Following his proven leadership skills, Adrian Munyoro, the Chairman of the Young Voices, a department of Leonard Cheshire Disability Zimbabwe (LCDZ) was chosen to participate in a project started in 2017 by FK Norway in collaboration with Parents of Disabled Children Association of Malawi (PODCAM) and the Zimbabwe Parents of Handicapped Children Association (ZPHCA).
The project dubbed “Building Leadership in Youth with Disabilities in Malawi and Zimbabwe”and codenamed BULEMAZI is aiming at engaging youthS to take leadership and work towards justice and inclusion for people with disabilities.
A group of eight youth, one assistant and one sign interpreter travel in Malawi and Zimbabwe to secure the safety, inclusion and justice of people with disabilities in their societies. The FK participants have different varieties of disabilities themselves, but when they work together there is nothing they can’t handle.
From the 21st to the 25th of January 2018, 19 countries gathered at Speke Resort Munyonyo in Kampala Uganda for an annual youth camp FK Norway hosts for its partners every year. Young people from all over Africa come to learn, experience and share information on youth leadership and crucial issues that are significant to theIr journey of being leaders, role models and ambassadors of change during the exchange programmes.
Among the the 19 countries were Zimbabwean youths with disabilities representing ZPHCA namely Adrian Munyoro, Bessie Momberume, Shingirai Muchena and Anna Banet, putting youths with disabilities on the map.
“I am part of the eight participants, four from Zimbabwe together with the other four from Malawi, who, right after the youth camp in Uganda, underwent a preparatory course in Malawi from the 26th of January to the 13th of February 2018.
“Thereafter, we will start our advocacy work for the next three moths and later in May this year the participants will be coming to Zimbabwe together with the Malawian nationalities to continue with the advocacy work and create change in our society in terms of recognising and respecting disability rights and policies, people’s attitudes, perceptions and behaviours towards disability, and give leadership positions to PWDs. The main aim of the actives that are lined up for this programme is to create an equal society for all,” Munyoro said.
The FK Norway’s programme grooms and develops young leaders, increases youth participation in their societies and strengthen regional and international cooperation between civil society organisation regardless of their colour, race, nationality, gender and religion.