Hearing-impaired cry for empowerment
PEOPLE living with hearing impairment have complained of being excluded from participating in various empowerment programmes.
A representative of the people living with hearing impairment, Limbikira Mvunga, said his members had been neglected in Matero as did not participate in various empowerment programmes.
Mr Mvunga wondered why people with hearing impairment should be denied chance to benefit from the various empowerment programmes.
He said during meeting at the Deaf Baptist Church in Matero, which is the only place providing services for the deaf in Matero.
"We need to be empowered just like our colleagues. We are voters and humans as well," Mvunga said.
And Lusaka Lawyer, Dickson Jere, said there was need to build a secondary school to cater the growing population of children with special needs in Matero constituency.
Mr Jere told 80 deaf people living with hearing impairment who requested to meet him that he understood their challenges, especially on the need to have a special school in the area.
Mr Jere, who is PF Matero constituency aspiring Parliamentary candidate, noted that most children had been left to grow up at home without any form of education because the area does not have such facilities.
"We may need to build additional classroom blocks at one of the existing schools as a first step. I want to work with all the people in Matero including the disabled and those with special needs," Mr Jere said.