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NGO PERSPECTIVES for Full Participation and Equality

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Kiribati

RNN Kiribati Country Report

Te Toa Matoa (An association of and for youths and adults with disabilities in Kiribati)

Kiribati in brief.

Kiribati consists of 33 low atolls and is located in the central Pacific Ocean between with the population of approximately 80,000 and a total land area of 870 square kilometers.

After the survey which was carried out in 1999 Te Toa Matoa (An association of Kiribati people with disabilities aged from 14 up) ended up with following figures.


Total population of Kiribati :

males -38,378 Females: 39,180


Total land area

870 square kilometers


Population of persons with disabilities

2,466


Number of visually disabled persons

694


Number of persons with other physical disabilities

772.

# 1 Evaluation on of A/P decade of the disabled.

National coordination.

Assessment rate: 1

Te Toa Matoa is trying very hard to expose people with disabilities to the public by public shows, advertising their talents like singing and dancing and performing drama. Parents of children who are attending the Red Cross school also are seeking aids from the Kiribati Government and trying to push children with disabilities into the mainstream as well as seeking ways to train special teachers to teach them. The Kiribati Red cross is another figure who assisting Te Toa Matoa with their activities.

Legislation

Assessment rate:1

In Kiribati the office of People's lawyer is always free to the public, and people with disabilities are also welcome. Ministry of Environment and Social Development is also assisting persons with disabilities by giving advice but they are not always helpful. They only give us their sweet talk and sweet smile but they never work on our problems.

Information

Assessment rate:1

Te Toa Matoa did a survey on how many persons who disabled and they include outer islands. These records are kept with the red cross since we have no office to keep things. The physiotherapist and her team work with those who are hospitalized and they work with TeToa Matoa like , they tell them where to locate other persons who are just disables during the course of their adventure in life.

Public Awareness

Assessment rate: 2

Te TOA Matoa is the one who publicized their existence. This group arranged for public shows in the mwaneabas or meeting houses and they also take parts in other public issues eg Kiribati Library national day. The group link themselves with the Kiribati Weightlifting federation and they function with them in their activities, like going to camps together and do shows with them. Te Toa matoa also visit nearby outer islands and do shows there.

Accessibility and communication

Assessment rate:0

It is very sad because no public transport ever considered this need. The only public transport in Kiribati is a bus., and bus owners are only keen to make profit, so those people with wheelchairs would never get anywhere. This applies to planes and ships. Those persons with disabilities are to be carried by their relatives if they are to go on the bus, plane and ship. At public places eg Bank office it is also very hard for PW to get through as there is no special service or arrangement for them.

Communication with the hearing impaired is very hard but those attending the red Cross school are lucky as they can communicate with the sign language.

Education

Assessment rate: 1

The Red Cross school is struggling to operate. Since the red cross received no fund these days, the Parent association are running the school out of their own pockets and through their fund raisings and raffle tickets. The government is not so helpful in this issue but we will try to persuade them now and again.

Training and employment

Assessment rate: 0

This is a very sad one because Te Toa Matoa is trying to get the attention of government to offer a chance of employment but no response as been offered yet. This year we are happy because we know that we are included with the APDI.

Prevention of causes of disabilities

Assessment rate: 2

Physiotherapist from the Ministry of Health and Family Planning is helping.

Also nurses at outer islands are distributing vitamins to infants and expectant mother are well looked after before their giving birth.

Assistive devices

Assessment rate: 1

It very hard to buy a whheelchair for 300 dollars but the red Cross is selling those wheelchairs so no one from the Te Toa Matoa has bought a wheelchair but we are lucky because one lady who used to be a Physiotherapist donated wheelchairs to the group, so almost most of the group has their own wheelchairs

And those who need crutches were also lucky to get crutches as well with their crutch tips which was donated by Fran Hutton e mail address njhutton@hotkey.net.au

Self Help Organizations

Assessment rate: 3.

