First Lady Esther donates to disabled

Thu, 17 Nov 2016 14:55:19 +0000

FIRST Lady Esther Lungu has donated assorted food hampers to people with disabilities in Nampundwe mine area in Shibuyunji district and urged Zambians to take care of the needy in society.

Zambia Agency for Persons with Disabilities (ZAPD) provincial coordinator Lusaka province, John Kinuna made the donation on behalf of Ms Lungu yesterday and called on the disabled people to know their rights.

Mr Kinuna said ZAPD being a governmnet institution was mandated to take care of the disabled and register all those who were disabled across the country.

He said Governemnt wanted to know the number of the disabled people in Zambia so that it planned well for social walfare funds, hence registration was continous.

” We need to know that people with disabilities should know their rights, so we encourage you to form groups that are sustainable such as Shibuyunji disabled association. We have been sent by the First Lady Esther Lungu to come and donate some food hampers , such as meali meal, sugar, salt , beans and cooking oil and this is not just happening here in Shibuyunji but in all ten provinces and each province has received 50 food hampers,” he said.

Mr Kinuna who is also physically challenged, said  the program was also aimed at empowering and lifting up the lives among other things.

Area coordinator committee chairperson from Social Welfare Nampundwe ward, Kennedy Chikatula thanked the First Lady for the gesture shown and apealed to Governmnet to continue uplifting the lives of people with disabilities. Mr Chikatula appealed to the beneficiaries to continue working with ZAPD so that many could be indentified and benefit from such good iniatitive programs and urged them not to misuse the food.

Meanwhile, social walfare committee member Misheck Cheele expressed happiness that the disabled people were now being recognised in society.

“We thank the First Lady for having taken such a good iniatitive, disability is a difficult thing. This simply shown that governmnet cares for us,” he said.

Thirty seven families received the food hampers and thirteen were given to some underprivaleged people in Lusaka.

Among the beneficiaries were the vision impaired, celebral palsy, the deaf, and physically challenged people.