Group vows to enhance economic activities
The Disabled Women in Development (Diwode) says it is stepping up efforts to enhance economic empowerment among members to mitigate the social and economic challenges people with disabilities face in the country.
Diwode has since sourced funds from the Royal Norwegian Embassy through the NGO Gender Coordination Network (NGOGCN) for implementing a one-year ‘Agriculture and Economic Empowerment of Women’ project in Traditional Authority Lundu in Blantyre.
In an interview on the sidelines of a three-day training workshop for persons with disabilities from group village head (GVH) Somba in Blantyre, Diwode executive director, Sigere Kasasi, said the project aims to impart knowledge and skills to enable members generate wealth from agro-based entrepreneurships.
Kasasi said her organisation is initiating the establishment of village savings and loan associations (VSLAs) as measure to achieve this.
She observed that since financial institutions continue to sideline people disabilities in economic activities, VSLAs are the only practical means to empower this section of the society.
“Hence, Diwode thought of utilising the already established VSLAs and other we may establish depending on need to empower people with disabilities so that they aggressively participate in economic activities. We don’t want people with disabilities to continue being spectators in economic activities taking place in their localities,” said Kasasi.
Diwode chairperson, Nitta Hanjahanja, challenged that people with disabilities can make successful businesspersons, arguing some of them have vast experience in business and financial management to stimulate economic growth.
Hanjahanja feared the continued sidelining of people with disabilities by financial institutions will defeat government policy on financial inclusion.
