2, 500 DISABLED GET LOANS

ABOUT 2, 500 persons with disabilities countrywide have been empowered with loans to start new businesses or to boost existing enterprises, National Trust Fund Persons with Disabilities (NTFPD) programmes officer Hillary Bwalya has said.

Mr Bwalya said many persons with disabilities could not access loans from banks because most of them did not have property to use for collateral as demanded by banks before a loan could be given.

Speaking in an interview, Mr Bwalya explained that the trust was aimed at helping people with disabilities in society because most of them were allegedly not included in the economic development of the country.

He said in 1994, the Ministry of Community Development and Social Welfare started a programme to help persons with disabilities to help them start or boost their businesses for them to become self-sustainable.

“The NTFPD under the ministry of community development was created to help them with loans.

“We do not ask for collateral for us to give them loans so you find that at the end of the day these people just pay back the loan with a 10 percent interest,” Mr Bwalya said.

He said that in addition to being given loans, the recipients were also trained in entrepreneurship to equip them with knowledge on how to manage their businesses.

Mr Bwalya said the loans being paid out ranged from K 2, 500 to K10, 000 and a paybackS period was from one year to one year six months.

“The loans are given in phases, for one to be given the second loan they have to clear the first loan.

“This helps us to see which clients are serious about the project and which ones are not serious,” Mr Bwalya said.

He further disclosed that in 2018, 40 persons with disabilities in Mwinilunga and another 40 in Solwezi had been given loans, adding that the loans given out depended on the funding received.

“But looking at the resources that we have we give according to what we can manage, this year alone we have only given to two districts,” Mr Bwalya said.