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NASCOH conducts disability survey

In April 2009, NASCOH conducted a survey on the participation of People with Disabilities in political and public affairs in Zimbabwe. The aim of the survey was to provide a framework for the monitoring and evaluation of the governance and transparency programme; validate the results of a study on the voting patterns of PWDs conducted by NASCOH in the Greater Harare area in March 2008 and ;validate the results of a needs assessment study on the living conditions of PWDs undertaken by NASCOH in 2007 in conjunction with Progressio Zimbabwe.

The survey was also meant to provide sufficient and valid information about the participation of PWDs in governance, so as to plan systems to lobby government and to find pathways in promotion of the participation of PWDs in public and political affairs and to assist in planning, developing strategies and budgets for the DFID funded governance programme.

A total of 620 PWDs, 199 family members and 33 community leaders from 8 districts within the country responded to the survey. PWDs were the majority of the participants at 73%, and family members of PWDs were 23% with the remainder being community leaders. (The full report of the survey is awaiting publication and will be made public soon).

The findings from the survey showed that the limited participation in politics of persons with disabilities in Zimbabwe is the consequence of a number of factors. Some of the impeding factors are;

• Physical inaccessibility of built environments
• lack of accessible transport
• Fear of political violence
• lack of information accessible to visually or hearing impaired persons
• lack of education pertaining to the rights to vote for PWDs, especially the visually or hearing impaired find it hard to understand certain political terminology and political party slogans.
• The lack of appropriate appliances, resources and a culture which is not ready to accept PWDs as able political leaders
• general low esteem, and
• no interest in political affairs of Zimbabwe among PWDs .
The survey results also indicate that:
• nearly one in early five disabled adults had no identity documents such as national identity cards or passports hence could not register as voters.
• A considerable proportion of PWDs did not vote in the 2008 general elections because they were not registered.
• PWDs did not benefit from any meaningful social protection system. Less than a third of PWDs had access to rehabilitation or support services in spite of the existence of so many organisations purporting to provide services to disabled adults in Zimbabwe.

NASCOH captures constitutional concerns of PWDs

In a bid to capture the concerns of people with disabilities in the constitution prior to the all stakeholders constitutional conference (13-15 July), the NASCOH programmes team embarked on a whirlwind tour of six of its 8 Regional Advocacy Committees (RACs) from 6 to 11 July. The week-long tour, which saw the team interfacing with RACs from Mashonaland East (Marondera), Manicaland (Mutare), Masvingo, Matabeleland South (Gwanda), Bulawayo and Midlands, was also meant to restructure the RACs and position them to better implement the current programme on enhancing the participation and inclusion of people with disabilities in the governance systems of the country.

The RACs are ten-member committees established by NASCOH in eight of the country’s ten provinces excluding Harare and Bulawayo. Each RAC is comprised of seven people with disabilities and three other appointees from the Ministries of Education, Social Welfare , and Health. One of the outcomes of the tour was to increase the number of committee members to 12 and also to incorporate someone from the Ministry of Justice in view of the fact that the current programme on governance requires someone with constitutional knowledge and legal expertise to support the efforts of the RACs.

RACs have been very influential in advancing NASCOH’s advocacy programmes because of their closeness to the community (to ensure representation of all disability concerns, care is taken to make sure that participants are drawn from all the parts of the provinces, including the remotest ones). In addition, the incorporation of ministry officials ensures easy resolution of disability issues and speedy access to local authorities, thus boosting the committee’s advocacy efforts. Being part of NASCOH’s membership makes it easier for them to complement any programmes that are being carried out by NASCOH’s member organisations.

RACs have been very instrumental in raising awareness of disability issues in their various areas of operation and have registered a number of successes with local authorities, especially in the area of securing accommodation and land for people with disabilities and fostering cooperation with them.

Some of the new terms of reference for RACs unveiled at the meetings include:

• To lobby Members of Parliament and provincial heads of government on the need to create disability inclusive and responsive electoral laws and governance practices at all levels of society.
• To provide public education on disability issues including disability inclusive constitution .
• To build networks and coalitions in the region within churches , various relevant ministries, traditional leaders, business people, local pressure groups and sensitising them on the need to include people with disabilities within governance systems at all levels of society .
• Sensitising people with disabilities about their social, political and economic rights and also encouraging them to take an active part in ensuring the protection and promotion of those rights.
• Lobbying stakeholders at provincial level to influence government to have a National Disability Policy.
• To encourage people with disabilities to fully exercise their voting rights and also to seek public office.

In addition to their closeness to the community, RACs have proved to be very cost-effective in their lobby and advocacy efforts as they are mainly volunteers who are driven by a passion for disability.

