dyton mupawaenda
Herald Reporter
A private voluntary organisation, L’Arche Zimbabwe, has embarked on a campaign to assist people with intellectual disabilities as part of efforts to create healthy communities.
Formed in 1997, L’Arche is also aiming to assist children with physical disabilities and from disadvantaged backgrounds by offering a wide range of services free of charge.
L’Arche Zimbabwe director Mr Time Baluwa, said they were looking at fostering environments in communities that responded to the changing needs of society.
Mr Baluwa said they started their outreach programmmes in Zimbabwe in 2017 helping the intellectually disabled children for free.
“We started looking for children with disabilities from poor backgrounds giving them free physiotherapy services in order to identify those who had amazing talents not recognized because of their conditions.
“Since the commencement of this initiative, we have many children who bear testimonies as they are now able to do some of the chores they previously did not do because of their conditions,” he said.
He said their organisation was mainly focusing on helping children in high density areas.
“We are focusing on helping children in such areas as Budiriro and Dzivaresekwa. We have, however, realised that when we visit the parents of these children, they assume that our organisation has money and yet we are just a charity organisation, “ he said, highlighting some of the challenges they face in helping the intellectually disabled children.
“Some of the parents tend to hide their children from society and as a result, we will not be able to identify them,” he said.
Speaking at the same event L’Arch project manager Mr Gibson Nyikadzino said they were identifying the talent of the intellectually disabled.
“We are trying to give them physiotherapy to find talent in them. Some of them the came here paralysed but now we have identified talents and some are now doing gardening, woodwork, painting and cooking,” he said.
Online Reporter