APPEAL FOR ASSISTANCE

People with disabilities (PWDs) in Zimbabwe, who number an estimated 2.6 million (according to the World Report on Disability, 15 % of every population has a disability) suffer from a lack of access to fundamental rights and freedoms across the entire social, civil, economic, political and cultural spectrum that other people in society take for granted.  The social exclusion of PWDs is caused by attitudinal barriers (society’s negative attitudes against PWDS), environmental barriers (inaccessible buildings and information in inaccessible formats for PWDs), and institutional barriers (lack of disability-friendly policies and legislation, policies and practices which discriminate against PWDs, lack of service provision, and inadequate and inappropriate service delivery for PWDs). The haemorrhaging economic climate in Zimbabwe, coupled with the rise of people with psychosocial conditions and humanitarian disasters, has exacerbated the social exclusion of PWDs unbearably, with a concomitant negative impact on the umbrella disability organization, NASCOH, which is hard-pressed on all sides.  NASCOH is making an urgent appeal for donations to enable the organization to make meaningful engagement on the following activities:

• Disability Disaster Mitigation. PWDs are worst affected by natural disasters. (they are often unable to walk long distances and stand in long queues to access water and sanitation facilities, toilets may be inaccessible with technical modification support not available.  Water sources are on elevated grounds to prevent submergence during floods, with no alternative arrangements for PWDs; lack of access to food and healthcare;  inability to move independently to safer locations; In the reconstruction and rehabilitation phases after a disaster, disability is not taken into account. Although Zi FM reported that 230 people became disabled as a result of Cyclone Idai activities in Manicaland, UNICEF reported a “deafening silence on disability in Cyclone Idai”. The current water crisis disproportionately affects PWDs who are unable to fetch water for daily use due to their mobility constraints. PWDs were not included in the cholera epidemic mitigation plans of 2008 and in 2017
• Procurement of assistive devices for PWDs. Assistive devices ( wheelchairs, crutches, walking sticks, catheters, calipers, hearing aids) are expensive not locally produced and subject to duty. NASCOH is able to procure these duty-free and at affordable prices.
• Awareness-raising on disability. Cognisant that social media has the greatest impact in promoting inclusion of PWDs in all developmental, NASCOH has produced a disability quiz consisting of 454 strategically designed questions and an answer key but needs an amount of US $500 for the SMS platform quiz to be produced and activated. Awareness-raising on international disability days including the Internation Day of PWDs are also crucial.
• Disability Distressed Organisations Rescue. Due to the depressed economic climate, an organization might be depressed but with the potential for a comeback. It is important for such an organization to be rescued so that it can continue to contribute to disability advancement.

Disability has remained under the radar for far too long. Let us now make disability part of a point in time! Donate now into the following accounts indicating your area of interest: