The centers will provide rehabilitation and education services as well as access to educational services and economic opportunities for children and young people with severe disabilities, in the case of Insukamini Primary School.

Insukamini Primary School in Bulawayo’s high-density suburb of Mpopoma has become a beacon of hope after opening its doors to disabled youths to embark on income-generating projects.

The school was persuaded to contribute to building an inclusive society after the Zimbabwe Parents of Disabled Children Association (ZPCHCA) contacted the school this year as part of its advocacy program to create opportunities for disabled children and their carers.

ZPHCA’s initiative is part of a program run by the Ministry of Public Service, Labor and Social Welfare, supported by Unicef’s Child Protection Fund III and funded by the Swedish International Development Agency, which aims to strengthen the capacity of carers to advocate for free access to specialized services for disability.

The initiative contributes to the implementation of the National Disability Policy in five regions: Epworth (Harare), Mutasa (Manicaland), Beitbridge (Matabeleland South) and Zvishavane (Midlands).

Thandi Nkomo, principal of Insukamini Primary School, said that they agreed to open a simulation center for children with severe disabilities. Following ZPCHA’s lobbying efforts, the center will also offer land to out-of-school youth to build income-generating projects.

“The school already has special classes for hearing-impaired, mentally and visually impaired children,” Nkomo said.

“This year, a delegation from ZPCHA came and we met with severely disabled children who were staying at home because they could not get into the regular school system.

“It was agreed that we would provide a stimulus center classroom for school-going children and adolescents.

“We also decided to reserve a part of our land where our nutrition garden is located for disabled youth so that they can engage in income-generating projects.”

The school has a borehole that will need minor repairs to support agricultural projects.

Access to services

Insukamini Primary School is the third school in Bulawayo to have an incentive center for children with disabilities, after Dumezweni Primary School and Josiah Chinamano Primary School.

The centers will provide rehabilitation and education services as well as access to educational services and economic opportunities for children and young people with severe disabilities, in the case of Insukamini Primary School.

Nkomo said young people would work with parents and carers to support their projects to be successful.

Anna Siwela from Mpopoma, whose 23-year-old son has cerebral palsy, said the opening of the center would help carers reduce transport costs as they no longer have to travel regularly to Mpilo Hospital for physiotherapy sessions.

Siwela said agriculture projects will also help young people fend for themselves and keep them busy.

“I want to thank Unicef ​​for helping us advocate for these services that will go a long way in helping our children,” she said.

“Most parents of severely disabled children do not have the resources to care for them, with some locking them at home so they can do other things to support their families.”

Sibonginkosi Dave, a parent of a 22-year-old disabled teenager from Mpopoma, said he was relieved they no longer had to go to the King George VI Center every week for physiotherapy.

“I would like to thank Unicef ​​and the government for helping us open incentive centers in the community,” Dave said.

“As parents of disabled teenagers, it was becoming increasingly difficult to get them to King George for physiotherapy due to high transport costs.

This meant I had to pay for transportation for me, my daughter, and her wheelchair, which was very expensive.

“The stimulation center at Insukamini Primary School will help us as parents because when we bring the children for physiotherapy, we will also be taking care of the nutrition garden on the land given to us by the school.

“The garden will both provide our children with a balanced diet and be a source of income for our young people who can work.”

Share ideas

Bulawayo’s ZPCHA chairperson, Perina Mazenge, said the simulation center will provide a youth centre, giving them the Insukamini Primary School simulation centre, which will provide young people with economic opportunities and a platform to share ideas.

“As parents of young people and adolescents with disabilities, we would like to thank the government and Unicef ​​for their assistance in opening the stimulation center at Insukamini Primary School because we would like to thank the government and Unicef ​​for their assistance in opening the stimulation center at Insukamini Primary School. Our children are bigger than this will benefit,” Mazenge said.

“We were given a garden where young people can grow different products and earn income by selling their products.

“There will also be physiotherapy facilities to reduce transport costs as we go to rehabilitation centers at Mpilo Hospital or King George VI Centre.

“They will also come here to share their ideas instead of staying at home, which could help them come up with something big.”

The program benefited 366 disabled children and adolescents, who benefited from the service package of government departments responsible for providing community-based services to children with disabilities.

Caregivers were also trained in advocacy techniques, and their requests were forwarded to the Ministry of Public Service, Department of Labor and Social Welfare, in order to assess the children’s needs and prepare care plans.

The government has also issued assisted medical treatment orders (AMTOs), including special AMTOs that ensure children cannot access services outside government institutions and provide immediate access to the Basic Education Assistance Module.

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