Zimbabwe – Case conferencing on children living with disabilities

Case management is a process of assessment, planning, facilitation and advocating for options and services to meet an individual’s health (children needs through communication and available resources to promote quality cost effective outcome). Case conferencing is a product of case management in which it involves all stakeholders which has to do with children living with disabilities.

Women have to carry the burden of raising a child with disability alone. This was done in order to create a database of all children living with disabilities from early age. This encourages mothers with children with disabilities to come out of their hiding places into the open. As it is known that if a woman gives birth to a disabled child it is her duty to take care of the child. So the project was created to know how many children live with disabilities in Kadoma urban so that they will be provided with their special needs.

The project aims to identify all children living with disabilities and assist them with their special needs. It seeks to refer children living with disabilities to their relevant authorities where there is a need. Most importantly to assist the women who are being neglected to look after the child and educate them about the conditions of their children in-depth. It also aims to increase and create self-esteem to the child. The project, basically, provides support to mothers and children living with disabilities. It advocates for the rights of children living with disabilities to be implemented.

The project has reached 150 direct beneficiaries. The Zimbabwean Government has allocated $3000 to support this project.

Of the main challenges the project came across is that some percentages of disabilities were more than expected but there has been an improvement. Some parents used to hide their children but eventually they have shown them and are recorded to the statistics. Also some other children were not allowed to go out and make friends but now they integrate and play together.

Mothers of children living with disabilities are being empowered. This also applies to women living with disabilities as they are being empowered with wisdom and funds to start-up businesses.

Tendai Masarakufa says, “As a mother of a child with disability I thank God so much for the program.  My child with club foot had been assisted with funds to do an operation and was given referral letter to go and get food assistance.” Men are also seeing the need to take responsibility and accept their children with disabilities.

Ever since this project started, the people are now able to live and take care of the children living with disabilities. As a result of this intervention the gap between a child with and without disability has been covered.

Children without a disability are now enjoying playing with children with disabilities and are now learning together without special schools or special classes. Fathers’ attitudes towards their children with disabilities have changed. They have stopped side-lining them and are taking full responsibility in helping the mothers to raise these children.

The project will continue educating the public about different physical challenges that children are born with. Most importantly, the public must understand that people born with any form of disability are not abomination, they are human beings like any other person and they should be treated normally.