The Federation of Disability Organizations in Malawi (FEDOMA), with support from Hivos through the NGO Coalition on Child Rights (NGOCCR), recently engaged officials from Blantyre District Council to strengthen advocacy efforts aimed at improving the wellbeing of persons with disabilities.
The engagement was organized to expand civic space for persons with disabilities and promote inclusive participation in development processes, enabling them to reach their full potential in a barrier-free environment.
Speaking after the meeting, FEDOMA Executive Director, Mr. Simon Munde, underscored the importance of duty bearers actively protecting and promoting disability rights. He emphasized the need for district council officials to ensure that persons with disabilities are meaningfully involved in development planning and implementation.
“Our engagement is aimed at advancing our advocacy agenda and ensuring that duty bearers understand their responsibility to protect and promote disability rights through inclusive development programming at district level,” said Mr. Munde.
He further highlighted that persons with disabilities are entitled to fully enjoy their rights as provided for under the law, particularly through compliance with disability accessibility standards in public infrastructure.
“These demands are clearly outlined in the Persons with Disabilities Act of 2024. We are not begging; we are demanding our rights. We will follow up to assess whether the commitments made are being implemented,” he added.
In response, Blantyre District Council Chief Human Resource Management Officer, Mr. Blessings Thawani, acknowledged the concerns raised and committed to presenting the issues to district management to strengthen disability inclusion across council programmes.
“We will ensure that persons with disabilities are consulted in all development processes, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals principle of leaving no one behind. At both community and district levels, no one should be excluded,” said Mr. Thawani.
The engagement brought together representatives from Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs), the Malawi Council for Disability Affairs (MACODA), the Blantyre Civil Society Organization Network, and heads of departments from Blantyre District Council, reinforcing a collective commitment to inclusive and rights-based development.