Government will soon introduce a monthly allowance for people with disabilities in Zambia.
Ministry of Community Development and Social Services Permanent Secretary Sherry Thole disclosed today that the disability allowances are meant to assist the physically challenged persons.
ZANIS reports that Ms. Thole said the monthly allowance will be given to less privileged disabled persons under the Government programme of financially empowering disabled persons.
She has since called for the provision of accurate information on disability issues which Government can use for planning purposes.
She said lack of such information was hindering implementation of various Government programmes for the disabled people. Ms. Thole said this when she launched the Rehabilitation and Research Resource Centre at the Zambia Agency for Persons with Disability (ZAPD) offices in Lusaka today.
She has further implored ZAPD to use the research data that will be gathered for strategic planning. She said Government wants well tailored plans and budgets that will be responsive to the needs of the targeted beneficiaries.
Ms. Thole has thanked Opportunity Zambia, a Norwegian sponsored disability organisation, for funding rehabilitation of the resource centre.
She also appealed to cooperating partners and international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to help fund research projects in order for disabled people to engage in research.
And Opportunity Zambia Programme Advisor, Alick Nyirenda, said his organisation disbursed K3 billion towards the programme of disability in Zambia in the last two years.
Mr. Nyirenda said his organisation, which is being sponsored by an organisation for disabled persons in Norway, has also spent K47 million on refurbishing the
resource centre at ZAPD. He has since commended the relationship his organisation is enjoying with organisations for disabled persons and the Government in Zambia.
Speaking earlier, Zambia Agency for Persons with Disability (ZAPD) Director General Charles Mwape said the resource centre will help in planning and mitigating the challenges persons with disabilities are facing.
[ ZANIS ]
It would be prudent to have training opportunities available and with that – employment, not handouts! Patronage is very degrading…
I concur with #1 but also I hope this is not a vote gimmick which will die a slow death after the elections.
Too much gimmicks – Announce the election date..this is pathetic. Its almost July.
When are the elections..tick tick tick Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, June……..July and still no election date for 2011 elections…nipa Zambia sure. The real third world country and meanwhile ama opposition balelolelafye until they are caught wrong footed then bakambe ukulila nama petition
#1, I hope you do not cliam disability living allowance in the UK
Not a bad idea, provided this is a genuine development. If it is for electioneering, then the move must be condemned as a mockery of the disabled people.
Furthermore, where in the budget is this money?
Some permanent disability registration and identity cards must be securely done for the disabled persons…
Zambia is now becoming a welfare state, where will government get the money to be paying all the disabled people. Knowing the corruption in this country, even the able bodied people will be included on the list and will be getting paid. The best to help our disabled brothers and sisters is to build their capacities so that they are able to take care of themselves.
If they are failing to pay teachers salaries and the retirees on time, where and how will they manage to raise money to pay the disabled? Dont just raise peoples hopes, this is an exercise in futility.
Who doesnt know your tricks in an election year?
Please ba GRZ stop mocking the disabled people. I wonder where the money for this gesture will come from? As a country we are failing to work on the roads and improve public service workers-now this.
Lets build survival skills in them than this.Please ba GRZ stop mocking the disabled people. I wonder where the money for this gesture will come from? As a country we are failing to work on the roads and improve public service workers-now this.
Lets build survival skills in them than this.
This is now getting out of hand! GRZ to do this and that …….pay this, pay that…..send a man to the moon, build a rocket in Mansa blah blah blah !!! How do you get a junior civil servant announce huge pronouncements without any legal framework! The budget is months away, parliament is almost dissolved! What a mess!! Cow dung everywhere!!
Bamumbwe mwa amba ukusabaila. Whr wil u get da money 4rm if ths is an election gimik then sory we ar not buyng it
How will they assess how disabled one is? there are those with severe handicaps will they get more? Exactly how much did they have in mind? 50 pin? 300 pin? Banda stop these games we are not buying it, it’s too little too late…….
Did you mean from our tax payers money? Create job opportunities for them, period!
Election year! The  impossible starts happening!
I support people with disabilities. They need help. The only problem is corruption. Able people will instead get paid in Zambia.