NASCOH holds governance training workshop for people with disabilities

National Association of Societies for the Care of the Handicapped (NASCOH) has kicked off its five-year programme aimed at enhancing the participation and inclusion of people with disabilities in the governance systems of the country with an intensive 10-day train-the-trainers workshop on governance for 27 people from its member organisations, including 18 people with disabilities, who will implement the programme countrywide. The workshop was conducted at the Harare Safari Lodge and ran from 30 July to 8 august 2009.

The workshop, whose aim was to give participants a thorough understanding of the existing governance systems in the country and explore opportunities for networking and collaboration between people with disabilities and these centres of influence, saw participants benefiting from a number of high powered presentations from government and civil society organisations alike. Presentations included ‘The role of Parliament, Senate and the Executive in Zimbabwe’ which was given by the Clerk of Parliament, Mr Augustine Zvoma; ‘An overview of the Judiciary in Zimbabwe – role, powers and structure’ by the Honourable Judge President Mrs Justice Rita Makarawu Judge President; ‘An overview of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission – role, powers, and structure’ by the Deputy Chief Elections Officer of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, Mr Utoile Silaigwana.

Participants also had the opportunity to acquire knowledge on how state funds were accounted for through a presentation on ‘The role of the office of the Comptroller and Auditor General’ which was given by the Deputy Auditor General in the office of the Comptroller and Auditor General, Mr David Moyo. A presentation on ‘The role and functions of local government in Zimbabwe’by Rodgers Mozhentiy, the Interim Secretary General of the Zimbabwe local Government Authority came up with a number of ways in which people with disabilities could work with councils and local authorities in order to ensure their inclusion in these systems. So did a similar presentation on the role of councillors and traditional leaders in the governance systems of the country. Presentations on the roles and powers of the Zimbabwe Republic Police and the Zimbabwe Prison Service helped to put the whole issue of governance into perspective.

The programme was also spiced up with presentations from the civil society including ‘The role of civil society organisations in the governance of the country’ which was presented by the Non State Actors Forum; ‘Human rights and governance in Zimbabwe – the role of the citizen’ by the Director of the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum, Abel Chikomo; The Director of Transparency Zimbabwe International, Mary Jane Ncube, also delivered a presentation on ‘ Governance and transparency in Zimbabwe’. Cognisant of the centrality of gender in developmental issues, participants were also treated to a presentation on ’The gender dimension in Zimbabwe –scope of interventions, challenges and opportunities’ which was given by Pamela Mhlanga, the Chairperson and current caretaker director of the Zimbabwe Women Resource Centre and Network. The Director of the Zimbabwe Election Support Network, Rindai Chipfunde Vava, also gave a presentation on the electoral systems in the country.

A presentation on the media situation in the country by Mathew Takaona, the President of the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ), presented a perfect backdrop for understanding the power of the media in shaping and influencing governance issues.

The workshop agreed on a number of ways to move the programme forward including the availing of Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) structures and personnel in the districts to assist in facilitating disability issues related to elections; the forwarding of disability concerns pertaining to elections and independent voting to the relevant authorities for onward action; engagement of councils and councillors in the various districts NASCOH’s sub grantees will be working to ensure acceptance and smooth implementation of the programme; availing of expertise and advice and related efforts by civic society organisations to boost NASCOH’s advocacy efforts in the programme and position it to be better able to target the spheres of influence.

NASCOH has embarked on a programme aimed at enhancing the participation and inclusion of people with disabilities in the governance systems of the country running from 2009 to 2013. The programme seeks to improve the environment for people with disabilities by seeking amendments to policy, and ensuring their representation in all sectors of the economy, including representation of people with disabilities in parliament and other decision-making bodies, a quota system in employment and lobbying for the enactment and implementation of conducive disability legislation. It also seeks to facilitate the participation of people with disabilities in the country’s electoral processes through advocating for changes in the electoral law, ensuring accessibility to polling stations and encouraging them to stand up for office. NASCOH has formed a consortium with 7 of its member organisations, who will implement the programmes in the various provinces in Zimbabwe. The members include Disabled Women Support Organisation (DWSO), Zimbabwe National Association for Mental Health (ZIMNAMH), Zimbabwe National Association for the Deaf (ZIMNAD), Jairos Jiri Association, Zimbabwe Association of the Visually Handicapped (ZAVH), Zimbabwe National League of the Blind (ZNLB), and Zimbabwe Parents of Handicapped Children Association.

NASCOH is the official umbrella body of 53 organisations of and for people with disabilities in Zimbabwe.