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Federation of the Disabled gets female leader
2008-07-06 11:28:04
By Edwin Agola
Lupi Mwaswanya from the Tanzania Association of the Deaf (Chavita) has been elected the chairperson of Tanzania Federation of Disabled People`s Organizations (SHIVYAWATA), the first woman top leader in the federation. She emerged victor in a democratic hotly contested election held in Morogoro recently.
Mwaswanya garnered 51 votes out of 73 total votes to hook the position for a five-year term. The post of vice chairperson and secretary general`s position went to Amon Anastazy and Felician Mkude respectively.
Mwaswanya said in her acceptance speech that she would strive to ensure that SHIVYAWATA provided to its members a common forum for common lobbying and advocacy for the rights and dignity of people with distinct disabilities in Tanzania Mainland.
``We will operate under the vision of seeing to it that people with disability in Tanzania Mainland are recognized, respected and receive the basic human rights in a humane dignified manner,`` she told the jubilant audience.
She added that strong commitment of other actors, especially Action on Disability and Development, International Labour Organisation and UN Development Programme, is an opportunity for SHIVYWATA to effectively and efficiently spearhead advocacy and lobbying and also conduct capacity building programmes to its members.
``Being member based, the federation has an opportunity of spearheading both local and international initiatives that support the day to day welfare of people with disabilities,`` she said
Giving her congratulatory message, Uganda Programme Director for Action on Disability and Development (ADD), Mulindwa Matovu, said the wider issues on disability should be approached in a collective perspective.
``In Uganda we had a programme of internship engaging higher learning institutions to develop young people understand disability as their own problem and look at different impairment and what causes them,`` she said, adding that in order to impact remarkable positive changes to the lives of persons with disabilities strategic alliance and collaboration with policy makers is paramount.
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