Irene Banda © Progressio

Irene Banda was a resource worker with the Zimbabwe Parents of Children with Disabilities (ZPCDA) Bulawayo branch, Zimbabwe. Irene is from Malawi.

As a development worker with an organisation made up of parents of children with disabilities, Irene has been able to see for herself the direct impact of her work. 'Parents are now able to fight for the rights of their children and the services available for them,' she says. 'They know and share the procedures with others. They can confidently do group and self-advocacy using the knowledge, information and skills acquired. On the leadership front, they are able to determine the course of projects and deal with issues, and they participate in planning and monitoring processes.'

This progress is a testament to Irene's contribution to the work of ZPCDA, a national disability organisation that brings together parents to advocate for the rights of their disabled children, to support one another and work together to help secure services and improve their living conditions.
 
Irene's work with ZPCDA's Bulawayo branch, which has a membership of over 200 parents and children, essentially involves developing the skills and capacity of the parents and of the organisation's staff. Her work included:

• helping the organisation fight against the stigmatisation of people with disabilities - for example, helping with awareness-raising campaigns including the 'Towards a barrier free world' day
• lobbying local councils for housing provision
• lobbying schools regarding the inclusion of disabled children
• helping to establish a ZPCDA fundraising committee
• helping to establish a pre-school scheme for disabled children
• managing a revolving loan scheme for parents
• training parents in basic business, IT and child stimulation skills
• training staff in book-keeping, leadership, monitoring and evaluation, IT skills and policy formation.

Another issue that Irene tried to address was the low representation and involvement of men within the association - many husbands abandon their wives upon discovering their child is disabled, while others may work in other regions or countries. During Irene's time with ZPCDA, the composition of men in the organisation's membership increased from around 10 to 20 per cent.

As Irene explains, the aim of ZPCDA is to give parents the confidence to seek improvements in the lives of their children. 'Parents at all levels of the organisational structure are empowered and more knowledgeable in matters of project management, resource mobilisation, disability and advocacy and lobbying, rights of children with disabilities and to some extent HIV and AIDS,' says Irene. 'Because members are now empowered, children with disabilities are now enjoying some of their rights, especially in education and health. In turn, society is becoming more receptive of parents and their children with disabilities.'

Irene is from Malawi where she worked as a Community Rehabilitation Officer helping people with disabilities for over 8 years before joining Progressio in 2002.

The Civil Society Participation project in Zimbabwe that Irene Banda was placed with is generously supported by Comic Relief.