Cosmas Okoli
Ending Dependency
MAARDEC Takes a Multi-Dimensional Approach
to Rehabilitation of Disabled Nigerians
Fallbeispiel „Innovationen“.: MAARDEC
As a Nigerian with disability, I consider myself an exception rather than the rule,
because I was fortunate enough to get a good education and the rehabilitation and
equipment I needed. As a primary school pupil in the 1970s, I had to crawl on all
fours; no mobility aids were available. My older siblings got me to and from school
on a bicycle. During my holidays as a secondary school student, I was dismayed to
discover how dependent I was on my brother to drive me everywhere in our
father’s car. I was petrified at the thought that he might not have time to drive me
or would refuse if we were to quarrel. And what if I worked hard enough in the
future and bought a car of my own? Would I have to depend on a driver?
Determined never to be dependent on anyone for transport, and eager to assert
my independence, I secretly developed a device that let me drive using only my
hands. I researched it extensively, sneaking into my father’s car to test prototypes.
My first attempts failed woefully, but I eventually developed a model that worked.
When my test-drive ended in a minor crash, my father was furious. But when I
graduated from university, my family helped me acquire a car, which I drove using
the device. Called the Cosokoli Hand-Control Mobilizer, it allows people with
lower limb paralysis and amputations to drive conventional cars using only their
hands. [See Text Box 1 on following page.]
The mobilizer was my second innovation. As a secondary school student in the
late 1970s, I struggled with my leg braces, which constantly fell apart. Darüber hinaus, von
their very nature, the braces kept me from wearing other types of shoes. So I made
sketches of a better and more durable brace that would allow me to wear any type
of shoes. A roadside welder and technician brought my sketches to life. After sev-
eral refinements and some testing, I began to use the braces that I dubbed the Cosy
Easy-fit-in Calipers. A quarter century later, our organization has fabricated thou-
sands of these versatile, electroplated leg braces for clients who marvel that they
can wear them with conventional shoes.
Cosmas Okoli is the founder and CEO of MAARDEC. He is an Ashoka Fellow, Und
has been recognized as an Outstanding Social Entrepreneur by the Schwab
Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship.
© 2008 Cosmas Okoli
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Cosmas Okoli
Von 1991, after many hours tinkering in workshops, I had developed several
other inventions. Noticing how little support was available for persons with dis-
abilities in Nigeria, I established MAARDEC, the Mobility Aid and Appliances
Research and Development Center. With the award-winning mobilizer as its crown
jewel, MAARDEC has since
enabled thousands of disabled
Nigerians to live independent-
ly.
My main reason for
establishing MAARDEC was to
share my personally developed
innovations with fellow
Nigerians with disabilities; ICH
also wanted to start a
movement to address the many
problems militating against
their empowerment.
My main reason for estab-
lishing MAARDEC was to
share my personally devel-
oped innovations with fellow
Nigerians with disabilities; ICH
also wanted to start a move-
ment to address the many
problems militating against
their empowerment. Heute
MAARDEC is a radical, holis-
tic, and multi-dimensional
approach to rehabilitating,
empowering, and developing
persons with disabilities and
helping them reintegrate into mainstream society. Made up of over a dozen com-
ponents, it draws strength from the synergy between them.
In the rest of this
Papier, I will describe those components, after a short bit of history.
REHABILITATION, LIKE CHARITY, BEGINS AT HOME
Fate dealt me a cruel hand in 1966; at age four, I lost the use of my legs to
poliomyelitis. Soon after, my mother died, and then we faced the traumatic three-
year-long Nigerian Civil War, much of it happening in our part of the country.
Because my future seemed bleak, my father, a pioneer educator, prepared me for a
life as a village cobbler/shoemaker, behind my back and without my consent. But I
had other ideas. When my older brother was enrolled in elementary school, ICH
demanded that my father enroll me too. I got my wish.
