Loveness

Loveness is from the Disabled Women’s Support Organisation in Zimbabwe, which caters for women and young girls with disabilities. Its aim is to teach people about disability rights.

“Our organisation caters for women and young girls with disabilities. We want women and young people with a disability to be away from the charity model [where people with disabilities are viewed as needing pity and help, and are defined by their impairment]. Why we decide to work with women and girls? Because women are most powerful. Women are the heads of the family. So, as women with a disability, we should be empowered with knowledge and with projects.

“We’re a national organisation, with around 5,500 members. I am the director there. We teach people to do projects and we help parents, because they need disability counselling so that they won’t hide children with a disability indoors. We should not blame parents who are hiding their children – sometimes it’s because they don’t have knowledge.”

“It happens, especially in rural areas, that children with disabilities don’t attend school. This is simply because the schools that are for children with disabilities are very expensive to attend, so they can’t afford it.

“I can’t even explain what it feels like to be part of the Equal Zimbabwe campaign. It teaches us on human rights, on disability rights. If you are a disabled person, if you don’t know your rights, they will be violated without you knowing that you are being abused. If you know your rights, then you know how to stand up for yourself. You know where to complain; you know where to report it if something bad happens. But if you don’t know your rights, you just sit and you leave people violating them.

“I feel this campaign will change the lives of people with disabilities. Yes, it will really change.”