Voter mobilisation project for disabled persons underway

THE Economic Justice Project for Women (EJPW) has embarked on a capacity building programme that will see effective participation of people living with disabilities in the country’s electoral processes.

EJPW director Ms Margret Mutsamvi said they were working with a number of stakeholders in rolling out the initiative in Chivi and Beitbridge districts.

She said the project was launched in January and was targeting mainly young women and people living with disabilities.

“We are working with other stakeholders, among them the Electoral Resource Centre, on a programme aimed at harnessing the power of young women and people with disabilities by strengthening their participation in electoral processes, ” said Ms Mutsamvi.

“A total of 24 people from Beitbridge have been trained on capacity initiative to promote participation in elections by those who fall under this bracket.

“You will note that in most cases people with disabilities are often left out in policy-making issues and critical national programmes. The worst affected are those living in marginalised communities, migrants and those in most remote parts of our country.”

Ms Mutsamvi said in Chivi, the programme was being rolled out at Ngundu where they are training trainers.

According to Ms Mutsamvi, the trainers will help raise awareness among those people living with disabilities, on the importance of participating in the electoral cycle. “We are working on having a road show in Beitbridge on 9 March, where we seek to mobilise the disabled members and young women in our community to register as voters,” she said.

“We have requested that the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission set up a voters’ registration centre next to where we will be having the road show. This will help to cater for this special group of people in our society. ” Ms Mutsamvi said Beitbridge and Ngundu had relatively high numbers of vulnerable young women and the disabled, who migrate to these areas to seek better livelihoods.