Disabilities in Zambia

The academies that Goal Zambia is affiliated with welcome individuals with disabilities, of which there is over 2 million in the country, something that does not always happen with social stigma often directed towards them. This includes physical, sensory, psychosocial and intellectual disabilities and, although it is difficult to build a team football team for those with difficulties, the academies we work with make a concious effort to encourage them to attend training on the pitch and provide support for them. Perhaps one day there will be a team available for them to join. Diseases and conditions are prevelant in a country with high levels of extreme poverty and these include Schistosomiasis, a waterbourne disease, blindness from lack of vitamin B in some localities and polio, to name a few.

Those with physical difficulties also face major consequential challenges across Zambia, particularly in relation to HIV prevention, testing and treatment and their access to services is not on an equal basis with everybody else. There are a similar number of people with physical difficulties as those that are HIV positive. Girls with disabilities also face increased sexual partner intimidation and violence and restricted access to information concerning these dangers, leading to a greater potential for infection and re-infection with HIV. Access to educational facilities and subsequently lower level of literacy also leads to greater poverty and greater risk of sexual and physical abuse. Interviews with people in Zambia have revealed that negative attitudes towards them also restrict their opportunities to marry and have children. People assume that those with physical difficulties are not sexually active so question why they even need access to HIV treatment. Hope fully the academies we are working with will continue to encorage inclusion of those with disabilities and introduce an acceptance of this at the community level.

The same is true for children with difficuties in the country. School access can be difficult or denied and with it access to primary sources of information that can mean the difference between life and death. Families can also harbour their own internal discriminatory attitudes that don't eleviate the problem. Often those that are HIV positive and have manged to get antireviral treatment are reliant on another family member to support them to access this, which may not, for this or that reason, always be forthcoming or consistent. Those unable to attend appointments as a result are often labelled as defaulters by service providers, who thereafter require them to attend more frequent appointments and limit their supply of medicines. There is a lack of health information produced in formats such as simplified versions, braille, large print and sign language symbols, suitable for those with sensory or intellectual impairments.

Helthcare worker and providers of HIV services also lack the knowledge, training and experience to work and communicate effectively and address the needs of children and adults with physical and learning difficulties.

The government of Zambia has signed up to a number of international and regional treaties agreeing on the equal treatment of those with health difficulties, including the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and it's own 2012 Person's with Disabilities Act yet the good intentions and strategies to provide services have not always come to fruition. Dispite an awareness of the situation, international donars and the United Nations have also fallen short of helping much.

Goal Zambia aims to encourage academies to continue to work towards inclusion of all children and young adult members and provide support for them to achieve this.