Bunjiwe Mkwananzi
Ronald Mpofu [email protected]
PEOPLE with disabilities in Plumtree are seeking formal recognition through the registration of an organisation that will help them access financial and medical assistance, employment opportunities and sustainable livelihoods.
The group, operating under the name Builders Bridge Hub, is seeking to register members from Plumtree town, Mangwe and Bulilima districts, bringing together Zimbabweans living with disabilities regardless of whether their conditions are congenital or acquired through accidents. The organisation welcomes men, women and children.
Founded in 2008, Builders Bridge Hub has struggled to secure formal registration with the relevant ministries, limiting its efforts to mobilise resources and improve the welfare of its members.
At its latest meeting, held last week at its main office in the BBI Building in Plumtree, 38 members gathered to discuss registration, income-generating projects, opening a bank account and recruiting more members.
The group’s financial constraints were evident when members were asked to contribute US$1 each towards opening a bank account. Only US$19 was raised against the expected US$25, highlighting the difficulties the organisation faces in mobilising even modest resources.
The meeting brought together adults and children with various disabilities, including blindness, partial sight, hearing impairment, mobility challenges and conditions requiring spinal surgery.
The organisation intends to establish its main office in Plumtree Town, with branches in Mangwe and Bulilima districts. However, its current premises are inadequate, with some of the 38 members who attended the meeting unable to fit inside and forced to sit outside or return home.
According to the group’s secretary, Miss Sikhonzile Khupe, Builders Bridge Hub estimates that it has about 120 members in Plumtree town, 2 000 in Mangwe and 1 000 in Bulilima.
Chairman Mr July Moyo said the organisation urgently needed financial assistance to secure suitable premises and complete the registration process.
“We need financial support from well-wishers. Our organisation has been failing to become legally registered since 2008. Our main office is at the BBI building in Plumtree; it is small and cannot accommodate more than 10 members, yet we are nearly 120,” said Mr Moyo.
He said many members had professional and practical skills but remained unemployed, partly because the organisation lacked formal recognition and an adequate platform to connect them with opportunities.
“Most of our members are not employed. We have a challenge of identification as we don’t have a proper place. We’ve become beggars to the community. The monies that most of us earn come from individuals who support us financially.
“What we don’t want is to be a burden to the community. We have different skills and we can do professional jobs and earn money,” Mr Moyo added.
Mrs Thobekile Ncube, a member of the organisation, said access to affordable medical care remained a major concern, particularly for members who required ongoing treatment.
“Most of us are under medication; we therefore have a challenge. We request exemption on medical care finances as the disabled,” said Mrs Ncube.
She said financial assistance would enable the organisation to establish income-generating projects, with proper accountability measures to ensure that the resources were used sustainably to benefit members.
“If we get financial support, our projects will run smoothly so as to generate money within our group. This money will be mostly used to assist all our members with disabilities. I have had a spinal operation and I cannot afford to buy bandages for myself, which are a daily need based on my condition. There are others who need such financial support in their lives. If we run projects like farming, we will manage to support every member living with disabilities within Plumtree town, Bulilima and Mangwe districts,” said Mrs Ncube.
The group hopes that formal registration and support from well-wishers will enable it to move beyond dependence on individual donations, create employment opportunities and establish sustainable projects to improve the lives of people living with disabilities across the three areas.
