Fedoma urges inclusion of persons with disabilities
Federation of Disability Organisations in Malawi (Fedoma) executive director Action Amos has said inclusion of persons with disabilities in various socio-economic projects can accelerate the economic transformation of the country.
He said this on Wednesday in Zomba during a one day Disability Inclusion Training’ the organisation held with Zomba City Council (ZCC) secretariat and councillors.
The training drilled duty bearers in including persons with disabilities in development programmes, acquiring clearer knowledge of the situations persons with disabilities encounter in their daily lives as well as scrutinising barriers that restrain them from participation in different development programmes.
Amos said persons with disabilities face a lot of challenges when it comes to employment and participation in community development projects due to fears that they may not fulfil mandated tasks allocated to them.
He said: “Let us remember that persons with disabilities are dedicated and reliable since they spend much of their time at work. As such, offering them job opportunities increases productivity at institutions and decreases their dependency on others because they will make money on their own rather than spending time in streets begging.”
Amos further advised the secretariat and councillors to champion the inclusion of persons with disabilities so that they are portrayed as part of society.
ZCC deputy mayor Davie Maunde described the workshop as an eye opener for the service providers as they previously treated persons with disabilities as ‘sympathy’ seekers and not development partners.
He said: “The training has provided us knowledge that persons with disabilities have hidden potential that can fuel the economy. n
