FEDOMA Trains Malawian Journalists in Disability Reporting

Malawi - The Federation for Disability Organisation in Malawi (FEDOMA) has trained journalists in Malawi on disability issues to help ensure that disability priorities are included in their news reporting and programmes, writes Comfort Bulangete.

"There are a lot of challenges that people living with disabilities are facing. Some of the barriers people with disability are facing are either directly or indirectly a result of marginalization and discrimination. For instance, a barrier could be as simple as stairs instead of a ramp that prevents someone from entering and having access to social services," said Simon Munde, FEDOMA executive director.

"People with disabilities do not need fixing; they need to be accepted for who they are. By ensuring that no one is left behind, inclusive and equitable quality education, promote lifelong learning opportunities, and employment opportunities for all, including persons with disability.”

Munde stressed that the media remains a powerful tool in ensuring that information on disability issues is known, hence the partnership with the Blantyre Press Club.

"The training has come at a good time as a component of inclusion seems to be absent in the country, especially when it comes to accessing social services for people living with disabilities. The training has raised various points that need careful attention, including the persons with disability bill, which has been on the Ministry of Justice shelves for four years now," said Martin Gela jnr, a Blantyre Press Club member and journalist who attended the training.

Gela jnr further stated, "The training has offered me time to ‘recharge batteries’. It has been an eye-opener. Being a journalist coming from the Shire Valley District of Nsanje, the training has been an eye-opener since during the rainy season, there are a lot of challenges that people with floods face since they don't have access to hospitals and schools due to floods. Now, because of the training, I have noticed a lot of issues people with disabilities that need reporting."

Blessings Kanache, Blantyre Press Club president, urged journalists in Malawi to publicize the call for improved laws guiding people with disabilities.

"The training was part of a project in collaboration with FEDOMA and the Malawi National Association for the Deaf-MANAD. We seek to push duty bearers, mainly the executive arm of the government, to pass the Disability Rights Bill to become a law," Kanache added.

The call was made at a training organized by the Blantyre Press Club in conjunction with FEDOMA and the Malawi National Association for the Deaf-MANAD, held on February 24, 2023, at Mango Lodge in the City of Zomba.

Journalists, editors, and reporters from various media platforms attended the training.