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Ending Dependency
The Hand-Control Mobilizer
The Hand-Controlled Mobilizer is a simple push-and-pull device. It uses a sys-
tem of mechanical linkages attached to clamps on the brake and accelerator
pedals of an automatic transmission vehicle to allow a person to drive without
using their legs.
A 12mm-thick rod, 460mm long, is housed inside a single pipe 390 mm
long with two different sectional diameters: 15mm and 20mm. The tolerance
between the rod and pipe allows the user to push and pull the rod inside the
pipe.
When the user pushes the L-shaped arm down, the rod presses down
directly onto the brake pedal to slow the vehicle. When the user pulls the arm
hoch, the device uses a series of linkages to activate the accelerator pedal and
speed up the vehicle. The transmission must be in drive position for any move-
ment to be possible.
Notiz: The original mobilizer was designed for manual-shift vehicles. It had two extensions that
were operated with the same hand that engages the shift-stick gear. We have discontinued this
old model, which some clients found cumbersome. We now advise clients to buy automatic
transmission vehicles.
The device requires minimal maintenance, just occasional tightening of loose parts. Es kann
be removed from one vehicle and installed in another. We know of one device that has been in
use for 12 Jahre.
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Cosmas Okoli
At home,
At school, classmates called me names because, without access to a wheelchair,
I crawled on all fours. In our native Igbo language, the word “cripple” literally
means “a helpless human vegetable.” Determined not to be traumatized by the
name calling, I studied diligently and consistently scored at the top of the class, Zu
the utter chagrin of my classmates. Over time I became quite popular, especially
with those who wanted help with their schoolwork. But before I gave them any
help, I made them apologize and promise never to call me names again. When they
refused to let me play soccer—which I loved but could only play with my hands—
I got my father to buy me a ball of my own. As a ball owner, I made the rules and
decided who played
with me and who did-
n’t.
In the early 1980s, I was an
undergraduate at the University of
Lagos. Late one night I woke up to
find my roommates fighting. Sie
were using my crutches as
weapons—and soon damaged
ihnen. Over the next few days I tried
to purchase replacement crutches,
checking everywhere I could in
Lagos, then Nigeria’s capital city.
Desperate, I contacted my father in
my hometown, manche 600 kilometres
weg; after a two-week search, Er
sent me a pair of crutches.
I was
treated like every other
member of the family.
Like the rest of my sib-
lings,
turns
sweeping the house,
washing clothes, Und
washing dishes. My sib-
lings helped me only by
fetching water and
making sure I was well
settled on a low stool
whenever I did the
I was also
washing.
spanked just like them.
At home,
I gained
ample self-confidence
and developed a can-
do mentality that made
me see disability for
what it is—a challenge
that can be overcome
by dint of hard work
and creative imagination. I resolved quite early in life not to let disability stand in
the way of living a full and productive life.
took
ICH
In 1973, my father enrolled me at the Salvation Army Home for Physically
Handicapped Children at Oji River in Enugu state. After surgery and physiothera-
py, I was fitted with leg braces and given a pair of crutches. For the first time in my
life, I could move about independently and with more dignity. It was liberating,
and reassuring to be among peers with disabilities for the first time. Having mas-
tered the use of braces and crutches after two years, I returned home to complete
primary school. I also attended a conventional secondary school.
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Ending Dependency
Figur 1. Source of Funding
In the early 1980s, I was an undergraduate at the University of Lagos. Late one
night I woke up to find my roommates fighting. They were using my crutches as
weapons—and soon damaged them. Over the next few days I tried to purchase
replacement crutches, checking everywhere I could in Lagos, then Nigeria’s capital
city. Desperate, I contacted my father in my hometown, manche 600 kilometers away;
after a two-week search, he sent me a pair of crutches. In der Zwischenzeit, I sat in my room
and missed lectures. It dawned on me that Nigeria greatly needed a local establish-
ment to fabricate mobility aids.
