FEDERATION OF DISABILITY ORGANISATION IN MALAWI

The Organizations of Persons with Disabilities OPDs have been urged to remain active and lobby for the human rights of persons with disabilities in Malawi. The call comes during the DRF Grantees Convening Conference in Lionde that was scheduled to train OPDs who get grants from the Disability          Rights Fund to appreciate their role fighting for the  human rights for persons with disabilities.

Speaking at the conference, DRF Regional Programs Officer for Africa, Katiya Sakala said DRF gives  grants to OPDs in respect of human right s of persons with disabilities who remain voiceless. She therefore urged OPDs to us such grants in fighting for the rights of voiceless persons with disabilities.

“DRF wishes to work with you to ensure we fight together for the improved rights of ordinary persons with disabilities and it is with this reason DRF wants to see the funds are properly handled and use them ensuring the rights of persons with disabilities are fought for at all cost, “she said.

FEDOMA Acting Executive Director Simon Munde commended DRF for the support it renders to the grantees saying the disability movements has seen efforts being made ensuring smooth advocacy though challenges are forth with

“We would like to give a round of applause to DRF for supporting the disability movement and this is not a mini achievement to us as FEDOMA and the rest of the OPDs who get the grant from DRF,” he said.

The Disability Rights Fund its headquarters Is in America and currently it is giving grants to almost 18 OPDs thus including Community Based OPDs in Malawi who run various project innervations in various districts.

The department for disability & elderly affairs in the ministry of gender, children and community development says the much awaited Disability Trust Fund will be soon in operational as the department has hired a consultant who is finalizing putting in place  the guidelines of making full operational that will benefit persons with disabilities in Malawi

Speaking when officially opening the 2022 DRF Grantees Convening Conference in Lionde, Gideon Kachingwe, Director for the department of disability & elderly affairs said government is committed to make sure rights of persons with disabilities are fully observed. He was quick to point fingers at the Organizations of Persons with Disabilities OPDs of choosing to sideline the department rather pressuring political figures saying that all the technical efforts are in the officials in the department not the minister saying the duty of minister is to oversee the whole work in the ministry. He therefore aged the OPDs to forward all matters concerning disabilities to the department of disability as they will be fully assisted. Kachingwe however was not so sure on when the Trust Fund will be in operational saying when all is done OPDs will be informed.

“Let me assure you all that the government is in control and is making all it can to ensure that the Disability Trust Fund is benefiting persons with disabilities. I would like to condemn the growing tendency of most OPDs who choose to go to the minister leaving behind the experts in the department that tendency must stop lets work together we are here for you and the minister too is committed, “said Kachingwe.

The Federation of Disability Organizations in Malawi FEDOMA hosted a four days 2022 DRF Grantees Convening Conference in Lionde with financial support from the Disability Rights Fund DRF.

As the rain season is fast knocking, the season that is heavily associated with the natural disasters especially the flash floods, the Concern World Wide in conjunction with the Federation of Disability Organizations in Malawi FEDOMA have embarked in a motive to train District Civil Protection Committees DCPCs in lower Shire on how they can mainstream disability in their plans to address the natural disasters during the rain season.

Speaking after the training session, FEDOMA Acting Executive Director, Simon Munde has emphasized the need to mainstream disability during the natural disasters saying persons with disabilities are the most affected people when natural disasters occur.

“District Civil Protection Committees are the paramount channels where we can reach them with the message of disability mainstreaming in times of natural disasters and it our hope that after this training, these people will disseminate the second hand information to the both Area Civil Protection Committees and Village Civil Protection Committees on how they can equip themselves with the knowledge of disability mainstreaming. By doing so, we are reducing the degree of pain persons with disabilities encounter during the natural disasters, “said Munde.

Chikwawa and Nsasnje Districts are usually hit by the floods almost every year hence the need to train the DCPCs in the districts the disability mainstreaming.

Persons with disabilities in the area of Traditional Authority T/A Chapananga in Chikwawa District have all reasons to express their joy as they are undergoing the disability rights training conducted by FEDOMA with support from the Hunger Project.

According to Innocent Dula, The Hunger Project Field Officer for Chikwawa District, persons with disabilities always look down upon themselves as they cannot think of ways that can make them not to be seen as inferiors in their communities by fellow persons without disabilities.

“ We have decided to come here with the FEDOMA officials who are going to equip persons with disabilities with the knowledge of human rights that can also help them to remain self-reliant in their livelihood,” Said Gomani.

Apart from attaining the human rights trainings, Persons with disabilities are also equipped with the hands-on skills of using computers that have been placed in all Epicenters that were constructed with the financial support from The Hunger Project around the area and the computers are associated with internet package that makes community members access the information they need in their localities.

Chikwawa and Nsanje districts are some of the districts with high number of persons with disabilities thus according to the National Statistical Office in its 2018 Population Census.

Phalombe District Civil Society Organizations CSO member organizations have asked the government to make the Disability Trust Fund operational. The call has come when FEDOMA conducted the disability disseminating workshop that held in the district.

Speaking at the workshop, Phalombe CSO chairperson Richard Muluzi commended FEDOMA for its effort to train the CSO member organization on disability mainstreaming saying this is an eye opener to them as they have been equipped with the knowledge on how they can articulate disability issues in their innervations. He was quick to make the recommendation to all organizations to join efforts and lobby for the functionality of the Disability TRUST Fund as the fund remains dormant since there is no statistics showing how persons with disabilities may have so far benefited from the Disability Trust Fund since the fund was initiated in disability Act of 2012.

“We thank FEDOMA for the training but let me invite my fellow CSO member organizations lets press a strong button with support from FEDOMA, we should lobby for the activation of the Disability Trust Fund as it shows that nothing tangible has been benefited from it since we still see persons with disabilities struggling with life as if there is nothing to support them, “said Muluizi.

FEDOMA conducted the workshop to disseminate disability to all CSO member organizations in the district with support from cbm through The Hunger Project.

President  Lazarus Chakwera has directed Deputy Minister for Local Government, Halima Daud to ensure that all building accessibility standards are complied with in all the councils and he expects a progress report no later than the last day of this fiscal year.

Chakwera made the directive at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe when he inaugurated this year’s Malawi Council for the Handicapped MACOHA’S Flag Week. In the same vain, Minister of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare; Patricia Kaliati, is directed to conduct an assessment of every public institution’s performance in upholding the rights of persons with disabilities and to report those who are in violation of the same to the president.

“I will know how to deal with the heads of those departments as I made the direction today to mark the start of this year’s MACOHA Flag Week,” said Chakwera.

Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Labor and skills Development, Vera Kantukule, says her ministry will give 25 per cent of graduate internships to persons with disabilities without a requirement for a degree to empower them.

This year’s   MACOHA Flag Week is being observed under the theme ’50 Years of Empowering Persons with Disabilities.’