President Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera on Thursday inaugurated this year’s MACOHA Flag Week with a call to stakeholders to think critically about the kind of support they offer to persons with disabilities so as to incorporate them in developing the country.
Speaking at Kamuzu Palace the President said Malawi must quickly transition from treating persons with disabilities as charity cases.
The President said there is a need for the country to have tailor-made activities for people with disabilities for them to meaningfully contribute towards Malawi 2063.
“We cannot afford to be giving Malawians in general and persons with disabilities, in particular, the kind of skills they cannot earn a livelihood from,” said President Chakwera.
In his remarks, Chairperson for the Malawi Council for the Handicapped (MACOHA), Professor Chiwoza Bandawe said the organisation has intensified vocational training and contributions for this year will be used to procure start up tools for 60 people with disabilities.
President Dr Lazarus Chakwera has since bought the first flag at K2 million.
Last year, MACOHA raised K6.8 million and this year it intends to raise K60 million for empowering people with disabilities.
According to national data as presented by National Statistics Office, 10.4 percent of the country’s population are people with disabilities. The World Bank on the other hand estimate that 15 percent of every country’s population is of people living with disabilities.