implementing Mechanism to define the implementing and monitoring mechanisms
Output 2) Profiling to grasp/assess the situation on PWDs and physical accessibility
Output 3) Capacity Development to enhance capacity of counterparts/stakeholders, empower PWDs and their groups/organizations and promote their participation
Output 4) Advocacy to promote a removal of barriers in society, and
Output 5) Networking to disseminate/share project experiences and NHE with International/National stakeholders.