Thousand Hills Events has launched the first-of-its-kind 'Rwanda Disability Inclusion Awards 2023', a unique endeavour that seeks to acknowledge private companies, groups, individuals, and organisations for their commendable efforts in promoting the government's disability inclusion policies.

Nathan Ntaganzwa, the manager of Thousand Hills Events, explained that the awards comprise 16 categories, including Private Education Champion, Corporate Change-maker, SME Change-maker, Accessible House of the Year, Female and Male with Disability of the Year, Female and Male Innovators of the Year, Female and Male students of the year, Disability Advocate Organisation of the Year, Media Personality and Media House of the Year, Financial Institution of the Year, Private Healthcare Provider of the Year, District of the Year and Community Disability Champion.

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The awards, comprising a certificate and a token of appreciation for the winners, will be announced in December this year. In the meantime, online nominations and vote entries from the public will be accepted.

"Thousand Hills Events hopes to encourage diversity and inclusion through these awards by highlighting Rwanda&039;s progress towards Disability Inclusivity goals in education, service acquisition, and infrastructure accessibility, among other areas,” Ntaganzwa said.

The Rwanda Disability Inclusion Awards 2023 is a collaboration between Thousand Hills Events and the National Union of Disability Organisations of Rwanda (NUDOR), Umbrella of Organisations of People with Disabilities in the Fight against HIV and AIDS and in Health Promotion (UPHLS), National Council of Persons with Disabilities (NCPD), Feed the Future Rwanda Hanga Akazi and GIZ-Rwanda., among others.

Highlighting the broader impact of the awards, Francois Xavier Karangwa, the Executive Director of UPHLS, emphasised, "The aim is to raise awareness about the critical importance of disability inclusion in the private sector. This should serve as a catalyst to incite organisations to actively promote inclusion, share best practices, and stimulate innovation in disability inclusion efforts."

Eugene Twagirimana, a Research and Advocacy Coordinator at NUDOR, said, "Through these awards, we aspire to raise consciousness about disability inclusion in the private sector, encouraging active participation and promoting best practices, through innovation and dismantling barriers for everyone regardless of their disabilities.”

The Rwanda Disability Inclusion Awards will be held annually. Nominations and votes for the Rwanda Disability Inclusion Awards will be accepted online or through facilitated sessions at the district and sector levels.