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Disabled persons call for user friendly land policy
CHOMA, 4th December, 2014, ZANIS —- PEOPLE living with disabilities in Southern Province have called on Government to formulate a policy on Land allocation that will enable disabled people in society acquire land.
Southern Province people living with disabilities Representative Lawrence Muuka said lack of land for agriculture and housing has continued to affect the wellbeing of disabled people in the province.
Mr Muuka said the disabled people are Zambian citizens who have the right to own land.
ZANIS reports that the representative was speaking during the commemoration of the international Disability day in Choma yesterday.
“Our appeal to government on this day is for consideration on matters of land allocation, as disabled people we feel government needs to enact a policy that will enable us acquire land at lower rates”, he said.
Mr Muuka said disabled people cannot access various services the government is offering because buildings were constructed in a way that makes it difficult for disabled people to access.
He also appealed to government to enhance the provision of brail materials for the blind and wheel chairs as well as other usable materials for other disabilities.
And speaking earlier Southern Province Permanent Secretary Douglous N’gimbu said government recognizes the challenges faced by the disabled people in all sectors of life and has created the Zambia Agency for People with Disabilities (ZAPD).
Mr N’gimbu said Government will ensure that the challenges faced by the disabled are adequately addressed through ZAPD which has its presence in southern province.
He noted that persons with disabilities are still lacking the spirit of inclusion in the environment where they live which limits sustainability of national development and the achievement of the millennium development goals.
And ZAPD provincial coordinator Catherine Munkombwe called on the disabled people in the province to desist from using their disability to seek assistance from the public.
Ms Mukombwe said disabled people in the province were in the habit of moving from one office to another seeking for support on an item they have already been assisted for a practice she said must be stopped immediately.
“ Persons living with disabilities have developed dishonest attitudes by cheating officers when they need help by going to different offices for the same help and this has made most people develop a negative attitude towards the disabled”, she said.
Ms Munkombwe also appealed to Government to increase the number of special education teachers deployed to address the lack of trained teachers to improve the quality of education offered for the disabled.
The commemoration of the international Disability day under the theme sustainable development the promise for technology was attended by Zambia Police representative with a Donation of various food packages and groceries to St Mulumba School for the disabled.
