University of Nigeria Virtual Library

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1 Serial No. University of Nigeria Virtual Library Author 1 CHAHA, G.T.U Author 2 Author 3 Title Project Proposal on Gainful Employment For The Handicapped Keywords Description Project Proposal on Gainful Employment For The Handicapped Category Education Publisher Publication Date August, 1997 Signature

2 PROJECT PROPOSAL ON GANFUL FOR THE -JANDJCAPPED: (A NO# GOVERHMEWTAL ORGAWSATOH PARTCPATOB) C.. PAPER 1 L Federal College of Education (Special) Oyo. AUGUST 27 TO ,

3 Uu1LUUV7 uv.;u,;oamaka Chialia is from Enugu,state. She is member of Okunne Club of Nlgerla. She was the ltntnedlae past Presldent of the Club ( ). Mrs Chiaha is the f ht and current chairperson of the Project cotntnittee of the club. She is also one of the Project Directors. Chiaha G. T. U (Mrs) holds a Bachelor's degree in Special Educational and a Master's degree in Educational Management of the University of bandan. She is currently pursuing a Doctorate Degree in Educational ~anagement at the University of badan. * n addition, Mrs Chiaha is currently the Ag. Registrar of St. Augustinds~ollege of Education, d Q frpul (Project T.1.M.E) Akoka, Lagos formerly National lristitute of Moral,Educat~vn(Project T..M.E), a position she has held for the past eleven'years.

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5 ON GANFUL EM.PLOYMENT' THE HAND$CAPPED:! *l, [(A MOM GOVERNMENTAL ORGANSATON PARTCPATOH) been made in Nigeria towards the training of the handicapped but. the writer to have been done in the provision of gainful ernplol;mer,t for them. Even the #ationcl Directornte of Ernploytnent (RDE) which has different programmes for different categories of peopk such has women, school leavers, the aged and retired, the rural people, has nc) sp;:>ciflc p10gra1~1117e for less privileged people in our society - the handicapped. --;St t coldld be argued that it is not the duty ofbspecial ~ducators to provide opportunities for ernploytnent of the already trained handicapped. On the other hand. the usefulness of the training could be questioned if the acquired skills are not properly utilized. Apparently. tnost of the ~raduates of tlie training centers and rehabilitation homes for the handicapped flood the street and highways begging for alms as there art: rro jobs for then). Evenwhere there are jobs, employers seern not to be too eager in onyaylng them.,,.. S ccd&%n knowledge that n Nlgel'la, majority of normal school leavers and youths are uh~nployed, how much tnore the handicapped. Altl~ough there is no accurate astatistics indicating the actual number of unemployed Nigerians including the hand~capped, statistics show that tlie employment rate in urban areas in Nigeria i!~ 1985 is 9.7% and 30% in rural areas (FOS 1985). n it was 12.2% and 6.Z0h it] urbar~ and rural areas respectively with a composite national rate of 7.4O/0 (FOS 1987). Accoi'diny to Offong (1990), 70% of the unetnployed Nigerians are youths. Tliis implies that tile une~rlpioyrnerlt rate of Nigerian ynutl~ incltrding the handicapped is on thf? increase. t therefore makes it even tnore difficult for the handicapped to Competc with the normal people on the very few vacant positions available. This seems to explaiti.why!?,any handicapped flood our streets and highways soon after their graduation from [lie centers. 8 GANFUL EMPLOYMENT DEFNED Ernpioytnent has defined by the thirteenth lnternation~l Conference of Labour statisticians as "persons above a specific 8ge being st work. hsving s job but not at work orworking on own ~ccount during a specific briefperiod either one week or one day". This definition seem tu Rave distinguished between paid employment and self cmplnyment. According to this paper, gainful ernployrnent rneans engaging in a job or vocation geared towards providing a steady means of livelihood for the individual and his family for a specified period of time. For this project, gainful employtnent implies paid employment!