In 1987, I was in the first contingent of athletes with disabilities to represent
Nigeria at the World Stoke Mandeville Wheelchair Games in the UK. Wenn wir
returned, we immediately had to give up the five wheelchairs the government had
loaned us—even though some of us did not have our own wheelchairs. I was
shocked. Were wheelchairs that scarce? In 1990, having won a national youth serv-
ice award, I was appointed a staff and social development officer of the federal
ministry responsible for social welfare. There I discovered that the department
provided not a single wheelchair, despite countless requests and recommendations
from our department. I soon resigned my appointment and in 1991 set up
MAARDEC to remedy this sorry state of affairs.
Before MAARDEC was formally established in 1992, I had long been using
mobility aids I had developed. My friends with disabilities were fascinated to see
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Cosmas Okoli
that I wore conventional shoes with my leg braces. Others marvelled that I could
drive myself around town, or were curious about the sturdy, electroplated, iron
elbow crutches I used from year to year. I established a workshop to mass produce
these mobility aids and appliances to benefit my friends and others. This workshop
was the foundation for MAARDEC. In our workshop, we use conventional tools,
like machines to drill, grind, bend, and weld materials. We are now developing a
lift that will enable a wheelchair user to get into his car by himself and then drive
or be driven.
SUSTAINING THE ORGANIZATION FINANCIALLY
In 1991, when I quit my job in the Nigerian civil service, I invested my life savings
to set up MAARDEC. Based on my personal experiences and the problems facing
Nigerians with disabilities, I was determined to make MAARDEC work. In der Tat, ICH
became a one-man crusade. At this point, Ashoka, Innovators for the Public,
played a pivotal role; it sought me out and made me a fellow, with a very welcome
four-year stipend.
At one point, I used some of my Ashoka stipend to run the center. Heute, mit
its envisioned hearing aid project (nachstehend beschrieben), MAARDEC hopes to gener-
ate more than half of its $1.5 million budget from sales, the rest through dona- tionen. Over the years, we have devised a combination of ways to fund the center. Figur 2 shows our sources of funding in an average year, though the proportions vary from one year to another. [Siehe Abbildung 1: “Source of Funding”] Our primary source of income is the products and services we sell. We are about the only establishment in Nigeria that has the expertise to fabricate, assem- ble, repair, adapt, and maintain an assortment of mobility aids and appliances. We also stock various spare parts and accessories for them, along with equipment for those with visual and hearing impairments. Infolge, we work with many cus- tomers—individuals, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, retirement homes, and gov- ernment contractors. For a fee, we fabricate hospital beds, trolleys, commodes, and drip stands. We also repair wheelchairs and can adapt conventional cars with our Hand- Control Mobilizer so that persons with disabilities can drive. We can also fabricate customized versions of our sturdy crutches and leg braces. Zusätzlich, we repair bicycles, fabricate gates and barbeque grills, build ramps for clients’ SUVs, refur- bish metallic office furniture, and offer spray-painting services. Darüber hinaus, for a fee, our in-house physiotherapist will attend to the needs of recuperating accident vic- tims and the aged and infirm in our clinic or in their homes. Gesamt, sales from products and services provide 42% of our budget. We also get funding from many other sources, including governments and agencies, and many people donate goods, Zeit, and expertise. At our formal open- reingehen 1992, the federal government gave us 500,000 naira (then equivalent to U.S. $50,000). In 1996, the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and Social Development donat-
ed workshop equipment. In 1994, at the Lagos Motor Fair, we met individuals from
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Ending Dependency
the Royal Netherlands embassy in Nigeria, which later donated 800,000 naira (UNS.
