By
Weston Mupfururirwa
13th September 2019
The
care for the disabled in our country
After reading all your campaign billboards
and listening to your rally speeches I can’t help but notice that you have
never addressed the plight of the disabled people in our country, Zimbabwe. The
disabled have been marginalized and little help is available for them in making
their day to day lives easier.
With ample political will, a lot could
be done to accommodate the needs of the disabled in our society. For example, efforts
could be made to breed guide dogs trained to the same, if not higher,
standards than police dogs. This could go a long way in making the life of the
visually impaired or blind much easier.
Jairos Jiri dedicated his life towards
looking after the disabled but since his death, the government hasn’t done much
to improve the lives of the disabled especially considering that we are now in
the 21st century. Many disabled people are still crawling from point A to B in the
course of their day to day lives. Government
has the wherewithal to address this. For example, wheelchairs could be
procured for them for free or at subsidized costs.
A lot of public toilets are still not
disabled-friendly. Same goes for public transport and buildings.
When you shout your slogan ‘Zimbabwe is
open for business’ consider the care of the disadvantaged people in your
country first before engaging in business with other countries.
Get your priorities right Mr President. We
are not at war with any country. Therefore arms and ammunition should not take
precedence over the needs of the people of Zimbabwe, the disabled included. Our
disabled people matter.
Weston
Mupfururirwa is a Zimbabwean human rights activist based in the United Kingdom.
He
can be contacted by email via westonmupfururirwa@gmail.com
