The Sunday Mail
Theseus Shambare
The 10th edition of the National Disability Expo kicks off at Rudhaka Stadium in Marondera on Wednesday, with President Emmerson Mnangagwa expected to headline the official opening of the three-day event.
Running under the them “Building a Disability Inclusive and Participatory Environment, Leaving No One Behind”, the expo will showcase products, new technologies, crafts and other services for people living with disabilities.
Director in the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Disability Mr Macnon Chirinzepi said preparations for the expo were at an advanced stage.
“The organising committee has done much of the detailed work and has toured the venue which is being renovated,” he said.
“Our venue, which was previously inaccessible to people with disabilities, has been spruced up.
“Wheelchair users can now access the venue without assistance.”
He said resources for the event had been mobilised.
“President Mnangagwa is expected to officially open the expo on Wednesday. We are advocating inclusion, self-representation and empowerment of people with disabilities for them to stop relying on assistance.”
He added: “We are saying persons with disabilities can do amazing work that can be done by able-bodied persons.
“We are moving away from the charity model for the disabled and marching towards a progressive mindset approach in our society where we do not give disabled people fish but empower them with the skill to catch fish.
“Within our different associations, we have persons with disabilities that are gifted in different areas and some of them will be showcasing products they produced in different sectors, including agriculture.”
Mr Chirinzepi said the expo was an opportunity for the nation to come and support those living with disabilities and learn how to live with them in an inclusive and conducive environment.
Mashonaland East Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Aplonia Munzverengwi said her province was prepared to host the event.
“We will benefit from the visitors coming from across the country and even beyond Zimbabwe,” she said.
“As Mashonaland East and Marondera in particular, we are going to be put on the map because this is not just the expo, but an opportunity for tourism as well.”
Around 100 exhibitors will showcase their products during the expo.