$40,000) worth of products, and became a major sponsor of our 1995 Reach-out Program. As I will describe later , the agencies that have paid us to conduct research include the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the World Bank. MAARDEC also obtains financial support from two private companies I own and run: Cosokoli Ventures Nigeria, Ltd., a transportation company, and Omokas Nigeria Ltd., a registered customs clearing and forwarding agent. They are more financially viable than MAARDEC, with which they share office space and a sym- biotic relationship. I spend about 15% of my time on these businesses. A final, very important source of support is partners and supporters who offer donations of goods and time. Companies donate sweets, juices, and non-alcoholic beverages, along with wheelchairs and spare parts for prostheses. They also provide couriers and decorators to support our programs. These donations save us having to pay for products or services ourselves, especially for our annual Reach-out Program. Zusätzlich, MAARDEC has 75 volunteers whose support in the form of time and expertise has been invaluable in all our programs and activities, especially Reach-outs. Over the years, many of the masters of ceremony for our programs have been popular television personalities and actors who are eager to give their services. We recently entered into a partnership with a motivational speaker and human performance coach who donates his services during our motivational sum- mits and staff retreats. OUR WORK: PROVIDING EQUIPMENT AND SERVICES In combination, our income from various sources and the work of our volunteers allows us to provide a wide range of mobility aids and services. We began our work with the aids themselves, and they are still our primary focus, because mobility aids provide independence. While a few orthopedic hospitals and rehabilitation homes provide a few such aids, MAARDEC caters to the entire range of needs of Nigerians with disabilities. We have designed MAARDEC as a one-stop center, devoted exclusively to fabricating, assembling, repairing, maintaining, and selling (at affordable rates) an assortment of mobility aids and appliances. Zum Beispiel, some overweight clients ask us to fabricate wheelchairs and com- modes to fit them. We also convert conventional motorcycles into tricycles by mak- ing all the controls hand-operated. We also stock prosthetic supplies, specialty wheelchairs, crutches, incontinence supplies for paraplegics and quadriplegics, and products for those who have visual or hearing impairments. If we cannot fabricate products, we import and stock them. Before MAARDEC was established, Nigerians with disabilities depended most- ly on medical supply dealers. But these dealers stocked few mobility devices because users could rarely afford to buy what they needed. Nor could the dealers supply the wide variety of needed products, fabricate products from scratch, or innovations / Sommer 2008 71 Von http heruntergeladen://direct.mit.edu/itgg/article-pdf/3/3/65/704221/itgg.2008.3.3.65.pdf by guest on 07 September 2023 Cosmas Okoli adapt them to suit users’ specific needs. From the beginning, Dann, MAARDEC aimed to make a range of products and services available, at all times, at affordable rates, under one roof. But our work providing mobility aids is merely the basis for a multi-faceted organization, whose initiatives reach throughout the Nigerian society and govern- ment. We offer many of our services and programs free or at very low cost to par- ticipants. Among them are the following: Physiotherapy services. MAARDEC employs a physiotherapist, who assesses peo- ple with disabilities and determines what equipment will allow them to move about independently. After our technicians finish with the fabrication and fitting, we train our clients to use the equipment appropriately. Guidance and counseling services. MAARDEC offers free guidance and counseling services to these individuals and their family members. We counsel them on many aspects of life. Erste, we focus on discovering and developing their innate abilities to earn a living, return to school, or start a business. We also help them participate in sports events. We counsel them in ways to become more independ- ent and to manage their understandable anger. We offer information and advice on reproductive health and AIDS, on relationships and sexual harassment, and on being professional in the workplace; we cannot let disability become an excuse for incompetence. But most of all, we encourage them to shun begging in any guise. Working with their family members, we disabuse them of the many ill- founded notions associated with disability in our society, and we implore them to encourage and support family members with disabilities to lead full and pro- ductive lives. Motivational summits. As an extension of our guidance and counseling services, we organize motivational summits. Professional motivational speakers and suc- cessful individuals with disabilities serve as role models, teaching participants survival strategies and ways to tap their innate abilities. Seit 1991, through