6 rcation or trade. t involves production of marketable '.. rlll nclude typlny, fashion deslgniny, mlr dressing,??! as Arts and crafts.? those youths and adults who are by nature of their disabilities usual learning and working condltians available to the normal e Peqpfpf3 bvju~clv Ale foregone, tile Okunne Club of Niyeria decided to devote attention to the cause of the handicapped especially their employment. This resulted to the current proposed project on the gairifcrl ernp!oyment for the handicapped. 2. PROJECT PROPOSAL: COTTAGE!NOUSTRY.'. 2.1 Estimated Duration: (nppd;~ 1.J Six plots of land ( 1 acre ) 2.4 Brief Description: The project aims at recruiting already trained and skilled handicapped who had graduated from their respective schools training and rehabilitation centers. Jobs will be csffcred to llietn at the cottage industty according lo tlieir' different skills. For those who or)! Tor self employment, opporl~ltrities will be given to tliern in tile industry where they can practice on their own. This will help tlietn have a stnootli take-off in their, businesses. The cottage ndustry will have 4 maln units as follows. (ij Club house -Thiswill contain halls for social events, and administrative offices. '. (ii) Commercial Unit will house the cold room, show room, commercial shops.itnd a business centre..-# r *--., ; '. (iii) The Service Unit will contain the Day care center and Medical center.! (iv) The Technical Unit will house the \ N O ~ ~ S ~ O ~ S. This will be the production area..

7 fne employees W De me nanarcappea only. ney W De pala rrotn the'proceeds gonerated from the sales of their products and services. They will be paid according to their output. 1. \ VC~LU~ W USU uu ~LLSOL~U as partners in the project. Part of the land will be leased out to Pros~ective investors who will assist the Club in developing thebland, and 'the Executing Body ' 'A,.-...,.,.".,,...,,w.. was fou~~dedi~~ 1975 by a group of married women of Enugu State. resident in Lagos State. Membership of the Club has since remained to 'be. rmrried women phllanthroplsts of Enup State, resident in Lagos State and found to be worthy both in character and direction. The aims and objectives of the Club incluc:e: 4) i n -r.cp. (ii). Tgsimulate and foster the spirit of awareness of the "wewa" womnn especially.. awareness of her exlaterice as n talented woman, ier ability to utilize kl the talents and her awareness of the society which stands to benefit from ;er developed talents. To assist the less prlvilege in our society especially the liandicapped. Okunne Club of Nigeria is a non-governtnental, non-political organization. t is very much committed to the cause of the less privileged in our society more especially the handicapped. Against this background, therefore, Okunrle Club of Niyeris has in the past 22 yeors been tnaklriy desperate effoits to give the ~andicapped what they foulid..as theitgreatestnced, thatis, gainfuletnploymcnt. 3.2 frame Work: There are many vocational centers in Enugu State and its neiglibouring States, ~hese centers are known to be training the handicapped for different skills and trades. According to Ekelelne ( 987), the Oji River' Reliabilitation^Cerltre for the Disabled, one of the earliest centers in Nigeria, trains inmates in trinket making. typirig. phutoyraphy and handi~rafts...-. "..,,."F:l The Akpodim ~ehabilitation Centre for the Blind, Aboh, Mbaise in mo State also teaches agriculture, poultry-keeping, handicraft and basic literacy. ' At the St. Joseph's Retnedial Training Center ltot-ekpene, typing, shoe trraking, and leather works. welding and construction of wlieel chairs., basket weaving fpr electric bulbs are studied.

