MENDY MANDIRAHWE
CHIMANIMANI-CHIPINGE based community based organisation, Inclusive Global Organisation has welcomed the news that Organisations for People with Disabilities (OPDs) in Manicaland Province have resolved to learn and share amongst themselves rather than running the show as competitors.
The OPDs resolution was made in a meeting which was held this month of May at Plan International boardroom in Mutare.
The meeting was coordinated by Regional Psychosocial Support Initiative (REPSSI), a non-profit organization which supports the psycho well being of children. REPSSI is running a program named Inclusive Community Project (ICP).
In Manicaland, OPDs which are participating in ICP include Tariro Foundation Zimbabwe, Freedom for Disabled People Zimbabwe (FDPZ), Zimbabwe Youth for Impaired Persons Trust, Manicaland Albino Association, Quadriplegic and Paraplegic Association of Zimbabwe (QUAPAZ) and Chimanimani Disabled People Association.
In his opening remarks, REPSSI’s Clever Ndanga urged organizations not to work in isolation but share and learn from each other.
“The objective of this meeting is to open dialogue on the probability of Organisations for Persons with Disabilities to share information and ideas and then move as one team. This collaboration should go to the extent of sharing information on issues such as how OPDs can get resources,” said Mr Ndanga.
In order to get to get an insight of each other’s scope of work, each OPD gave a presentation of it operations.
The OPDs then resolved to formulate a consortium for the OPDs in Manicaland and prioritise issues such as cross learning or exchange visits.
Inclusive Global weighed in to the resolution saying that this will help to identify areas where organisations can collaborate.
“Such exchange will help organisations to collaborate in areas where duplication is taking place. The idea is to make the community benefit more than the organisation,” said Sinikiwe Muyambo, the Projects Manager for Inclusive Global Organisation.