Leonard Cheshire Disability UK official visits LCD projects in Zimbabwe

The head of international programmes at Leonard Cheshire Disability in the United Kingdom, Deborah Bickler, is in Zimbabwe to see some of the work being done by Leonard Cheshire Disability Zimbabwe Trust.

Of particular interest to her is the trust's inclusive education and livelihoods programmes, both of which receive funding from the United Kingdom body.

She is accompanied on her visit to Zimbabwe by Leonard Cheshire Disability Southern Africa regional office representative Emmanuel Haambote, who is based in Lusaka. Prior to arriving in Zimbabwe at the weekend, she visited Leonard Cheshire projects in Zambia.

Leonard Cheshire Disability Zimbabwe Trust and Leonard Cheshire UK are both members of the Leonard Cheshire Disability Global Alliance, a network of more than 250 independently managed Leonard Cheshire organisations in 54 countries across Africa, Asia, the Americas and Europe.

Global Alliance members are united by a desire to change attitudes towards disability around the world, supporting each other through sharing skills and experience. Each Cheshire organisation has its own independent governance structure and individual non-governmental organisation status.

In the United Kingdom, where it was founded, Leonard Cheshire is the leading charity supporting disabled people. Every year it supports thousands of people with disabilities.

In Zimbabwe, the Leonard Cheshire Disability Zimbabwe Trust's inclusive education programme has, since its launch almost five years ago, enabled more than 1 800 children with disabilities who were previously unable to go to school to be enrolled in school.

The trust facilitates the enrolment of children with disabilities in their local schools by, among other things, providing infrastructure development, such as the building of wheelchair ramps and adaptation of toilets, and through providing training for teachers on handling children with disabilities and their parents. It has developed an inclusive education manual that has been adopted by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education and distributed to schools throughout the country.

The trust's livelihood programme seeks to empower people with disabilities to access sustainable livelihoods of their choice.

Ms Bickler on Sunday met trustees of Leonard Cheshire Disability Zimbabwe Trust (LCDZT) at a luncheon held at the home of the trust's executive director, Mr Benedict Chikwanha.

This (Monday) morning she was shown around the trust's complex in Harare's Westwood suburb and watched presentations on the Zimbabwe trust.

In the afternoon she attended presentations by trust officials on the trust's inclusive education programme and its livelihoods projects.

On Tuesday she is due to make courtesy calls in the morning on the British ambassador and the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education. In the afternoon she will meet with the trust's inclusive education and livelihoods teams.

On Wednesday she is due to visit schools in Sanyati and Mhondoro/Ngezi, where the inclusive education programme has been implemented.

On Thursday she is scheduled to visit some of the individuals and groups that have benefitted from the trust's livelihoods projects.

More than 3 700 people with disabilities have benefitted from the livelihoods programme. The programme facilitates training in various skills and the drafting of business plans. It links individuals with training institutions and prospective employers. It also supports their access to microfinance, where self-employment is a viable option.

In addition to its inclusive education and livelihoods programmes, the trust works with young people, through its Young Voices programme, to promote among them an awareness and discussions of the rights of people with a disability. It has a physiotherapy unit for children aged two to 12 years and an audiology centre where children with hearing impairment can be screened.

It seconds a team of experts to victim friendly courts when the court is dealing with a child with a disability, whether the child is a victim, a witness or an alleged offender. It assists more than 1 000 children with disabilities with school fees, uniforms, assistive devices and surgeries across the country.

Ms Bickler's visit to Zimbabwe ends on Friday, when, after a wrap-up meeting and lunch with staff, she returns to the United Kingdom. Mr Haambote will return to the regional office in Zambia.