Afghan Voice Agency (AVA) - Mazar-e-Sharif: Maulavi Jan Mohammad Hekmat, the head of martyrs and disabled people in Balkh province, said the government of the Islamic Emirate is seriously pursuing programs to support the disabled and is determined and committed to providing good services to the disabled.

"The authorities are working to cooperate with and support the disabled and good support programs are in place," he added.

Maulvi Hekmat said that about 5,000 disabled people are covered and supervised by the government in Balkh province and they receive salaries on a satellite basis.

On the other hand, Sayed Mohammad Yazdanparast, one of the organizers of the program and a blind man in Balkh, said: “Lack of educational materials, lack of trained teachers and lack of suitable job opportunities are the main problems of disabled people in Balkh province and demands more attention from the government.

Meanwhile, a number of disabled people in Balkh province say: We want to provide good job opportunities, good educational facilities for people with disabilities and also ask the government and people to support the disabled.

It is worth mentioning that 18 thousand disabled people have been identified in Balkh province, of which 5 thousand are blind and every year from October 15, the International Day of the Blind is celebrated in Balkh province.

The Norwegian Committee for Afghanistan sponsored the event.