No dedicated disability mechanism in US$3m youth funds

HARARE — Zimbabwe’s Youth Ministry has admitted that there is no built-in mechanism specifically targeting young people with disabilities in two empowerment funds worth a combined US$3 million.

Deputy Youth Empowerment Minister Junior Kudakwashe Mupamhanga made the admission in the Senate after Sen. Shiri asked what inclusion targets and accommodations had been built into the US$1 million Economic Empowerment Fund and US$2 million Presidential Youth Empowerment Revolving Fund.

“Currently, in the Ministry, there is no in-built mechanism for those with disabilities,” Mupamhanga said.

He said ministry officials were nevertheless encouraged to identify young people with disabilities and ensure they could participate in empowerment programmes.

“We encourage our structures, that is, our provincial heads and district heads to seek young people with disabilities so that they can also be part of the loan schemes,” he said.

Mupamhanga said he did not have figures showing how many young people with disabilities had benefited, although he said their participation was increasing.

Asked whether beneficiaries with disabilities would receive collateral waivers, Mupamhanga said no.

“May I say that we do not have collateral waivers on our loans,” he said.

Instead, beneficiaries can use assets such as machinery or livestock as collateral, with young people with disabilities subject to the same requirements.

“In that same vein, young people with disabilities will be subjected to the same whereby they build an asset register. It could be livestock or machinery that they are importing. That becomes the collateral for the loans that they take,” Mupamhanga said.

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