Ethiopia, 20 December 2025 - The Minister of Social Affairs of the Somali Regional State, Qeybdiid Abdi Omar, on Friday handed over livelihood-support equipment to 30 persons with disabilities to help them generate income and support their daily living, as part of efforts to strengthen economic empowerment and self-reliance.
The equipment included tailoring machines, computers, mobile phone repair tools, and other vocational items, and was distributed based on individual assessments to ensure that each beneficiary could effectively use the tools. Of the beneficiaries, 17 were women and 13 were men.
Speaking to the media, Mohamed Sharif Khalif, Director of the Department for Persons with Disabilities at the Ministry of Social Affairs, said the distribution was preceded by vocational training, with equipment allocated according to each person’s ability and specific needs.
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“We carefully select participants based on whether they can learn and practice a given skill. For example, a person without the use of their legs may find tailoring difficult, so we ensure each individual receives equipment that matches their capacity and training,” Mohamed Sharif Khalif said.
He added that the 30 beneficiaries are part of 200 people who have previously received vocational training from the office. Similar equipment distributions have been carried out on four previous occasions, with the two most recent phases benefiting 40 people in one round and 35 in another.
The Ethiopian Center for Disability and Development (ECDD) supported the Social Affairs Office in providing the equipment, as part of efforts to assist persons with disabilities living in Jigjiga, the capital of the Somali Regional State of Ethiopia.
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