President Lazarus Chakwera has called on state and non-state actors to mainstream and prioritise disability issues in disaster management affairs to ensure the rights, dignity and potential of persons with disabilities are fully realised.
Chakwera made the remarks on Friday at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe in a ceremony to mark Malawi Council for the Handicapped (Macoha) Flag Week inauguration.
He said the non-state actors working in areas of disaster should ensure persons with disabilities are not left out in all spheres to ensure their rights, dignity and potential are realized.
Chakwera said it is time to reflect and rethink on the approaches towards persons with disabilities to ensure that their issues are responded to and are part of the solution to the country’s needs.
“Let me remind the people working in disaster management to look carefully in the way they manage relief to people with disabilities to ensure we respect their rights, dignity and potential.
“In this, I would like to announce that the disability bill has been gazetted and will soon be discussed and passed in Parliament to respond to issues and needs of people with disabilities in the country,” said Chakwera.
Minister of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare, Jean Sendeza, said the Macoha Flag Week is dedicated to awareness for improved living conditions and livelihood.
Sendeza said disasters and adversities have exposed gaps in inclusion of persons with disabilities, adding it is high time the people’s needs were mainstreamed to ensure empowerment.
Executive Director for Macoha, George Chiusiwa, said the aim of the flag week is to raise awareness of disability issues and raise funds to be used for recovery effort for people impacted by disasters.
He said the disaster assessment report shows that about 234,000 persons with disabilities were affected, with over 40,000 displaced.
During the ceremony, President Chakwera bought the first flag at K2 million. Macoha is aiming to raise K35 million during the flag week.
Reported by Leonard Masauli
