CAB YEAR IN REVIEW

 

 

CAB STATE OF ORGANIZATION REPORT 2022

 

 

 

 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

 

As we usher in the year 2023, I wish to thank all of our international partners most especially the Danish Association of the Blind, the Government of Liberia, sponsors, contributors, friends, well-wishers, the general membership, National and Local Leaders of CAB everywhere across LIBERIA and around the world for your kind support to CAB and the wonderful work each one of you continue to do in advancing the social inclusion and economic participation of the blind and partially sighted in Liberia.

 

We do recognize with profound thanks the United Commodities Incorporated regular food supply to the CAB Center for the Blind to sustain students who are studying at the Institute’s facilities and the financial support towards the educational needs of integrated students at the Center.

 

It is worth noting the scholarship assistance our Institute continue to receive in support of the education of few blind children studying at the CAB Center for the Blind through the instrumentality of Sis. Michelle Quinn and Sis. Leonora Tucker who are based in the United States. Thanks to Kim and Rick also for their financial contributions.

 

INTRODUCTION

 

The year 2022 experienced hike in the price of essential goods and services especially fuel and gasoline resulting to harsh cost of living and leading to a limited activity of the association.  This was in wake of the fact that Liberia has just gone through the difficult reality of Covid-19 pandemic and dealing with all the consequences of the Ebola crisis that brought the country nearly on its knees.  At the start of the year, our organization conducted evaluation of project to provide CAB and its partners a snapshot of the successes achieved by ongoing project and the resulting impacts on the organization members at local and national levels. This evaluation sought to gauge challenges encountered during implementation of project and identify best practices and lessons learned. The evaluation was undertaken to Assess the envisaged outputs and outcomes as were set out in the project log-frame.  CAB, like many other organizations, struggled to adapt to the use of online-based activities, as only very few members of the association are computer literate. This report highlights some of the activities and accomplishments realized during the year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ADVOCACY, MEMBERSHIP STRENGTHENING AND ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMS

 

During the year, while significant changes were being achieved for individual members of CAB through the access to a finance social grant empowerment program that benefited (200) blind and partially sighted persons across the country, progress in the establishment of district branches was realized within (4) political subdivisions of the country. Because of financial constraints, most activities were centralized at the CAB HQ in Monrovia. Here, CAB continues to play its leadership and advocacy role as the leading voice of and for the blind in Liberia.

 

Our engagement of duty bearers and stakeholders to ensure compliance to the SDG’S principle of leaving no one behind, further brought pressure to bear on state actors to live up to Article 24 of the UNCRPD delivering on quality education and lifelong learning opportunity for the visually impaired. At the same time, we sought to ensure access to inclusive education and the provision of literary materials in formatted text for use by the blind. The computer technology learning in the education of learners with visual impairment has trained and certificated 40 (forty) Visually impaired persons.

 

CAB facilitated several other trainings in white cane travel skills and distributed 360 white folding canes to 360 beneficiaries most of whom live in rural Liberia. We participated in stakeholders’ workshop for implementation of inclusive education policy convened by authorities of the Ministry of Education in Liberia. CAB further provided leadership in the development of the Disability Inclusive Policy in the Workplace led by the Government Civil Service Agency of Liberia.

 

Other major activity in Liberia leading to a steady visibility of CAB Resource Center for the Blind was the commencement of the construction of a concrete fence around the land property of the organization where the CAB HQ and its computer education programs for the visually impaired are situated. Several other functionaries of the organization, including the school facility catering to the needs of visually impaired learners and two separate dorms for girls and boys, a swampland for vegetable and tuber crops cultivation, operate from the CAB National Resource Center for the Blind. CAB benefitted from the donation of 110 white canes, a braille writer and several other education materials, thanks to Brother Bill Guillermo for linking the association with Custom Cane, which is a non-profit based in the United States.

 

While she was attending medical treatment in America, Mrs. Fatu C. Kota exerted some of her efforts and precious time to solicit assistance on behalf of CAB, collected clothing, foods and toys which she packaged into the container for shipment to Liberia.  At the latter part of the year, we undertook the development of a three-year strategic plan of CAB as a roadmap for progressing the development of the blind and achieving a sustainable and vibrant organization.

 

With regard to youth empowerment, the Danish Youth members entered a partnership collaboration with the CAB Youth Committee to assist in capacity-building, leadership, renovation of the CAB Youth Office, the provision of computers, stationaries and equipment and several local events, including a series of workshops and trainings funded by the Danish Association of the Blind and the Disabled People of Denmark. These included a visit to Liberia by the Danish Youth Representatives who met with members of the CAB Youth Committee in Monrovia, among others. Due to the delay in getting funds approved on time, CAB and the DAB Youth project did not start as earlier planned. The renovation of the Youth office and subsequent furnishing of the office for the promotion of DAB and CAB Youth Network, sensitization activities in Liberia and a computer learning advancement program have now been earmarked for the year 2023.                     

