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Joel Tsvakwi, Sunday Life Correspondent
MINISTER of Welfare Services for War Veterans, War Collaborators and Former Political Detainees and Member of Parliament for Makokoba, retired colonel Tshinga Judge Dube recently graced the disability awareness programme at Pelandaba Hall in Bulawayo.
Having cut his busy schedule, he witnessed 41 wheelchairs being donated to the needy out of 70 people who had registered to the Nqobani Masuku Foundation. Themed, “there is something that someone, somewhere can do for society,” the event which was dubbed 7777 was organised by Nqobani Masuku (23) founder and director of the Nqobani Masuku Foundation.
Having been formed in 2013 with a mandate to encourage the world to be a philanthropic society that will help the needy especially the orphans, old people and people living with different forms of disabilities, the foundation is intensifying its mandate to society.
The foundation had also been working with over 21 schools especially in the area of encouraging abstaining from sex before marriage by conducting virginity awareness programs and donating stationery.
Speaking on the occasion, Cde Tshinga Dube, who is not new on the philanthropic activities was amused by such an initiative being organised and run by a young philanthropist.
“Surely as a society we are bound to do something in order to promote unity, equality and fight discrimination. I am very much elated by what the foundation is doing this will in a long way reduce idleness in communities if young people commit themselves to help others,” he said adding that he will support such young people as long as they want to reach out to vulnerable members of society.
Chief Ndiweni Vuyana from Kezi weighed in by pledging continued support to the foundation and agreed to ferry 18 wheelchairs for the beneficiaries from his area who could not make it on the day due to transport problems.
In an interview with Sunday life, Masuku, shared why they had to name the programme quad 7.
“Each 7 has a symbolic meaning; standing for the day of the event, standing for the month; standing for the seventh year in a decade and also standing for the people we will assist however we are helping more since we had paid for over 40 wheelchairs,” he said.
He added: “This day was not chosen at random, you will observe that seven is the number that symbolises completeness. There are seven complete days in a week, Biblically Naaman who had leprous had to wash himself seven times in order to have complete healing, moreover the Israelites had to surround Jericho seven complete times in order to conquer the city and possess it. We created this day in honor of some fellow citizens to show that they are indeed complete in our society as they are and to bring to light that the only need they have is to be loved just as they are. But we have termed such people cripples, handicaps and disabled, all these words have a stigma and years of negative connotations attached to them. What are we as a society, when the doors of opportunity are closed to some of us through silent and often unintended discrimination? What kind of a society are we?
When a wheelchair bound man can’t get a job, because he can’t access an interview room in an office space that is not friendly to those with special needs,” recounted Masuku.
@joelTsvakwi
Online Reporter