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Jairos Jiri Association - a beacon of hope for the disability sector
National Association of Societies for the Care of the Handicapped (NASCOH)
Extracted from Disability Update, Sept 29 - Oct 06, 2006
October 02, 2006

In an era where stigmatisation and discrimination against people with disabilities is often carried to unprecedented levels, Jairos Jiri Association, arguably the best-known disability organisation in Zimbabwe, stands out as a pillar of strength and a beacon of hope and inspiration to the disability sector. Not only is it the largest service provider to people with disabilities, with over 14 500 clients being served annually through outreach and follow-up integration programmes: it has achieved the rare feat of being able to provide over 37% of its current operational budget of $142million from its factories, craft shops, goodwill shops, farms and fundraising activities. This achievement attests to the grossly overlooked ability of people with disabilities to perform impressively in various fields of endeavour if given the opportunity.

A model of diversity, empowerment and integration, the association runs 16 centres where over 1200 children and adults receive treatment, care, skills training and education. In the area of education and training, the association’s Bulawayo Centre offers training in 9 areas of trade and business skills, catering for 132 adults, while 30 students are benefiting from attending a two-year course in Subsistence and Commercial Agriculture which is offered at the Masvingo Centre. Kadoma School for the Blind provides primary education for 123 students, while Harare Centre currently caters for the educational needs of 217 pre-school to grade 7 children with severe physical disabilities. Gweru School for the Dead provides pre-school to grade 7 education including vocational courses in tailoring, carpentry and agriculture to 250 students while Waterfalls Centre provides pre-school education and physiotherapy treatment to 42 young children suffering from cerebral palsy. In addition, 100 children are currently benefiting from the Jairos Jiri Scholarship programme, which assists secondary and post secondary students attending schools and colleges in Zimbabwe.

Income generating projects are run at the Bulawayo and Zimunya Factory and Sawmill in Mutare. High quality furniture is produced at these establishments, which also provide training and employment to 52 persons with disabilities in woodwork, metal work and leather craft. Burnside, Gwanda and Gleneagles cater for a wide range of agricultural production including poultry, animal husbandry, dry land farming, flood irrigation, and horticultural production. Together, the two provide gainful employment to 9 ex-trainees of the association with disabilities. In addition, Jairos Jiri craft shops in Harare, Bulawayo, Victoria Falls and Mutare offer a large variety of local and traditional wares to the public and also to tourists. Quality clothing is available to the public at Goodwill store in Bulawayo.

Jairos Jiri has also made tremendous impact in the Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) Programme, which offers identification, referral and support services to over 4 300 people with disabilities in their home areas, while income generating projects initiated by CBR clients, which employ over 400 people, receive administrative, financial and material support until they achieve self-sufficiency. The Orthopaedic Workshop in Harare provides artificial limbs and assistive appliances for the association’s clients and the general public.

The Rusape Centre and Pumula Hostel provide accessible accommodation and motherly care to 97 people with physical and visual impairments who are integrated into nearby ordinary primary and secondary schools for educational purposes.

Lobby and advocacy programmes to raise public awareness of the rights and opportunities to empower people with disabilities throughout Zimbabwe to enable them to take their rightful place as independent and productive citizens are an ongoing activity. Gender, literacy and HIV\AIDS awareness programmes complement the advocacy efforts.

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