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Help us fight for disability rights

Join our campaign to ensure equality for everyone in Zimbabwe.

Get involved: Help us spread the word on social media

Equal Zimbabwe is a coalition campaign for national disability rights. We’re fighting to ensure people with disabilities are included in society, and we want to remove barriers so they can enjoy their full rights.

About the campaign

Our goal is to make sure people with disabilities have clear, enforceable rights, as aligned with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).

Achieving this aim will also help to fulfil the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, as well as the pledge of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to leave no one behind.

What do we want to achieve?

1. New disability legislation

Our campaign aims to influence policymakers and duty bearers to enact new legislation on disability, to replace the current Disabled Persons Act (DPA) of 1992.

Why does this matter? The DPA is outdated: it uses a model of disability that is no longer fit for purpose, and does not comply with the UNCRPD definition.

2. Upholding the constitution

We also want to ensure that Section 83 of the constitution of Zimbabwe is fully operational.

Why does this matter? The constitution currently follows the medical model of disability, not the preferred rights-based approach, and its definition of disability lacks clarity, leaving some people without legal protection.

“We still need to fight for equality in terms of empowerment and access to services. Have we changed the mentality within society itself?”

Pedzi smiling for the camera, standing with crutches.

Pedzi, founder of campaign partner Hope in Motion.
Read Pedzi’s story

How is the campaign run?

Equal Zimbabwe is a coalition of more than 20 organisations of people with disabilities (OPDs) from across the country, as well as several civil society organisations. It is led by a committee of elected OPD members, with Sightsavers Zimbabwe forming the campaign secretariat.

As the secretariat, Sightsavers is responsible for campaign admin and coordinating the campaign activities, engaging all coalition partners.