Timely U.S. intervention helps Jairos Jiri center avert cholera
Rusape, February 24, 2009: United States ambassador to Zimbabwe, James McGee, officially handed over additional grinding mill equipment to the Jairos Jiri Rusape Center on Tuesday at an event that was witnessed by directors of the Center and officials from the U.S. Embassy.
U.S. Ambassador James McGee watches as Sinikiwe Kademaunga, a student at the Jairos Jiiri Rusape Center, demonstrates that disability is not inability.
The support represents part of US$10,000 grant from the Ambassador’s Self Help Fund. The grant will help refurbish a borehole and repair an existing grinding mill that has not been functioning for many years due to lack of parts. The U.S. support also allowed Jairos Jiri to the repair existing manual knitting machines and buy yarn to enable the center to provide knitting skills to the disabled children.
McGee commended the center for its work and encouraged the children at the center to emulate blind New York governor, David Patterson.
“The future can be there for every one of you. That is why we want to be of assistance to this wonderful institution. Nothing should every hold you down,” said McGee in his address to students and staff at the Centre.
The Center manager, Emmanuel Piki, told the U.S. Ambassador about the cultural challenges faced by disabled children in most parts of Zimbabwe. Piki was disabled from polio at the age of 3, abandoned by his family and raised in institutions.
“I realize why you are here, you have handicaps, and in your culture that can be a very bad thing. But every one of you has one thing that all of us have- that is a wonderful mind. This school is helping you develop this mind so you can move forward in life and become productive members of society,” McGee assured the students.
Piki said the institution would generate some income through the grinding mill and the knitting machines and also hailed the timely supply of the water pump. He said the income from the knitting machines and grinding mill will help pay the children’s tuition, and buy books, pens, household toiletry, and medicine.
“Now that there is this cholera problem, fetching from the stream was very unsafe for the center staff as well as the primary school. At least we are drinking very clean water, we do not need to boil,” said Piki.
Jairos Jiri is a national organization for disabled children. Its center in Rusape provides boarding facilities to 50 disabled children. 10 are blind, 19 deaf and dumb and 21 have mobility handicaps. The children attend school nearby at St. Faith Primary or Secondary Schools.
The Ambassador’s Self-Help Fund was created by the Agency for International Development to demonstrate the United States Government’s interest in the welfare of local communities in developing countries. The funding is designed to aid those organizations and communities at a grassroots level to benefit communities.
Ends…