Online Reporter
Stanford Chiwanga, Quality Editor
“IT was like she mattered.” For Shyline Ncube, the most reflective moment of a new disability identification programme was a simple question about her daughter. Four-year-old Noluthando, who is deaf and unable to walk, has inspired a community in Matabeleland South Province’s Mangwe District to learn a lesson in care and dignity through a transformative initiative that brings services directly to their doorstep.
“People used to look at her and say nothing. Now, they are starting to ask how she is. That means everything,” said the 20-year-old mother at her homestead in Mpandeni West village.
This glimmer of hope comes from an initiative by the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare and Unicef. Funded by Sida and the Unicef Child Protection Global Thematic Pool, the June programme tested a disability assessment protocol. Its goal is to identify and assess disability status in rural communities, bringing services directly to families and reducing barriers to care for children like Noluthando.
Previously, families had to travel long distances to Plumtree, navigating multiple departments just to access basic assessments. For Shyline, such a journey was unimaginable. Raising three young children alone, two of them her siblings — after Noluthando’s father left for Botswana — she struggles to meet daily needs, let alone afford R100 for transport to take Noluthando to Plumtree District Hospital for physiotherapy.
This outreach model means that disability assessment teams now come directly to the people, setting up temporary hubs in local wards like Mpandeni East. With them come vital services: inclusive education referrals, psychosocial counselling and more.
This initiative represents a whole-of -Government strategy, led by the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, in co-ordination with the Ministries of Health and Education, the National Social Security Authority (Nssa), Organisations of Persons with Disabilities, and various Civil Society Organisations. Together, they form a multidisciplinary team committed not just to identifying disabilities, but to unlocking support.
For Shyline, the change is more than procedural — it’s deeply personal.
“They asked me what Noluthando likes, what makes her smile,” she says, tears welling up. “Nobody had ever asked that before. It was like she mattered.”
Noluthando needs a wheelchair, nappies and a diet she can safely swallow. She also requires physiotherapy — available free at Plumtree District Hospital — but unreachable without transport support. Most of all, she needs to be seen, heard and valued.
And now, for the first time, she is. On the second day of screening, dozens of children were assessed. Volunteers helped caregivers complete forms, translate information, and find reassurance. One mother whispered, “It feels like we matter.”
Disability in rural Mangwe has long been cloaked in silence — taboo, misunderstanding and shame. But this initiative is rewriting that narrative.
“She cannot speak, but I know when she’s happy,” says Shyline as she feeds Noluthando. “This screening has made her happy. Because now we know — we are not invisible.”
What began as an outreach activity has become something more: a declaration that every life is worth showing up for. For one little girl in Mpandeni East, that marks the beginning of a new kind of future.
Mrs Madel Ngwenya (62), a respected Mangwe Community Childcare Worker, offered a heartfelt reflection on the transformation unfolding in her district.
“When I first heard about this outreach, I honestly didn’t believe much would come of it. We’ve seen too many promises that never reach our people. But this time, it’s different. For a child like Noluthando, who has spent her whole life hidden by distance, poverty and disability, this programme is bringing light. They didn’t wait for her mother to walk miles to Plumtree — they came right here, asked real questions and treated them with dignity.”
She continued, her voice filled with emotion.
“This is not just about services. It’s about reminding families like Shyline’s that they are seen, that their children matter. As someone who’s worked in this community for years, I’ve never felt more hopeful. The programme, led by Unicef and our Government, is showing us what true inclusion looks like.”
