Centre for the blind hosts party for former students
It was a festive atmosphere last Saturday when Dorothy Duncan Centre (DDC) alumni met for their quarterly get-together party hosted at the rehabilitation centre’s premises in Harare. A group of about 30 former students who underwent therapy at the facility during different stages had the chance to mingle, share experiences and knowledge they had acquired since leaving the institution.
The alumni, according to organisers, started a social media group last year as a means of encouraging and empowering one another. The group has a variety of daily programmes that discuss topics ranging from health, culture, art, education and religion.
The most popular is The Hot Seat, hosted by group coordinating secretary Daisy Chironga. On the show, each Friday a member is put in the spotlight and asked to respond to a range of questions from fellow group members.
The other platform is Life on the Other Side, hosted by Ruvimbo Flavia and Chief Justice, this is where the hosts trace historical events that affect present-day society as well as cultural perspectives of Zimbabwean people.
The Whatsapp group currently has 74 participants who come from diverse professional backgrounds in finance and education. Some are civil servants, business owners and students at institutions of learning.
Speaking to IndependentXtra, recent graduate and veteran journalist, Chemist Mafuba, who interviewed Jairos Jiri in 1976, said: “There is no other club that brings together persons with VI (visual impairment) in a space where they can be free to make fun of each other; it conscientises us of who we are.
“What we need as people with VI is a sense of belonging when we are amongst each other, it makes us feel human.”
The centre, instituted in 1994 by the late Sister Catherine Jackson, teaches skills that enable people with visual impairment to further their education. It is a non-profit-making organisation that caters for the visually impaired and draws together blind and partially-sighted members of society who would have lost their sight at a later stage of their lives.
According to Obert Mapako, senior technician with the Disability Resource Centre (DRC), the Dorothy Duncan Centre supports them by assisting students with mobility and orientation so that they are more equipped to use the offered support services after they enrol at university.
The organisers say there will be further get-togethers.
“These gatherings are therapeutic in nature, considering that the rehabilitation phase is only three months. There is a possibility that one may not have entirely recovered from depression associated with losing eyesight. We are eagerly anticipating the next one in December,” a former pupil, Shamiso Kabayahwaro, said.
On tuesday, a new group of six students, including a councillor from Mt Darwin, entered the rehabilitation department to begin their therapy sessions where specialised teachers will help them with mobility and daily living activities as they learn how to become independent, use computers and participate in courses that will equip them with life skills.