World Vision Assists Malawi's Disabled with Transport, Supplies
World Vision Malawi's Director of Programs, Charles Chimombo, said the organization's primary focus is to help vulnerable children, including those with disabilities.
LILONGWE, Malawi— World Vision Malawi has donated 100 bicycles, umbrellas and golf shirts worth over K130 million to the Malawi Council for Disability Affairs to aid mobility for volunteers working with children with disabilities, writes Moses Nyirenda.
Minister of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare, Jean Sendeza, commended the aid group Wednesday for supporting the government's efforts to promote the welfare of persons with disabilities in the country.
"As government we are very happy that World Vision Malawi is supporting the Ministry of Gender in all its endeavors especially in the disability department," Sendeza said.
She added that the recent donation would help the council scale up efforts to improve and uplift the welfare of persons with disabilities, including children. Sendeza further called upon other partners to emulate World Vision by supporting institutions assisting the disabled.
"We have a lot of institutions that are dealing into issues of people with disabilities like Mulanje Vocational Training Centre; this centre has got people with disabilities that are being given different skills in carpentry and others," she said.
"With the limited resources that government is putting into these institutions, I am appealing to other partners to take the same way that World Vision has taken in providing support to these institutions."
World Vision Malawi's Director of Programs, Charles Chimombo, said the organization's primary focus is to help vulnerable children, including those with disabilities.
The group is implementing a project called "Able to Thrive" in Mzimba, Kasungu, Dowa, Ntchisi and Dedza districts to improve the well-being of children with disabilities.
"We know that for the work to be done it requires the volunteers that would take the services direct to the children and since the volunteers live in the places that are far away from the children we decided to support them with mobility," Chimombo explained.
George Chiusiwa, director general of the Malawi Council for Disability Affairs, welcomed the donation, saying volunteers face challenges traveling within and outside communities to identify children with disabilities and follow up on cases.
"Therefore this particular support from World Vision Malawi who is our traditional partner is welcome and something that massively contribute towards the mission of MACODA," Chiusiwa said.