An Enabling Environment

An Enabling Environment

Ms Gwenlisa T. Mushonga is a lady with albinism. She runs a Non-Profit Making Organization she also sits on many boards and is a mother of three intelligent and energetic teenagers. When asked about her motivation she points to her childhood. Gwen grew up in a supportive family. She points out that in her family, it was only her and her immediate older brother who have albinism however they were never singled out or made to feel different by their close family members. The love and acceptance they were given as children would lead Gwen and her elder brother to become the strong, hardworking and resourceful adults they are today.

Although like many children with albinism growing up in a society that had little understanding of albinism Gwen had her fair share of abuse from neighbors and fellow students at school while she was growing up. Today Gwenlisa Mushonga is the founder and Executive Director of Alive Albinism Initiative – an organization based in Zimbabwe that seeks to create a platform for persons with albinism to reach their full potential. She is currently studying towards the attainment of a Bachelor of Science Honors degree in Special Needs Education with Zimbabwe Open University. She holds a certificate in Social Entrepreneurship from Kanthari an institute for Social Entrepreneurs which is based in India. Her dedication as a disability rights activist has seen her being appointed as the Secretary General for the African Union-Disability Council in Zimbabwe as well as being selected as a 2017 Mandela Washington Fellow. She is also a member of the Albinism African Think Tank.

Through her organization, Albinism Alive Initiative she has entered into partnerships with international organizations such as Amnesty International where she has mainstreamed disability into their operations. Gwen strongly advocates for the empowerment of women with disabilities and to this end she has forged partnerships which have seen a large number of women with disabilities being awarded Agro based scholarships thus creating empowerment from them. Her work and dedication has seen her being appointed as a member of the Zimbabwe – India Business Council of the Women’s Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry {WICCI}.

Gwen’s hopes and aspirations are to ensure that individuals with albinism and women with disabilities in the remotest parts of the country receive support and care so that they can be able to make a meaningful contribution towards the growth and development of Zimbabwe. Ms Mushonga‘s major concern is that people with disabilities continue to face challenges of not being accepted in their immediate family units by virtue of being disabled. Gwen counts herself as being fortunate in that her family loved her as she is and this love enabled her to gain confidence and self-esteem which has led her to become the successful woman she is today. She notes that she was allowed to participate in every childhood activity possible by her family. As a youth they allowed her to experience adolescence on an equal basis with her non-disabled peers.

Gwen loves children, though she already has three of her own she sometimes bakes cakes for children with disabilities on their individual birthdays. When asked about her greatest wish, she highlighted that she wishes for a Zimbabwe and an Africa that understands persons with disabilities, where there are is no stigma or discrimination towards persons with disabilities especially those with albinism. She dreams of an Africa where people with albinism are safe and can travel on their own at any time without fear of being harmed in anyway due to false cultural myths and beliefs. An Africa where people with disabilities are respected and are afforded equal opportunities to resources and are allowed to make a gainful living on their own without relying on donors or charity in general.

To realize her dreams through her organization, Alive Albinism Initiative Gwen and her team have embarked on numerous educational and awareness raising campaigns. This has seen her travel to many countries especially in Africa to raise awareness about the plight of persons with albinism. In terms of empowerment, Gwen and her team recently partnered with Harabe Trust which offered Agro based scholarship to 300 women with disabilities. This being a drop in the ocean in terms of the partnerships she embarked on to empower persons with disabilities in general.

Gwen emphasized that people with disabilities are also being affected by the current Covid19 Pandemic although it seems that very little is being done to include people with disabilities in the prevention programme despite the fact that they are a very vulnerable group. For instance, information of how they can prevent the spread of this virus is not reaching them in accessible formats such as braille and sign language. She urged the responsible authorities to ensure that everyone is included in the Covid19 prevention programme as the pandemic does not discriminate on the basis of ability or lack thereof.

In terms of immediate future plans, Ms Mushonga pointed out that she through her organization, Alive Albinism Initiative are in the process of acquiring a piece of land in Chihota, a peri-urban area near the capital city of Harare. They intend to start various income generating projects for persons with albinism there. Her main aim for this future project being the creation of empowered people with albinism who are able to afford to buy their own lotions, medications and generally look after themselves and their without relying on others.