8 conut shell art v vorks was the major objective of thearts and Crafts Training Centre Uyo. +p - ~t&ross River State. Obet dem, thk"cooperntive Goodwill ndustries of Nigeria trains the-handicapped in t :he wood work, carving, iron works, welding installations, clock repairs, leather goods, fishing, animal husbandry, dress making, use of coconut husks or fibres b r ~nakfng floor carpets or verious types wllile the Market Brothe~~s ' Rehabilitation Center Uturu in!rno State offers courses in shoe-makin$, bog-making, tailoring, s.fxtronics, cabinet work, welding and Secretarial studies, 'n addition, tlie Etnene Rehabiiitation Center in Enugu State also trains their inmates in. different trades. t is assumed tl~at un graduation, the handicapped trained by the various centers must have acquired enough skills to get them aid or self etnplayrnent at tlie cottage industry bemg proposed. The fratnework seem to iridlcate that the iandlcapped n Nlgerla have a lot of opportunities of acquiring skills for their livelihood but tlie problem seem to be finding employment for them after the training. 3.3 SURVEY OUTCOMES: Qkunne Club in thelr bid to finding out the area of greatest need for the handicapped cortclucted a survey in 1986, The tnain purpose of the survey was to find out from the trarning centers and the handicapped tl~a~nsclvcs~~l~ere they needed help. The result of the survey showed that: Majorlty of the graduates of the centers end up without Jobs. Most of the skilled products of the centers cannot establish on their own due ta lack of funds, Majority of the products of the centers end up begging for alrrrs an the streets and highways. A larger population of the handicapped nterviewed preferred paid to self employment. Most of tilose who prefer self-employment do so because their tiandicapplng conditions miglit constitute difficulties at work for them and thelr employers. The greatest problem facing tlie graduates of the centers is getting etnploytnent. Majority of the handicapped prefer working to begging, Most employers of labour do not want to engage the ~andicappsd. Mpq1r)rity of tlie employers would prefer a law enforcing employers to '"3'dnate to the cause of the handicapped to tliat enforcing tlletn to employ?he l~andicapped. b

9 . - i (1) Most or the handlcap lped and their teachers agree that the nmates will be more cornmfttecf 1 :o their studies f they are aware that they wlll get employment after tra inlng. ' / Maln Objective / To provide galnful employn 7ent for the already trained and skilled handicapped. Activitv A: To build a cottage ndustry. Opportunities will be rnade available for gainful employment for the handicapped lrnmedlate Objectives +d=* L 3.41 Acquisition of land for the project Activity B: Sourcing for land and getting correct documents., Fer~cing the land and constructing the Units Activitv C: Looking for financial and technical assistance Equipping the UnitdSourcing for raw materials --- Activity D: Seeking for financial and technical assistance f rnployrnent of the handicapped.. * i *r:.~ Activity E: --. Advertlslng and selecting the adequate skllled workers.! Follow Up Carrying uheviews, making reports and conducting research.,

10 3.5 PROJECT JUSTEF!CATON t s Very common today to see the handicapped n groups not only on our streets also on the highways. Some of these bsggars are trained!mates from our va! 11 training and rehabilitation centers. The survey c$:<;?d out by tho C!ub shows that :n of!hem haildicupped heve no opportunity bb ee?$?aid employinent or self ernp:oyr,:: t was also found that ~!ost of these beggsrs prefer to work than to beg, contra-4 the believe of nmny normal \!icerlans, Furltierrnore, the survey shows t:!at most employers of labour would not want-to enga a handtcapped where they can find a normal prisijfi. Sornevvould not want to etn~l. a handicapped even wh~n the handicappod is skilled, ratlwr they vvould preferto dol'i 1.3 o;g;znlmtl!~n~ ntereskd ; tfieir financlal assls'iance. This projectwill among others help R,;! (i) (ii) (lii) (vi) (vi!) reducing tno number ol begg$;s cn our streets and highways. providing ri means of live!ihood to ;be kmdiznpped and their families, sarvhos o sort of!ncentive to t,he!iandicopped n puttlng tnnre effort 1 and :.;ere se;isusncss in t!xir studies. i servzgas cr5:lter fv evaluative sesear'cl1 artd b!?ow-up of the handicapped to deteirnine tl~a effect oftheir ri?!:ir:s and ti;ii?ir behaviour at VJGTC. dsycare centre wi!! no: only help in taking care of the babies but also he!?, tq free tbeir mothers to enable them go n search of llvellhood for the rzs? of t!w family. 'tt is the helieve of th.2 Club that this project if actualized will help in the long run to iinprcve the lot of the handica,-;ped in the society. -w bne club "VYUU!~ have ~c;liu?ved one of her ma-ior objectives. This project is therefore well constituted and seen to be very beneficial in our soci?t) and it wiil also serve as a way of assisting the governlnent in its pollcies on Specia Educat!on and rei~abl!itnt!on of!lie P r.rdlcapped. The tarcet beneficiaries will be the handicapped who have succsssfully comp!eted th-sir courses of training. The ndustry w!!! engage both degree holders and non-degrlm holders. Emphasis will be hid on thosewit11 adequate skills for a particular trade. Toe worker will be pald according to their output, their handicapping conditions not. withstnriding. Emphasis will be placed on the female handicapped. Workers will e recruited as new:! de~nands after advertisements must have been tnadc? public a! (,