 

During the year, the US Ambassador Michael A. McCarthy paid a visit at the Cab National Resource Center for the Blind and held talks with the leadership of CAB regarding possible assistance from the Ambassador self-help project. The president of Sustain for Life, Mr. Massimiliano Gini along with Therry Younga, Africa Manager arrived in Liberia sometime during the course of the year on an assessment visit of the Computer Education Training being funded by (SFL) and implemented by CAB.

 

Agriculture:

 

As the world grapple with food insecurity engineered by climate change impacts and conflicts in 

production regions, Liberia food system remains highly vulnerable. With a Global Hunger Index Score of 33.3 percent and an undernourished population of 35.8 percent, fighting hunger requires an inclusive approach where actors from all spectrum can have an opportunity to get involve with productive actions along the agriculture value chain for enhanced food security, livelihoods and to spur economic growth. 

 

The current status of Liberia food system indicates poor performance and minimum resiliency to withstand the ripple effects of confronting factors lugging down efforts being made nationally and globally in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (Zero Hunger). For decades, Liberia food system has been import-dependent, making it vulnerable to external shocks and a state of fragile food security. As the nation agriculture sector underperform due to many challenging factors, zero hunger remains a priority that must be streamlined in the development agenda and processes through a multi-sectoral approach and private sector driven programming. It is against this backdrop, that CAB has undertaken efforts to develop the swampland for vegetable and tuber crops production to meet current realities through the cultivation of the lower land at the Center for the Blind that focuses on farm cultivation, planting of vegetable seeds strengthening the agriculture capacity, ensuring the provision of farming input and generate income for financial sustainability.

 

With the country fragile food security, the vulnerable populations are the highly hit, exposing them to severe hunger and nutrition deficit. One of the most vulnerable populations battling with food insecurity in Liberia are those with disabilities (PWDs), especially the visually impaired. With a major challenge of sight loss, we have limited access to quality and nutritious food and livelihood. Fighting hunger and improving nutrition must largely take us into consideration as we are limited with physical, economic and social barriers.

 

The funding support from the Danish Association of the Blind rejuvenated the agricultural initiative of the blind in Liberia to undertake sustainable access to nutritious food and livelihood for the visually impaired, especially school kids  who attend and benefit from the education and rehabilitation program of the Liberia Christian Association of the Blind (CAB).

 

This approach intends to leverage the experience and knowledge of CAB to reactivate and improve CAB small scale agriculture activity to a more resilient, productive and commercially viable undertaking to provide access to nutritional diet and income for the Association in its operations.

 

The project is determined to undertake sustainable agriculture production activities aimed at promoting climate smart agriculture approach and creating sustainable income. This is in response to firstly, the limited access of the blind to stable food supply as the majority of us live on handout or goodwill that are not sustainable because they are done by individuals and institutions occasionally.  The project will directly fill that gap as it will employ the grow what you eat approach throughout the implementation and the sustainability framework. 3 in every 5 children under 5 are stunted which is directly related to access to nutritional food and other health situations.  In response to the nutritional gap of children who are visually impaired, the project will grow vegetable, rice, poultry and piggery that will provide nutritional support to the visually impaired children undergoing education and training at the center for the Blind.

 

Unfortunately, the CAB National Secretariat was ransacked by thieves who entered the main offices and warehouse at about 2:00 am, Friday, November 18, 2022, and made away with the save containing some funds and important documents such as the organization legal registry certificate, cheque book and other essential items. 

 

GOVERNANCE

 

During the year, the National leadership of CAB held one meeting. In addition, twelve general and fellowship branch meetings at eight local branches of the Association were held during the twelve months of the year. At the CAB National leadership Meeting, final evaluation of CAB’s three year project was conducted by members of Executive Committee of CAB.

 

STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK 2022-2025

 

In 2022, CAB came out with a draft Strategic development Framework for 2023-2025. This framework builds on the successes and learning from the previous Strategic Plan with the determination to scale our work by focusing on four main pillars namely, Advocacy and Communication, Education and Rehabilitation, Agriculture and food nutrition, eyecare and Prevention of Blindness.

 

 

CONCLUSION

 

It is expected that our newly formulated Strategic Framework will meet the endorsement of delegates at the ensuing General Assembly of the Association to provide new impetus for our work towards improving the quality of life for the visually impaired, their social inclusion, economic sustainability and ensure access to quality education for the blind in Liberia. As a result of CAB’s ongoing engagement with the National Legislature of Liberia the Honorable Senator of Montserrado County, Sen. Darius Dillon visited our headquarters and expressed his commitment to seeing to it that government’s subsidy to CAB is reinstated in the next national budget. CAB continues to lobby other members of parliament and stakeholders across all branches of government in efforts to resuscitate budgetary allocation from the state coffers.