There are more than 20 self help organizations and they are all under the KANGO Kiribati Association of Non Government Association and Te Toa Matoa is one of them. They work towards capacity building and seeking aids through Project documents and held workshops towards the betterment of Kiribati.

Regional Coordination.

Assessment rate: 1

Te Toa Matoa has met Rebecah McCullouh from the Inclusion International in New Zealand on 23rd November 2001 but no feedback yet. In August this year Te Toa Matoa met a specialist adviser from NZAID Patti O'Neil and we discussed our needs and our dreams, just like what we discussed with Ms McCullouh, maybe the feedback will come soon.

#2 Summary and future directions.

Three most significant changes for PWD over the A/P decade:

  1. Establishment of Te Toa Matoa. Te Toa Matoa really means a strong giant. We compare ourselves with the strong will of a giant to encourage us to perform our tasks beyond our strength. People always comment on us as poor things but in our heart and mind we a strong as a giant. We can try everything with our strong minds.

  2. School of children with disabilities. This school is functioning well because of the strong support from the Parent Association. This association is support teachers in their transport as they are responsible for the fuel of the transport and they help the school in their maintenance and stationeries..

  3. The establishment of the Physiotherapy department at the Tungaru Central Hospital in 1997. This service is highly needed by those new victims of disability as well as those who had their limbs amputated ages ago.

Three most undeveloped issues concerning PWD

  1. The need for a multipurpose center for PWD as to have meetings, carry out their social activities.

  2. A chance of employment

  3. Provide a transport for their functions eg a truck or a bus.

Three priority areas for the government to consider.

  1. To offer a piece of land to Te Toa Matoa in order to build a multipurpose center.

  2. Arrange ways to help PWD access to public places like office, bank , shopping centers and public transport.

  3. Subsidized access to vocational training.

Three priority areas to be considered by Regional cooperation.

  1. Sport: involve PWD to participate in the region competitions.

  2. Involve TTM Te Toa Matoa in the training and workshops in the region

  3. Fund their special activities like Radio broadcast where they organize speeches and issues about disability awareness.

Awareness.


1 A/P decade of disabled persons 1993-2002

Answer=a: almost none


2 UN's declaration of disabled persons in 1975

Answer= a: almost none


3 International year of disabled persons in 1981

Answer= a: almost none


4 UN's decade of disabled persons 1983-1992

Answer= a: almost none

#3 Basic data of your country concerning PWDs.

Teewata Rokete

Vice Secretary, Te Toa Matoa

USP Librarian, USP Kiribati

PO Box 59, Teaoraereke Tarawa, Kiribati

E-mail : t01rocky@hotmail.com phone 22057 fax: 686 21419

David Teaabo

Secretary General, Kiribati Red Cross

Bikenibeu Tarawa, Kiribati

Well known persons with disabilities.

Teewata Rokete Amputee above the knee and using n artificial leg.

USP librarian, vice secretary, local adviser to the group and encouraging TTM to function to it potential.

Dr Baua Tebau, Working at the Tungaru Central Hospital, amputee above the knee using an artificial leg.

Tarewita Tauaa. Health Inspector, Working at Christmas Island. A strong member of TTM.

Future leader of PWDs.

Mr Tebakaro Aata, amputee from 2001.A Chairperson of TTM since last month. Phone number 28409

Foreign Organizations.

Collin Hill

Australian High Commission

Bairiki Tarawa PO Box 77

AusAid

Nigel Ewels, First Secretary, Australian High Commission

PO Box 77, Bairiki Tarawa

Neil Robertson

New Zealand High Commissioner

PO BOX 53, Bairiki Tarawa

VSO

Cindy Fair, Program Manager

PO Box 61, Bairiki Tarawa, Kiribati.

Fran &Neil Hutton

PO Box 49, Wandai 4006

Queensland, Australia

Setareki Macanawai

DPI Asia /Pacific Vice Chairperson (Oceania Subregion)

PO Box 15178, 335 Waimanu Road, Suva, Fiji Islands

Phone : 679 330 7530 Fax: 679 330 1161