Mothers of children with disabilities in Dowa have expressed excitement with World Vision Malawi’s Able to Thrive Project for transforming lives.
They said this on Tuesday when Deputy Minister of Education Francis Foley visited Chakhaza Health Centre for the Disabled in Dowa which the organisation supported to establish.
A mother, Sali Mayilosi, thanked World Vision for the project, saying her child has seen significant change since he started visiting Chakhadza Health Centre.
She said: “Doctors determined that my son suffers from a brain disease that left him paralysed, but now due to exercises they have been doing with him, he can now sit and walk.”
On his part, Foley commended the project for its impact, noting that World Vision’s work aligns with President Peter Mutharika’s vision of ensuring that people with disabilities are not left behind.
“Government has different programmes and one of the strategic plans is to work with our development partners like World Vision to ensure that people living with disabilities are accorded all the rights they deserve,” he said.
World Vision director of advocacy and communication Charles Gwengwe said the project is running on a pilot phase in Kasungu, Mzimba, Dowa, Dedza and Ntchisi districts.
He said: “We are happy that in the five districts, we have been able to reach out to over 5 000 children.
“We believe in collaboration for broader impact, therefore, we work with other stakeholders such as Beit Cure International Hospital, Malawi Council for Disability Affairs, Federation of Disability Organisations in Malawi and others that are championing disability issues.”
World Vision plans to scale up the three-year project to other districts
