KOTA KINABALU: Twenty-one disabled persons from the Selangor and Sabah Chesire Homes, including 14 representing the Young Voices of Malaysia, will attempt an ascent of the highest mountain in South East Asia, under the ‘Cheshire’s Climb of Hope’ programme from Aug 27 to 30.
Organised by the Selangor Cheshire Home, it will take three days and two nights for the group to reach the peak of Mount Kinabalu and return — covering a distance of about eight kilometres.
The first-time climbers, aged 19 to 25, possessing either learning or physical disabilities have undergone training specifically for the climb since early this year and will be accompanied by volunteer buddies, a medical team as well as by volunteers from the Rotary Club of Bandar Utama.
The climb is aimed at raising money to support the projects and services of the Selangor Cheshire Home.
Meanwhile, the Young Voices of Malaysia, an action-oriented group comprising 16 to 25-year-old disabled youths, held their first national meeting in the city yesterday as part of their effort to establish an understanding society and caring authority towards the disabled community.
Some 15 youths with learning or physical disabilities from the Selangor Cheshire Home joined their counterparts in Sabah for the whole-day programme yesterday to share their experiences and learn about the United Nations’ Convention and their human rights as well as to plot their campaign strategies and programmes.
The group called Young Voices are managed by the Sabah and Selangor Cheshire Homes under a global project run by the National Council of Cheshire Homes Malaysia and the Leonard Cheshire Disability.
It aims at engaging with young disabled persons to create awareness among the general public and authority to build up a more understanding society towards the disabled, through the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities as well as the enforcement of the Disability Act 2008.
The president of the Malaysian Council of Cheshire Homes and Services (MCCHS), Datuk Rowland Chin Kok Fah, highlighted in his speech that the awareness that the group has been campaigning for had improved, judging by the response shown by society at large towards the disabled and their needs today.
“The Kota Kinabalu Mayor himself had issued a directive for all public buildings to be disabled-friendly. This is a very good start,” said Chin, adding that such awareness could be further enhanced through programmes carried out by the Young Voices.
According to the programme manager of the European Union (EU) — Malaysia Cooperation, Pablo Iglesias Rumbo, the EU has implemented a 10-year strategy to help improve the lives of disabled persons globally.
“The idea of the strategy is to break down barriers confronting the disabled of their fundamental rights in their quest to attain parity with others, like equal access to occupation, employment, transportation and information and communication technology.
“The EU hopes for the disabled to exercise their citizenry rights as individuals, consumers, students and the like, praising the Young Voices Malaysia’s efforts and programmes as helping towards the achievement of these goals,” Rumbo said.
The meeting yesterday was the first after the group’s inception in 2008 and chaired by Lidwina Isidore Andilah.
Other programmes undertaken by the Young Voices of Malaysia include training and capacity building, youth camps, access auditing as well as engaging and networking with other similar organisations.
Present were the honorary secretary of MCCHS, Lawrence Hee and the honorary secretary of the Sabah Cheshire Home, Audrey Chen.