this service, we have touched the lives of 1.57 million Nigerians with disabilities directly and indirectly. Mentoring programs. Role models with disabilities are still in short supply in Nigeria. I mentor young persons to excel in spite of their disabilities. I also encourage my friends with disabilities who have become professionals to mentor others. Four people I have mentored have gone on to win state and national awards and gain automatic employment in the civil service, as I did 19 years ago. One of them was a former secretary of MAARDEC, who had been a victim of polio. She was also nominated to the national political reform conference, where she held her own against politicians and other influential leaders as she made a case for Nigerians with disabilities. Vocational training and employment assistance. One of my cardinal goals while designing MAARDEC was to provide employment opportunities for Nigerians with disabilities. Zu diesem Zweck, I have ensured that at least 50% of our staff are indi- 72 Innovationen / Sommer 2008 Von http heruntergeladen://direct.mit.edu/itgg/article-pdf/3/3/65/704221/itgg.2008.3.3.65.pdf by guest on 07 September 2023 Ending Dependency viduals with disabilities. Since few of them have formal education and stand lit- tle chance of gainful employment elsewhere, we train them in-house in specific technical skills applicable to our work. Others are employed after being trained elsewhere. Over the years, many have become master technicians, skilled at fab- ricating, assembling, repairing, and maintaining our entire range of products. We also support qualified persons with disabilities in their job searches, sometimes offering letters of recommendation. Support for artists with disabilities. Between 1999 Und 2002, we managed the career of Nigeria’s foremost mouth-artist, Late Idowu Akinrolabu, a quadriplegic who paints with his month. We supplied him with a hand-controlled electric wheelchair and adapted it with mouth-controls, and also sought out sponsors for his first major exhibition in 2001, introducing his works to art lovers and estab- lishing him as a full-time artist. Based on this success story, we are currently training another quadriplegic to become a mouth-artist. We have also collaborat- ed with Creative Connections, a U.S.-based organization, on an art-exchange event involving 48 hearing-impaired Nigerian youths. They produced art work based on various themes from their culture and environment and sent them to children in U.S schools, who responded by sending their own art to Nigeria. Outreach to the poor. I was dismayed to discover in 1993 that no matter how many rebates or discounts we put on our products, the vast majority of Nigerians with disabilities still could not afford them. The reality is that they are the poor- est members of society. In 1994, with great fanfare we introduced our Reach-out Program, in partnership with local and international philanthropic individuals, corporate bodies, religious groups, embassies, usw. This was long before corporate social responsibility became part of corporate culture in Nigeria. The Christmas- season program has now become the high point of our annual calendar. To date, we have distributed 56,200 assorted mobility aids and appliances, valued at 77.265 million naira (or U.S. $643,875), to Nigerians with disabilities. Roughly 45
volunteers assist us with the logistics of organizing this annual event.
Direct financial assistance. In addition to the Reach-out Program, we give direct
financial assistance and donate our products and services to the indigent dis-
abled. People come to our center to have their wheelchairs repaired, but they can-
not pay for the repairs or for the transportation home. Countless others cannot
afford to come pick up their donated wheelchairs. When this happens,
MAARDEC foots the bills.
We also pay for rehabilitation with our physiotherapist and doctor. When we
discover clients cannot pay, we offer the services at no cost. In other cases, Wir
contact hospitals and philanthropic individuals we know and ask for support in
the form of money or donated services. We have also obtained scholarships and
paid school fees for people with disabilities whose families cannot manage the
financial burden of caring for them.
Developing microfinance and small enterprises. Because MAARDEC cannot
employ every person with a disability, we have found other ways to empower
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Cosmas Okoli
them to go into business for themselves. Some are trained in crafts like shoemak-
ing, carpentry, tailoring, hairdressing, electronics repair, photography, and pro-
ducing confectionery and furniture. Others can provide business or telephone
services. But they usually lack the financial wherewithal to expand or scale up
these businesses. In Beantwortung, we have partnered with philanthropic individuals
and corporations to obtain interest-free loans or donate equipment to small
business owners. So far, über 200 people with disabilities have benefited from this
intervention. The loans range from 50,000 Zu 100,000 naira (UNS. $417 Zu $833).
