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{
    "id": 1231274,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1231274/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 128,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Crystal Asige",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Mr. Speaker, Sir, I rise to support the Statement by Sen. Mbugua. I thank him for bringing, for the first time, a discussion about the NFDK. The NFDK is an endowment Fund established under the Trustees Act. The mandate of the Fund is to enhance social and economic empowerment of the PWD in Kenya. They provide financial grants to institutions of up to Kshs300,000 towards infrastructural development or income generating activities. To individuals, they give mobility aids and tools of trade. The Fund also engages various stakeholders in raising awareness in matters of disability and carry out advocacy initiatives in a bid to bring changes in legislation to policy making and shaping public perception of disability. In my view, donation of tools of trade to individuals is painfully limiting from the Fund. The list includes sewing machines, knitting machines, hair salon equipment, livestock, farming tools, welding machines and carpentry tools. Whomever you are and wherever you live, access to technology, digital skills and computational thinking are essential in today’s connected and smart world. There are no signs of these technological advances slowing down. The tools are archaic and limiting to the PWDs. They come with discriminatory connotation that PWDs can only be tailors, salonists, farmers, welders and carpenters. The programmes provided by the Fund to us do not meet the current job market requirements and all the infrastructure appropriate to the needs of the PWDs. In my close interaction with diverse stakeholders as the Sponsor of the Startup Bill, you do not have to go far to see that the economy is heavily driven by digital technology and innovation. It is concerning to me that this Fund is archaic in its tools of trade and perspective of the capabilities of the PWDs, thus needs to be alive to the fact that access to digital technology for many special interest groups has become an essential lifeline, proving to greatly enhance the move towards self-efficacy and everyday life. For example, how does"
}