11 . H surveywas carrlaa ar rne ~n~rial stage of this project betweenml 986 and 1987, The / results have already been indicated. The purpose of the survey was to gather data 'p the Club to identify the crucinl needs of the handicapped. URCNG FOR LAND eight years to find a suitable location for the project. The Club wanted ustry to be sited in Enugu metropolis at a location accessible to the ake t easy for the workers who wlll not be resldents at the slte. Finally in 1995, the then Military Adfnlnlstrator of Enugu State, Col. Mike Toure rand his wife Mrs. Olusola Toure allocated Six Plots of land (Plot C1 and C2) at ldaw River layout in Enugu, to the Club, for this project. # t took the Club one year to obtain relevant papers including the certificate of occupancy (C of 0) whlch was obtalned in 1996 (See AppendixJ) PROJECT DRECTORS Project Directors were appointed by the Club. This included professionals made u{) of Quantity Surveyors, Archltect, Lawyers, Bullding Engineers, Estate clevelopcrs. Economist and Chartered Accountants and Adtnlnlstrators. These Directors were selected from husbands and friends of ~netnbers of the Club plus two Club members - the President and the Chairperson of the Projoct Cotnlnittoo. ' Q ' This arrangement brought zeal and inomenturn to the project plans and was without any f l ~ c hlmplicatlons l to the Club. The Project ~irectors were glven terms of ' < a reft%'nce. -.. ' ARCHTECTURAL DESGW The architectural deslgn has been drawn (See Appendlxlll') FEASBLTY STUDES : i This is still being carried out FEHCWG OF THE STE Due to the large size of the land, fencing s considered as a major step. Tlle Club is therefore carrying out a fund raking activity - FAMLY far, sclleduled to hold on Saturday, 13th of September 1897'at City Club, No. 40b Rafiu Williarns Street. Off Adelabu Crescent Surulere, Lagos State at 12 noon. All are cordially invited with their families. The revenue collected will be used in fencing the site. i

12 OR FUNDS J-. --r he strategy. The Club is therefore seeking for financial and material'assistance from individuals and organizations nationally and internatlonally. ~ h ~ * t,.+-, LO ~ intends to invite private investors to develop the site and take part of the t awn buslness over a period of years. Thls arrangement will be wo~ked 2 nterested investor(s) islare found. # CONSTRUC rjo#equpme#t,. \ This wlll be a long time project. A period of 10 years is earmarked for this ~roject. The constructions and equipment of the industry wlll be n stages. Stage -The Club House Attention will firstly be placed on the cbnstructlon and furnishing of the Club house. As soon as the Club house s ready, t wlll be rented out for soclal use and.adminlstr~ttlve work for the purpose of raising funds. A period of two years is earmarked for the completion of tlie Club House STAGE 1 - COMMERCAL UNT The construction and equipping of the commercial unit will take a period of two years to complete. However, if the Club is lucky to get a private investor, t may ta%e a shorter period. The project will take off after this stage. Stage 111 -The Service Unit & Pr Q.2 This will be completed within another two years. The construction and equipment of the unit will be carried out with the revenue generated from renting the Club ho.~se. frinarrcial assistance received from national and international organization will be bsed fd,i's'. -.. 'a Stage V -The Technical Unit This will be the flnal stage. Thls unit which will contain workshops wil 11 be heavily equipped. it is expected that it will take a period of two years to complete this stage if financial assistance is not received form outside...i