Machinery and equipment are donated and need not be paid for.
Promoting participation in sports. When I attended a school for the physically dis-
abled, we played soccer on our crutches and had tug-of-war competitions. ich war
one of the first Nigerians with a disability to compete in, organize, and adminis-
ter sports for other people with disabilities. I represented Nigeria in wheelchair
table tennis at international championships. Passionate about sports, I was elect-
ed president of the Special Sports Federation of Nigeria (SSFN). The first person
with a disability to head the federation, I held office from 1995 Zu 2001.
The highlight of my tenure was successfully lobbying the authorities in
Nigeria to establish sports for persons with disabilities as events that earned
scores at national sports festivals. This paved the way for athletes with disabilities
to become sports professionals, rather than merely offering demonstrations. In
2000, I led a delegation of Nigerian athletes with disabilities to the Sydney
Paralympics. We won seven gold, one silver, and five bronze medals—in stark
Kontrast, our able-bodied Olympic contingent won not a single gold medal.
Some of these athletes are still the world record holders in their events. Others
have worked on our staff.
Over the years, I and other athletes with disabilities, have introduced others
to sports and have seen them win four out of Nigeria’s five gold medals at the
2006 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane, Australia. A career in professional
sports is now open to millions of young Nigerians with disabilities who can rep-
resent Nigeria’s states and the country at national and international sporting
Veranstaltungen. Participating in mainstream sports events is one important avenue for
reintegrating people with disabilities into mainstream society. Sports can bring
people out of the depression that can result from the psychological effects of dis-
ability and help them become well-adjusted citizens with a means of livelihood.
Research and Development. A major part of our operations involves research and
development of mobility aids and appliances and mechanisms to address disabil-
ity issues. We do not see the nation making any appreciable headway in empow-
ering people with disabilities to become productive and independent. Also,
through research, we hope to do so.
Let me provide just three examples. Erste, In 2005 MAARDEC conducted a
nationwide study on the ways that fake and adulterated food and drugs can cause
disabilities; we found that such substances were responsible for 5 percent of dis-
abilities in Nigeria. Zweite, we provided consultancy services to Adekunle Ajasin
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Ending Dependency
University on ways to make the campus accessible to students with disabilities. A
first phase in the project, an accessible hostel, is now in use. Dritte, in March 2007
the World Bank asked us to develop a mechanism to address issues of child/youth
disability in Nigeria.
We also conduct research to improve our products. In 2006, we developed a
lightweight manual tricycle that reduces both production time and cost; In 2007
we built 75 of them. With sponsorship from the First Bank of Nigeria, we distrib-
uted 60 of them during our Reach-out Program. We also improved our leg braces
with a streamlined design—instead of leather kneepads, strategically placed
Velcro straps now stop the user’s knee from buckling. We have also developed
and test driven a racing version of our manual tricycle, which we intend to mass
produce for use in races and for recreation.
ACTIVISM:
DEVELOPING LEGISLATION AND ORGANIZATIONS OF THE DISABLED
In addition to our other work, we are very committed to activism and organizing
for the disabled. In Nigeria, people with disabilities have virtually no legal protec-
tion. Public buildings, Straßen, and transportation systems are inaccessible. Gegeben
Nigeria’s culture of atrocious driving habits, plus its open drainage system, Menschen
with disabilities face dangers every time they go out in public. They also experience
overt discrimination in the workplace. Nigerians must redress these unfortunate
situations and develop a more inclusive country—as I stress every time we have an
opportunity in the media or at MAARDEC events. As a start, we took action when
we learned of an obscure government directive from 1986 directing all employers
von bis zu 100 workers to reserve 2 percent of their positions for qualified Nigerians
with disabilities. Though few employers have complied, we spread the word about
this directive, and some people with disabilities have gotten jobs by pointing it out
to prospective employers.
