SYDNEY SAIZE IN MUTARE
Organisations that represent people living with disabilities (PLWDs) met in a peer exchange meeting in Mutare last week aimed at sharing knowledge on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
The meeting came at the instigation of the Freedom to the Disabled Persons in Zimbabwe (FDPZ).
According to FDPZ director Wallace Mapfumwa the exchange programme creates a platform for women and youth with disabilities to exchange ideas of advocacy and to formulate advocacy action plans.
Mapfumwa said Plan International in collaboration with Leonard Cheshire Disability Zimbabwe is implementing a project that is being funded by the European Union which seeks to capacitate organisations of persons with disabilities to promote meaningful participation of women and youths with disabilities in governance.
The project is being implemented in three provinces of Zimbabwe —Manicaland, Masvingo and Midlands.
“As part of the key actions to meet the objectives of the project, a peer exchange visit programme was organised and Manicaland province where Freedom to the Disabled Persons in Zimbabwe operates and hosted the other two provinces,” Mapfumwa said.
“The two day workshop also sought to impart knowledge amongst the representatives from grassroots-ward levels on the UNCRPD which defines the rights of persons with disabilities.
As the hosting organisation, FDPZ invited its networking organisation Nzeve Deaf Centre to also share its experience on advocacy issues.”
He said the women and youths committed to go back to their constituencies to raise advocacy on the need for inclusion of PLWDs in council meetings with the knowledge acquired at the meeting.
Mapfumwa said it was resolved that disability mobility had to be taken care of through the removal of environmental barriers and attitudinal barriers against PLWDs at household level. He said discrimination against PLWDs by transport operators was rampant.