13 STRATON e a Project Coordlnatorwho will be appointed by the Club. ead of tlie Cottage ndustry. At a later date two Asslstant, : wwrurrraiurs W uu uuued to head the Club house1service unit and Commercial1 Technical untts respectively. They will be reporting to the Coordinatorwho will in turn report to the President of the Club. Funds generated from the Club will bt? used to pay salaries, run tlie industry.and ftlrther develop the units. 4. COORDNATNG ARRANGEMENTS The workers wlll be reporting to the dlfferent Assistant coordlnators who wllt have qualified technicianslsupervisors for each trade under them. These supervisors will be directly in ch~rge of the workers. b Each worker will be paid for hislher output. This implies that the more you produce the more you wlll be pald. The ndustry wlll purchase raw materials. After tlie production, tiis goods will be shifted to the Show room and Shops for sale., % For the self employed workers, a workshop will be made available for tlitm for carrying gyt,thelr businesses. They will be in charge of the purchase of their raw ~natsrials. % \ *-.\, 8.. '*Hbwever, b the industry will allow them to the use of some of thelr equlprrrentwhen idle. The industry may purchase thelr products f they are of high quallty. The Club President and the Chairperson of the Project planning and execution committee will be in constant touch wiih the coordinators and the workers. This is to ensure that problems are handled immediately and decisions taken urgently. ~~~llcatlon forms wlll be dlstrlbuted yearly at all centers for the graduates of thut year, who are interested in getling employed by the Club. Conditions of service will be prepared for the workers. Strict discipline will be maintained., b 4. 2 MOWTQRNG AND FOLLOW UP MEASURES (1 n addition to the constant supervision of the President of the Club, the Chairperson 1 and Chairman of the Project committee and the Project Directors, the Club will carry out periodic formative evaluative research to find out the areas of impr0vemer.t. The findings wlll be made nvallable to the training centers for the purpose of mproving their training programmes. There wlll also be periodic reviews of the project objectives by the Club every two years. The Coordinator of the project will present annual reports at every Clubs first, meeting df the year.

14 5.1 Lack of experience:. Lack of experience on the part of the handicapped and project coordinators can constitute a risk. Lack of experience on the part of the Club in handling the handicapped can also cause some problems. 5.2 Difficulties in coordination There may be difficulties in quality control and in paying the workers according to output. 5.3 Handicapping Conditions -:> The&rGrdicapped to be employed are of'different groups and their handicapping cormitions can constitute u problem. -rhere may be need at times for medical needs;. hence the medicat unit. 5.4 nflation A.. The uncontrolled high cost of raw materials may cause prices of products to rise beyond the demand rate. Supply may outgrow demand. Rationalization of workers may be problematic and might result to ndustrial unrest or crisis. 5.5 ', Selection ditflcultiea There may likely be some difficulties in selecting workers. There will likely be too many applications to contend with. 5.6 Delays n ralalng fund3 This s a major problem. As the Club depends sotely on flnanclal assistance from generous donors. Funds may not be assured and available when needed. This may result in delays in the provision of bask nfrastructures and equipment reqr~lred for the take~off'of the(industry. ' i.'!

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16 N N T TOTAL YEAR 7. RECOMMENDATONS 7.1 Government should make it mandatory for all government establishments, parastatals* companies and private establishmentswhich enjoy government contracts to reserve a certain percentage of all vacant positions to qilalified handicapped in that field. ' 7.2 Functional education should be made part of the currlculurn for the education of the handicapped at all levels. ' k ' 7.3 Non-governmental organizations which Rave genuine interest in helping. i.>., +,$:.?hahdicapped should be encouraged by the government. '4 -, The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) should be urged to start a programme specifically for the handicapped. The Association of Special Educator should prepared a proposal to this effect and send to NDE.

17 Chidi Ofong (1 990) Ekeleme, R. (1 987) "NDE : An Assessment of its Roles andprospects for Employment Generation n Nigeria", EJnelovlnen!; Generation in Niqeria ssues and strateales Ed. J. U Umo,'NDE,Lagos pp "ntroduction and concepts of Special Education", Special Education : A Readina Test. Ed. R. M Ogbe et al; Hienemann Edu. Bks (Nig) Ltd.: lbadan pp Hussain, M. and Obi, A. (1992) "The Niguria Labour Market: Conceptional and statistical ssues", Semindon - Etnploy~nent Creation Tirougi Rural nfrastructure Development ---- Conceptsand P an nipg - ~~ie~nentatlon ssues_t Organised by NDE and UNDPLO. Lagos, Nigeria. PP kponmwosa, D. 1. (1982) "ntroduction and Concepts of Special Education" NERC A Handbook On Elements of Special Education: Lagos pp, 5-10 ' - -