We focus on two areas of activism:
legislation and organizations. Bei
MAARDEC, we stay abreast of legislation in the National Assembly pertaining to
people with disabilities. In 2005, along with Senator Bode Olajumoke, who chairs
our board of directors, I visited the Senate president; we implored him to have
President Obasanjo sign the Handicapped Persons (Public Buildings) Special
Facilities Bill, 2004 (HB. 31), which had been passed by both houses. In 2005 Wir
also joined otheres to advocate for a bill establishing the National Trust Fund for
the Disabled.
In 2007, through the Association for Comprehensive Empowerment of
Nigerians with Disability (ASCEND), we sent a comprehensive bill to the National
Assembly to protect the rights of Nigerians with disabilities, and we are now lob-
bying the 36 state assemblies to follow suit. We also visited the Lagos Metropolitan
Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) to point out that the dedicated bus system,
partly funded by the World Bank, is not accessible to people with disabilities.
LAMATA is now starting to provide for passengers with disabilities. Zusätzlich,
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Cosmas Okoli
five individuals with disabilities are now serving state governors as special advisers
on disability matters, and two states have passed legislation granting automatic
employment in the civil service to qualified individuals with disabilities.
Nigerians with disabilities also need a cohesive body of advocacy organizations
so we can pursue a comprehensive, common agenda. In the past, separate organi-
zations have wasted tremendous amounts of energy by presenting different agen-
das on the same issues—and the authorities have not taken these groups seriously
or funded them consistent-
ly. In der Zwischenzeit, petty inter-
nal bickering within organ-
izations distracts them from
their goals.
In Nigeria, people with
disabilities have virtually no legal
protection. Public buildings,
Straßen, and transportation
systems are inaccessible. Gegeben
Nigeria’s culture of atrocious
driving habits, plus its open
drainage system, people with
disabilities face dangers every
time they go out in public. Sie
also experience overt
discrimination in the workplace.
After years of observing
this situation,
In 1998 ICH
started nurturing an organ-
ization of Nigerians with
disabilities.
ICH
brought on board col-
leagues with disabilities
back-
aus
anders
Die
grounds.
für
Association
C o m p r e h e n s i v e
Empowerment of Nigerians
with Disability (ASCEND)
was fully registered and
started in earnest. So far we
have chapters
In 12 von
Nigeria’s 36 Staaten, mit
100,000 members nation-
wide. We aim to use that numerical strength to become a formidable political
Gruppe.
In 2006,
In 2002,
Currently operating from the MAARDEC office, we work with affiliated
organizations and political parties to get better deals for all of us. Zum Beispiel, In
Dezember 2006, before the 2007 Nigerian general elections, we visited the
Independent National Electoral Commission to find out about its provisions for
persons with disabilities. During the election, five ASCEND members worked with
independent electoral observers to monitor the election. Last dry season we con-
ducted a successful road show across seven states, culminating in a national rally
in Abuja on December 3, 2007, to commemorate the International Day for the
Disabled. In the process, we visited state governors to inform them about our
activities and implore them to empower their citizens with disabilities.
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Ending Dependency
FUTURE PROJECTS AND CHALLENGES
We have many hopes and plans for the future, after we relocate to a larger, perma-
nent site that can accommodate the many projects I just described. With the help
of my two private companies, we have taken out a bank loan to purchase a prop-
erty in Lagos.
Franchise the MAARDEC model. We are looking for funds to establish 37 out-
lets, one in each state plus Abuja, through a franchise. These franchises will be
managed by trained people with disabilities to bring our services closer to the
doorsteps of Nigerians with disabilities. We currently have an impact on the lives
of only 6.3 Prozent der 24.8 million Nigerians living with disabilities, but this
project will let us reach out to more of them. If all goes well with the 36 franchis-
es, we intend to reach out farther to the
774 local government areas around the
country.
