Beverly Bizeki
A woman from Chivi has written an emotional poem as a way of thanking the disability inclusive parenting programme that has been implemented in Chivi District.
Felix Mapuvire is one of the many parents who have had a wakeup call on disability inclusive parenting model for parents of children living with disabilities with the coming in of the programme.
In her poem Mapuvire refers to UNICEF as ‘chirera nherera’ which means the one who looks after orphans.
“Our children living with disability have since been acceptable in the society now and parents are now able to bring out their children in the society which they could not do previously,” reads the poem.
Mapuvire in her poem also acknowledged the efforts to get documentation for the children living with disability.
“Children living with disabilities are now going to school and they now have national identity documents as well as birth certificates,” says Mapuvire.
Mapuvire said the disability inclusive programme has enabled them to treat their son as a normal person and not a sick person.
“Before the coming in of the program, we treated my child who has intellectual challenges as a sick person rather but after being taught in the programme on parenting for children with disabilities, my son is now able to do household chores he even helps out in our pfumvudza plot,” says Mapuvire.
Mapuvire is one of the many parents from Chivi district in Masvingo whose child is one of the 321 beneficiaries of the Disability inclusion parenting program spearheaded by the Ministry of Public Service Labour and Social welfare in collaboration with UNICEF with funding from Government of Sweden, Government of Norway, (Norad) and Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation working with implementing partner Zimbabwe Parents of Handicapped Children Association.
The program which was implemented in August 2022 and is carried out in five wards in Chivi, has seen the realization of rights of the children living with disabilities by parents as the program is meant to build the capacity of carers.
Beauty Magwidi one of the parents said the program has helped her in taking care of the child that was left behind by her niece to accept as well as love the children living with disability.
“With UNICEF we have been taught to be self-reliant through doing personal projects, we have also been taught to love our children and there has been a great change even in their well-being, I am now able to play with my child, she can move and pick things as well as smile,” said Magwidi.