What a stupid idea. It lacks vision on the part of those that agreed to it’s implementation. To start with disability can be due to having been born that way or through injury of some kind. How many are in such physical condition? There are just too many of them. If this is implemented, far too much money will be unwisely spent. The best thing to do as has been suggested by others is to establish skill rehabilitation centers for the disabled.
This is election gimmick.
Kuya bebele RB just announce the election date
rb, do not listen to these distractors hell bent on attacking anything you do. mwandi osa ba mvhelela! next up should be old age pension for our seniors. you not to put in strong operational systems though. corruption will always be there because there will always be selfishness and greediness in some human beings, but this should not be the reason why we should be denying benefits to the needy
LETS WAIT AND SEE ANY WAY IT MAY BE POSSIBLE AS AN EMEGENCY PROJECT.
LETS NOT JUST CRITICIZE PEOPLE I SEE NOTHING WRONG WITH PRESIDENT RB LETS ENCOURAGE THE BIG MAN HE IS ONLY 3 YEARS IN OFFICE
The idea is good but unfortunately in Zambia it’s just another way of plundering donor funds, just like billions of HIV/AIDS funds have been miss used and plundered by people in charge. Use that money to impart livelihood skills in people with disabilities and their families. Giving them allowances wont promote sustainability and independence, instead it will just promote abuse of government system in ministry of social welfare.
@8 Chibi got to agree with you. Where will they get money from?
@10 Guist. Am told we are getting Lusaka (London) eye in Matero.
Promises promises! Blimey! Why don’t we hold elections every year?
Musokotwane DID not include this in his 2011 Budget. This money is from dark sources and is essentially part of the Money Laundering scheme by RB and his tourists.
i think zambians deserve all this. and whilst we are at it we child care support should be introduced
Behind every Disability,there is an ability.
Not every Disability is visible by the way especially those with a Learning disability and Autism.
Empowerment is the Key word.
However,an allowance for a period of time that a person is being retrained with a skill would be a good idea including positive help in getting meaningful employment.
Like the increazing of student meal allowancez, this iz very a good SANGWAPO moment one can’t afford to miss. Soon the unemployed will also be lined up to get some stipend! Watch this space.
This is good idea but the question is can it be sustained and for how long. the best option would be to empower the disabled with skills and education so that they can access jobs and contribute towards the development of the nation. If they are just given allowances it may encourage laziness. I know some disabled people who have the capability to work but they only lack access to jobs as they are shunned by most companies including the government itself
Pa zed this can’t work every minister who puts on short sight glasses will get money at the expense of the blind people of mpulungu ,shangombo.slash funds was meant for good cause but Zamtroop account got fat and fat.I only hope it does not even start after elections it will be abused.
Number 5 disability living allowance is paid in the UK. And it goes with other allowance such as council tax benefit, child tax allowance according to how many children you have they are paid weekly or monthly. This is not the country to play with mwana. People here live on state benefits, the govt buy disables vehicles of one’s choice in exchange for disability allowance. For the vehicle it pays tax, MOT and buys tryes. You just buy fuel hence you can not match with UK kutali sana.
I am glad most you talking rubbish won’t vote..so am not worried:))
This is a good development for our disabled collegues and Zimbabwe is already implementing this programme. However I doubt the sustainability of this intiating for Zambia. The current rate is pegged at K65,000 per individual. There are approximately 150,000 eligible persons with disabilities therefore monthly, Govt is proposing to to be spending K9.7billion and K117billion annually.This is far above the annual budget for small Ministries like the Ministry of Community itself. Where is this money going to come from?
In my opinion, this just a campaign gimmick meant to hoodwink the disabled not to vote for Sata who is promising the same allowance. However, lets hope the allowance stays
Let us give Government a benefit of doubt! At the same time, may we make sure that the pronounce made acts as a spring board to our benefit. Let us continue to advocate for the better!
Probably the Zambian government is one of the best in the World to recognize the potentials of the people with disabilities.To have allowance for disabled people is to humanise the nation.Other African countries should learn this good lesson from Zambia.Big UP Zambian government!!!
when are we going to see these allowances given out? today is international day for persons with diabilities and i hope big pronoucements will be made towards this issue.lets not here pleages to do this later. we need help from government now!
To import a motercycle is taxe free now. is it the same with wheel chairs? can somebody educate me on this one.