10 November 2009
THE Government will continue to be committed to upholding the rights of persons with disabilities, including children and their families.
And Copperbelt Minister, Mwansa Mbulakulima has said the Government, through the newly-enacted NGO Bill would continue to support all accountable organisations that are ready to partner with it.
Speaking when he launched the Opportunity Zambia pilot project for the Copperbelt, Mr Mbulakulima said for many years, the country had lost opportunities to include and benefit from ideas, energies and contributions of persons with disabilities.
Opportunity Zambia is a project supported by two Norwegian-based international agencies, the Norwegian Association for the Disabled (NAD) and the Norwegian Association for Developmental Disabilities (NFU) and seeks to address challenges affecting people with disabilities.
He said this in a speech read for him by Kitwe District Commissioner, MacDonald Mtine at City Square in Kitwe at the weekend.
Mr Mbulakulima said the Government was making every effort to guarantee equity and full participation for all persons with disabilities.
"This explains why the Government has included persons with disabilities in the Constitution-making process, the Citizens Economic Empowerment Fund (CEEC) and several other ways by having focal persons for disabilities in line ministries," Mr Mbulakulima said.
Among the measures taken include revisions to the current Disability Act of 1996 to enshrine current issues and the putting in place of a policy framework that reflects the needs and potential of disabled persons in Zambia.
Mr Mbulakulima said the fact that the Government had in this year's Budget allocated K445 billion, translating into 2.7 per cent contribution of the total budget for social protection, was an indication of its desire to address some of the challenges that led to disability.
"Some of these pension funds will help reduce potential exposure to vulnerability which sometimes creates disability," Mr Mbulakulima said.
Earlier, Opportunity Zambia director, Alick Nyirenda said the project was the second to be launched in Zambia following the launch of a similar one in Southern Province and that K1 billion had been earmarked for support to the disability organisations this year and other NGOs who were supporting disability groups.
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