According to UNICEF, there are an estimated 93 million children with disabilities in the world and these children represent one of the most marginalised groups on the planet. Children with disabilities must frequently overcome prejudice, stigma and institutional barriers to education and services, as well as their own physical or mental challenges. It is all too common for disabled children in the global south to be isolated, neglected and written off as useless because of stigma, ignorance and misguided beliefs.
In Zambia in particular, most children living with disabilities do not attend school and many rarely leave their own homes. Wukwashi’s staff strive to convey that children with additional needs are just as valuable and significant as any others.
Wukwashi supports children with disabilities and their families – seeing dramatic changes in their conditions – and advocates for the rights of disabled children within churches and wider society. They make a tangible difference to disabled children in all sorts of ways. At their weekly support and physiotherapy groups, children with disabilities can play, make friends, receive vital therapy, and even be assessed for mobility aids. These groups also provide the children’s parents and guardians with vital support. Wukwashi also helps disabled children to access education and learn simple life skills, so they can become more independent and make a contribution to their communities.
