Epworth ‘s disabled children face bleak future

More than 200 children living with disabilities are exposed to double jeopardy as they are facing life threating situations due to poverty.

The more than 200 children – all under under the age of 18 years – living with disabilities in Epworth are exposed to scarcity of medicines they require for several ailments they suffer from. Because of a lack of money most of them are living in extreme poverty, as they are failing to afford basic necessities such as food, clothes, basic shelter. Children have been forced to drop out of school as parents cannot afford to pay school fees, a developement which has raised concern in the Harare East Surbub.

This was revealed by Tawanirwanyasha Disability Organisation, an Epworth-based disabled empowerment lobby group which advocates for the empowerment of people living with disability based in the dormitory suburb.

In a letter written to a non- governmental seeking financial assistance for the upkeep of the disabled children, the organisation sais it had come to its attention that over 200 children under the age of 16 are living in extreme poverty and most of them do not attend school due to lack of financial resources.

“Tawanirwanyasha Disability Organisation (TDO),identified 120 girls and 180 boys under the age of 18 who live with conditions which include cerebral pulsy, hydrocephalos, epilepsy, autism, hearing impairment. Most do not have the required medicines they are supposed to use due to lack of money,” said (TDO).

“Most of these children do not attend school due to various reasons including lack of special willing trained/skilled personnel, unavailability of relative institutions, lack of facilities and prohibitive fees charged by established learning institutions and lack of school fees,” it says.

Some of the life threatening challenges some of these children face include, intellectual impairment, stroke, physical disability, Albinism and polio effect.

There are also adolescent boys and girls who stay at home since there is no institution that provides occupational rehabilitation for young persons with conditions after primary school.

The disabled empowerment lobby group said if assisted financially, it intends to empower more than 300 people in Epworth who live with disabilities by establishing a resource training center which trains the disabled in various income-generating skiĺls and methods.

“Tawanirwanyasha Disability Organisation is seeking for funds to establish a centre for person’s with challenges so that people with disability may access skills and and general knowledge of how to practice income generating projects, so as to fend for themselves,” said Tawanirwanyasha Disability Organisation in its quest to get financial assistance from a non governmental organisation which assists the needy.

The Organisation is also seeking for assistance from well wishers and donors to help the disadvantaged children acquire wheelchairs and walking sticks and medical assistance for the various ailments their children suffer from.

“We are seeking assistance to provide assistive devices like wheel chairs, walking clutches and if possible, to provide the much-needed medical assistance for various conditions that include phenobab, cabamazepine, schizophrenia /tranquilizers and drugs for chronic diseases like hypertension and sugar diabetes affecting the persons that live with challenges we cater for,” reads the letter.

Tawanirwanyasha Disability Organisation is an organisation registered by the gorvenment of Zimbabwe, it is authorised to transform lives of persons that live with impairments.
Tawanirwanyasha Disability Organisation founder and patron Pastor Douglas Matatani revealed a very sad ordeal of three toddlers under the age of 10 years, who live with life threatening illnesses who are failing to get medical attention due to lack of financial resources. If financial assistance could be found these kids could live a better life and can even be succefull in life at some point.

“Tapiwanashe is only nine years old but due to his club foot condition he is no longer attending school and needs an expensive shoe specifically made for him costing US$745USD. Michelle (10) a young girl has a right hand side that is very weak and it’s now affecting her leg. There is also Junior Makovere (4) with hydrocephalos condition and needs upwards of US$15 for a head scan scheduled for July this year. He hardly sits or walk,” said Pastor Matatani.

“If we find financial assistance from the Gorvenment, well wishers or charity social organisations, these children will return to their normal condition and can start school afresh and be like other children,” said Pastor Matatani.

The Pastor said, at one point they heaved a sigh of relief when an agricultural company which manufactures stockfeed approached them and trained more than 80 people in their organisation on how to breed day-old chicks, hoping to find donors, who would assist them start a poultry project to cater for its members’ needs.

However all hope was lost since they have not found anyone willing to assist them in setting up the poultry project.

“Our wish was to start income-generating projects for example poultry as Feedmix Stockfeeds company trained 80 persons with disabilities on how best broiler chickens could be reared on 25/03/25, but up to now we have not yet accessed funds to get started,” he said.

The clergyman called on well wishers who could assist the disabled organisation in starting up the poultry project since some of the members in the group already have knowledge in poultry production.

“We need 1000 day old broiler chicks and equivalent chicken stockfeeds,for us to start our poultry project. This initiative will go a long way in assisting our underprivileged children.”

Pastor Matatani explained the setbacks of early child marriages in the Harare surbub saying most of the mothers to these children are under the age of 18 and are not capable of providing enough necessities for their children with disabilities to survive.

Matatani said the mothers who are the care givers now turn to street begging a situation which has become an eyesore in most areas in the capital

“Care givers of some of the children are under 18 of age and female single parents are not capable of providing enough required needs of these children,for example meeting school levies, everyday basic needs and requirements.

“As a result female-headed families end up opting for begging in town which obviously compromises apprpropriate care. Parents of children that have conditions need home-based income generating activities,” said Pastor Matatani.