Localize and regionalize our annual
Reach-out Program. In the past year, Wir
have reached out to philanthropic indi-
viduals, corporations, and state govern-
ments to partner with us and organize our
annual Reach-out Program in their local-
ities. This is a follow-up to the 2007
Reach-out, which we held in five locations
across the country. We want to bring our
program closer to Nigerians with disabili-
ties to save them having to travel.
Our ultimate goal is to
empower as many
people with disabilities
as possible, so as to
reduce poverty and
dependency.
Provide ICT training to Nigerians with disabilities. The Internet has opened up
an information superhighway, but in Nigeria relatively few people, even in urban
Zentren, have good Internet services. And relatively few of Nigeria’s 142 Million
people are computer literate, especially in rural areas. But Nigerians with disabili-
ties can support themselves and help others by opening cybercafés. We plan to col-
laborate with our sponsors and supporters, as well as Rodrigo Baggio, a Brazilian
social entrepreneur who provides similar training to poor children in Rio de
Janeiro’s slums. We intend to seek donations of gently used desktop computers and
appropriate equipment for connecting to the Internet.
Expand the microfinance facet of our activities. A majority of Nigerians with dis-
abilities are involved in small-scale businesses, so MAARDEC intends to expand its
intervention, bringing in more partners and sponsors. We intend to provide small
loans to 100 Nigerians with disabilities every year, so they can start or develop
businesses. This would also require that we create effective structures for monitor-
ing and evaluation.
Produce and market affordable hearing aids locally. We are currently developing
an agreement with a U.S.-based social entrepreneur to produce and market state-
of-the-art hearing aids in Nigeria. We intend to train persons with disabilities to
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Cosmas Okoli
administer a hearing test and provide a patient with the right hearing aid as quick-
ly as possible. This will be an important source of income for the organization. Wir
intend to give discounts—or free aids—to people who cannot afford them, aber wir
will sell them for profit to individuals or organizations that can afford them. Im
Vergangenheit, we lacked the expertise to cater fully to this group; aber jetzt, with this venture,
we can.
Organize art competitions and exhibitions for Nigerians with disabilities. As in
every other sphere of national life, Nigerians with disabilities are under-represent-
ed in the arts. With our growing list of sponsors, donors, and supporters, we intend
to start a program to discover talented Nigerian artists with disabilities and organ-
ize competitions and exhibitions for them. Then they can make names for them-
selves and earn income as well. Our search will extend to schools at all levels and
to practicing artists.
Establish an Empowerment Village by 2015. Our proposed village will house all
our activities under one roof. We envision putting many facilities in place. A facto-
ry will produce mobility aids and appliances, which will be finished in the electro-
plating plant. Individuals will seek services at the physiotherapy clinic, and the
vocational training and employment bureau, and will engage in a range of sports
at the indoor sports hall and outdoor sports facilities. People in other offices will
be engaged in research and development and in microfinance and enterprise
Entwicklung. Endlich, a farm will provide both food and facilities where people can
train in fish and snail farming. We already have set land aside for this project; mit
enough funding, we can have it running well by 2015. We also plan to train 1,000
Nigerians with disabilities annually, at various vocations. When they finish their
Studien, we will help them start their own small- and medium-scale industries by
accessing the many microfinance opportunities available.
Replicate the MAARDEC Model. Our model can be replicated in other African
countries and indeed in developed countries. In Nigeria, some organizations have
copied aspects of our model, but none have replicated it wholesale. In Ondo state,
the Handicapped Development Foundation is loosely based on our model; its
founder may partner with us to integrate more components of our model. Abuja
also has some rehabilitation centers based on our model.
Our ultimate goal is to empower as many people with disabilities as possible,
so as to reduce poverty and dependency.
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