Group of disabled invidivuals to travel from Monywa to Mandalay by wheelchair

Between November 28 and December 2, a group of disabled individuals will make their way from Monywa to Mandalay — a distance of approximately 131 km — via wheelchair. The event is in celebration of International Day of Persons With Disabilities, which is annually commemorated around the world on December 3.

“We’ll set off from Monywa on November 28, and will arrive in Mandalay on December 2. Along the way, we’ll hold talks on disability-related topics, and a band from the Pyin Oo Lwin School for the Blind will perform in the cities where we spend the night”,  U Myo Min Tun, a representative of the Shwe Minn Tha Foundation told 7Day Daily.

The Foundation is a public non-profit NGO that was founded in 2008 by U Mya Thu Win, a disabled individual himself. Their mission is to help people with disabilities be self-reliant, especially when it comes to pursuing jobs and careers.

The group making the journey consists of 27 wheelchair users from Yangon and Mandalay, two cyclists, 15 visually-impaired individuals from the Pyin Oo Lwin School for the Blind, along with guides and paramedics.

The plan is as follows: on November 28, they’ll make their way from Monywa to Chaung-U; on November 29, from Chaung-U to Myinmu; on November 30, from Myinmu to Ohn Taw; on December 1, from Ohn Taw to Sagaing; finally on December 2, they’ll travel from Sagaing to Mandalay.

Before the start of their journey on November 27, there will also be an event at the Monywa City Hall. The band from the School for the Blind will perform, and there will be a discussion related to raising disability awareness.

On December 3, the participants, members of other disabled rights groups, and anyone else who wishes to join, will celebrate International Day of Persons With Disabilities at the Manaw Yaman grounds in Mandalay.

In Myanmar, disabled individuals are often swept aside. The event organizers and participants hope that this journey and the discussion surrounding it will help raise disability awareness. The event is also meant to be a display of disabled individuals’ mental and physical strength, and determination.

If you’d like to help support this great cause, donations can be made to the Shwe Min Tha Foundation.