Interventions and opportunities for children with disabilities

 Calvin Manika  July 6, 2023 4 min read 

Pick Nkomwa – Founder/Director – Nkomwa Foundation Trust

Interventions and opportunities for children with disabilities

Fifteen per cent of the world’s population at least one billion people – have some form of disability, whether present at birth or acquired later in life.  According to UNICEF nearly 240 million of them are children.

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities defines living with a disability as having a long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairment that – in interaction with the environment hinders one’s participation in society on an equal basis with others.

Children and adolescents with disabilities are a highly diverse group with wide-ranging life experiences. They live in every community, and are born with or acquire distinct impairments that, in relation to their surroundings, lead to functional difficulties like seeing, walking, communicating, caring for oneself or making friends. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) was adopted in 2006 in response to the severe human rights violations experienced by people with disabilities worldwide. The CRPD obligates Governments to take concrete measures to promote their full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms. The Besana Mail Roundtable Discussion and Weekly Guest Host Onita Sibanda (OS) speaks to Pick Nkomwa (PK) the founder and Director of Nkomwa Foundation Trust (NFT).

OS: Thank you Mr Nkomwa for coming on the show. Our topic is interventions and opportunities for children with disabilities.

PN: Thank you Onita. My name is Pick Nkomwa – a person with disability. Children and youths with disability and their families constantly experience barriers to the enjoyment of their basic human rights and to their inclusion in society. Their abilities are overlooked, their capacities are underestimated and their needs are given low priority. Yet, the barriers they face are more frequently as a result of the environment in which they live than as a result of their impairment. The convention on the rights of person with disability (CRPD), adopted by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in December 2006, provides a powerful new impetus to promote the human rights of all children with disabilities.

OS: What is your involvement in children’s matters around the Matabeleland region?

PN: Educational Support.

Every human being has a right to access education regardless of their disability. As NFT, we ensure that we provide people with disabilities (PWD) especially to pupils and students with this opportunity by providing support to young PWDs with school fees, school essentials and school enrolment.

Life skills and Economic Empowerment

We are living in a country whose economy is defined by what a human being can do as an individual to earn themselves a living. Therefore, we seek to provide provision of capital for start-up business to young PWDs and their caregivers.

Health Management Services

There are many challenges that are faced by PWDs in accessing health-care services that include travelling from home to care centres. We also assist them to get such services were possible.

OS: What are the challenges faced by children living with disabilities?

PN:  The challenges range from attitudinal barriers, communication barriers, accessibility barriers, institutional barriers, poverty, neglect, discrimination and stigma and sexual gender based violence.

OS: What opportunities do you see as an organization yet people with disability do not see them?

PN: Children with disabilities are human beings, given the platform they can be successful in life. Never underestimate the potential these children have. Opportunities are key to children with disabilities future. People with disabilities know their ability but they are caged in their own world. Serious barriers block them to realise the opportunities.

OS: What issues of children with disabilities are addressed by the national policy on people with disability?

PN: Education, Health, Psycho-social support through various Ministries, economic empowerment programmes and provision of customised assistance devices.

OS: What are the activities you are running in Matabeleland region?

PN:  We are advocating for the rights of persons with disabilities, providing educational support, health management services, training and development for example Sign Language and life skills programmes to youths. Siyayenza njalo i counselling kubazali bomtwana, sinikeze njalo i business start up capital nxa ikhona ukuthi abantu abakubazekileyo baqalise imisebenzi abayikwanisayo

OS: Kindly share with us successes and challenges you are facing on those activities?

PN: Yes, we can share theoretical material then much practical on the ground with a deaf friend. Firstly, we positioned the disability agenda at the centre of our activities in all communities we are working through advocacy. We now have a database of more than 2000 children with disabilities. We have conducted disability sensitisation programs in different communities. For example, we have taken 15 youths for vocational training and more than 35 children in primary and secondary education. Disability narrative is changing in communities. We are conducting radio programmes advocating for CWDs and newspaper articles on disability monthly in community and national newspapers

OS: Do you see media like The Besana Mail helping organization like Nkomwa Foundation Trust to give a positive image of children living with disability?

PN: Yes, what is needed is to reach an agreement and see ways of collaborating and serve the community. The media amplifies the work and further help in changing the mind-set of the people. We are much open to work with like minded organisation, if possible we have a disability column in your publication written in local language.

OS: Your last words?

PN: Disability rights are human rights. See the person first before disability. We all have the duty to champion the rights of persons with disabilities. You can miss disability at birth but you can acquire it later. Let us build inclusive communities. It starts with you. Lastly ngibonga khakhulu for ituba. Love you all

OS: Thank you for such an informative and educative session.

PN: You are welcome.