I marched in the parade with several other women with disabilities in Bamenda.

I would like to take an opportunity to review facts about women with disabilities in general and also about what women with disabilities face in Cameroon and also in other developing countries:

• Fifteen percent of all women in the world are women with disabilities. (WHO)
• Three-fourths of all persons with disabilities living in low-­ and middle-­income countries are women with disabilities.
• Sixty-five to 70% of women with disabilities who live in low-­ and middle-­income countries live in rural areas.
• Women in general are more likely than men to acquire disability because they face gender-based violence, work in poorer conditions and have limited access to healthcare. (UN)
• Seventy-five percent of women with disabilities are unemployed. (USAID)
• Women with disabilities face the challenge of preventing HIV because they are in increased risk for gender based violence and lack access to sexual reproductive health care services. (USAID)
• The global literacy rate for women with disabilities can be as low as 1%. (UN)
• The mortality rate for women with disabilities is higher than for men with disabilities. (APHA)
• There is a higher incidence of disabilities in conflict zones due to trauma and sexual violence.  Refugee camps are often not accessible for women with disabilities – they struggle to get the amenities they need.
• Only 5% of women with disabilities are married while 50% of men with disabilities are married in Cameroon (Kiani).

I’d like to share these two pictures because I have never seen a woman ride a motorcycle in Cameroon until today.  This woman sure did get lots of loud cheers!

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