"Development will never be complete without us": P...

"Development will never be complete without us": PWD

Bridget Mabanda

The Disability community says they need to be mainstreamed in all dialogues as they are a key population.

Speaking to Zimbabwe Now on the sidelines of their Tree Planting Day activities, founder and director of ThiAbility Hub Zimbabwe, Henry Kane said development will never be complete without persons with disabilities.

He said trees are important to people with disabilities.

“People living with Albinism are affected by sunlight but if we plant more trees, they will be more shade.

“Climate change also affects us, for instance, droughts that we have experienced in the past years have also been affecting us so we need to be part of the whole discourse on climate change,” he said.

He said the International Day of Persons with Disabilities is a very important day which must be celebrated by everyone.

“Today, we have celebrated the day differently since we were with others. For the past years, people were saying it’s their day, let them celebrate. But today, we celebrated differently.

“We had a National Disability Policy launched … although the day has not been celebrated at the national level … has been playing a pivotal role in trying to uplift the lives of persons with disabilities,” he said.

Forestry commission Board Chair, Veronica Jakarasi said it is important to raise awareness on every Zimbabwean to plant trees concerning their importance as they support communities in different ways.

“Planting trees is helping us to compete with the rate of deforestation in Zimbabwe and some of the positive impacts trees have are dwarfed by deforestation but we do not stop doing good,” she said.

“We encourage every Zimbabwean to plant a tree not only today but throughout the rainy season, she said.

She also said there is need to address issues that affect persons with disabilities.

“Today, we have partnered with persons with disabilities, and they have indicated the impacts of climate change to them, and we need to come together to discuss these issues and address them,” she said.

Jakarasi said people must maintain the trees they plant, and they will benefit future generations.

Mandy Dube, who was in the national wheelchair basketball team in 2017, also said the National Tree Planting Day was important as they were celebrating the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

She said it was an honour for her to have attended the tree planting day event as part of the celebrations of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

According to the United Nations, disability inclusion is an essential condition to upholding human rights, sustainable development, and peace and security. It is also central to the promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to leave no one behind.