NKOMWA Foundation Trust a success for disability community
NKOMWA Foundation Trust a success for disability community
October 25, 2022
October 21 2022, marked the day of the anniversary of establishment of an organization, whose founder encountered all sorts of discrimination, abuse and total neglect from the corners, that are supposed to disentangle such people, but because the person was a messenger, born to transform lives, here it is successful beyond all obstacles. Writes Chrispen Tabvura.
Pick Nkomwa is the person who defied all the odds, of persons with disability, as he took the challenges head on and with confidence, as he fought the exclusion of persons with disabilities, in the mainstream economic activities.
NKOMWA Foundation Trust, did not just get into limelight easily, because it took sweat and gruesome sacrifice to be where it is today.
It is not only in Zimbabwe, where people with disabilities are left out in decision making processes of the state, but in the continent and parts of the globe. Zimbabwe is also another country, that is now realizing the existence of people with disability, as witnessed by the recently enacted legislature, ‘Disability Bill’.
Pick Nkomwa, is one person whose works in fighting exclusion and discrimination of people with disability, received very little publicity and attention from the mainstream media, prompting him to cry louder with practical activities, some of which made inroads into the government institutions, like Courts, Colleges and communities, to mention just a few.
“I never bothered any publicity, because I realized from the beginning that it is an uphill task, that needed those known and respected, far away from us, people with disability.
I just fought silently to help people with disabilities, even though it was hard, because I did not have any money, but just doing it from my heart. Some of the activities are now a success due to the blessings of the Lord, as you know, God is for us all, orphans, widows and the poor,” said Pick in tears.
Writing about Pick Nkomwa’s transformational dream of a successful persons with disability, will not need a day, but almost the whole year, as his activities are now all over the country, even though with limited resources, from well-wishers.
Nkomwa, has become a household name, in Gwanda and entire Matabeleland South, because he fought tooth and nail, in educating communities that disability is not inability, as his ideology was accepted by community and traditional leaders, who also got shock of their lives, on discovering that many people were hiding their children indoors, because of disability.
Today, his organization has sourced assistance for the empowerment of persons with disabilities, and hundreds are now at vocational training institutes, learning on life helping skills.
NKOMWA Foundation is making tremendous inroads into introducing sign languages lectures, disability sensitization workshops, that include mindset orientation, of communities, to appreciate the existence of persons with disabilities.
While Nkomwa is striving to see all persons with disabilities being included in all sectors, it is still taking a very slow pace, because 42 years into independence, several buildings are still not accessible to people with disabilities.
As NKOMWA Foundation celebrates two years of establishment, public institutions like police, hospitals, supermarkets, courts and banks have no employees, who can speak in sign language, thereby becoming a distinct sign of exclusion of people with disability in mainstream economic activities.
Choice News Africa, has learnt that Nkomwa Foundation’s activities have received very little publicity, and yet it has done a lot in transforming lives of persons with disabilities.
Choice News Africa and Farmers Insight Africa, would like to congratulate Nkomwa Foundation and its entire staff, on the day of celebrating their second anniversary.
