Govt urged to support vulnerable communities

PEOPLE with disabilities are appealing for funding to start income generating projects so that they can become self-reliant and also contribute to economic growth.

In an interview last week, Senator representing people with disabilities Senator Watson Khupe said the Government needed to support vulnerable communities so that they could also become players in economic activities.

“We request from the Government funding so that just like any other person the disabled people be given an opportunity to venture into bigger businesses like mining, engineering and also own big shops.

“Most of the people living with disabilities are vendors. Already a misconception has been created that disabled people are mere airtime sellers. There are some disabled people who have good ideas but because they do not have capital they venture into small businesses,” said Sen Khupe.

He said people with disabilities were more affected by the economic challenges the country is facing compared to those without disabilities.

“Disabled people like anybody else are struggling and the impact of the economic difficulties is more pronounced, obviously to people with disabilities as their businesses are affected. The shortage of foreign currency in the country is affecting most businesses as some of the products sold by the vendors are imported using foreign currency.

“Our Government is playing a critical role in the fight against all forms of disability-based discrimination. We also appeal to the Government to align the National Constitution to the United Nations Convention for Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and also amend the Disabled Persons Act, so that it is aligned with the provisions of the UNCRPD and speed up the enactment of an inclusive national disability policy,” he said.