The cabinet session held on 31st May 2021 approved the National Policy on Persons with Disabilities. The main objective of the translation from English to Kinyarwanda is to facilitate a better understanding of the Policy in the Rwandan Language.
The overview of the National Policy on Disability
This policy refers to Government’s commitment to empower, support, and promote the inclusion of persons with disabilities in Rwanda. Historically, PwDs have struggled to live and enjoy their rights in the same way as those without disabilities. It is encouraging therefore that the policy draws on home-grown initiatives and Rwandan traditional values as important avenues for empowering persons with disabilities, fostering inclusion and unity of all Rwandans also to develop this policy. The participation and active contribution of the disability community in Rwanda were integral at all stages of the process. Findings from the Disability Situational Analysis confirmed that many of the challenges experienced by Persons with Disabilities in Rwanda include but not limited to social stigma and cultural beliefs, low participation, limited and variable inclusion, low coverage of programs and services for persons with disability in national programs, a considerable gap between policies and implementation, lack of accurate and reliable data. In his closing remarks, Mr Emmanuel NDAYISABA The Executive Secretary of the National Council of Persons with Disabilities said that: The development of this policy is articulated on global, regional, and national legal instruments interconnected with existing policies, all dominated by the constitution of the Republic of Rwanda of 2003 revised in 2015.