Three months ago, I came back to my beloved country after successfully completing my postgraduate studies abroad. Excited to be back and eager to settle down I set on a house-hunting venture. Real estate is one of the most happening things in Zambia right now. Zambians of all economic capacities are in one way or another investing in real estate. Sounds like housing is not such a problem then right? That depends on who is answering I would say. For me, accommodation especially in my home city Lusaka is a nightmare. I am an independent, educated and employed young woman. And I take the independent part quite seriously in my life. And that also means despite the fact that I am physically challenged I want to enjoy my independence to its full extent as allowed by my God-given potential. However, when it comes to the housing situation in my country my independence is in most respects curtailed. For example, just recently as I was scouring a potential house, my attention was suddenly drawn to the electricity meter. It was noticeably high on the wall almost touching the ceiling!!You have to be Michael Jordan, Peter Crouch, Phelps or any of them gigantic peoples to reach that thing, seriously. Most definitely in my wheelchair I can never reach there. I have to always seek help relate to it. But the truth is I do not need that kind of dependency at all. If anything none of us needs that inconvenience if only Zesco could put those gadgets at a reasonable height. Anyway, like in any other city the standard of housing you get in Lusaka is measured by one’s financial muscle. However, when you also have special needs financial muscle is not the only criterion. If anything financial muscle may even be a distant qualification on your list. For me access is the first thing on my list, always. What good does a beautiful flat in a building without a lift do me? What good does a beautiful affordable house with the tiniest doors do me? What good does an affordable house with inaccessible ablutions do me? The list is endless but these are the things that pre-occupy my mind when I go house-hunting. However, according to the World Bank, people with disabilities are over represented among the poor. Similarly, the United Nations (UN) notes that, 80% of people with disabilities live in poor countries such as Zambia. Without contention this is obvious looking at the number of people with disabilities lined up by the road sides or begging past motorists in Lusaka for example. My point is, if the majority of the disabled Zambians are poor then what type of accommodation can they afford and in what state is it? It is an open secret that the type of housing in most of our not so plush townships leaves much to be desired. Equally services such as water supply and waste management are a real issue. So for a moment let us focus on ablution facilities, access and people with disabilities in townships/slums. Most houses in these places have shared ablutions outside individual quarters. The ablutions are simple pit-latrines with the same space sometimes doubling as a shower and there is normally no running water in most premises. Meaning if a person of physical limitations such as mine/worse or one with a visual impairment were to live in a place like Kanyama, Misisi, Kalikiliki, John Laing etc, how would they manage their personal hygiene especially in view of the onset of rains? Here is a visual, without my wheelchair the only other way I can move is by crawling on my fours or by being lifted. Yes, this is personal but it is a reality shared by many of my kind and most without the blessings I have. Therefore, for their sake I will get personal if need be. Similarly, a visually impaired person is at great risk using a pit-latrine without any guiding markings or actual human help. So if this is how poor disabled Zambians in the townships/slums are attending to their personal hygiene can we imagine the exposure to diseases, the indignity and not to mention the discomfort during the entire ritual? A friend once said, “the act of relieving oneself is the most primitive and undignified act of human life and so it is very important that we make it as dignified as possible”. Legend!!! This takes me back to my inclusive development crusade. As I mentioned the other day, our country is going through a commendable infrastructure transformation phase except for the part of inclusion. The government, for example, has/is building a number of houses across the country under the Zambia Housing Authority (ZHA). Unfortunately, when I called ZHA about a month ago inquiring if there is a quota for accessible houses I was met with an ‘I am sorry Madam, we are not yet doing that’. Countrymen and women there are 2 million plus Zambian families out there affected by disability, poverty and other related ills and all we can tell them is sorry??No, there are times sorry is not good enough. Accessible housing is simply about making a living space user-friendly to someone with special needs. There is no universal rule per say but an individual’s needs guides the modifications required. Some general things includes; wider doors, reachable knobs, switches, reachable and easy to open windows, reasonable space to maneuver if in a wheelchair, a shower with small bench right under the water source, a handrail by the shower and toilet is great for support, adjustable things like tables, chairs etc. For the visually impaired guiding markings and good lighting are critical. So please may the relevant authorities and those that can spread the word see to it that such issues are prioritized and practical solutions are implemented. #Zambia@50, until there is inclusion there cannot be real development.
Posted on: Wed, 19 Nov 2014 10:04:15 +0000
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