Zambia Association on Employment for Persons with Disabilities

ZAEPD

The Zambia Association on Employment for Persons with Disabilities (ZAEPD) is a parent based Non-Governmental Organization whose children with disabilities are either attending or completed vocational skills training in various survival skills and are not able to effectively compete for the limited jobs in the regular labor market.

Projects
About Us

ZAEPD

24 Years Of Service

Since 2001, ZAEPD membership is currently standing at 3576 comprising of both persons with disabilities and their parents/ guardians. In the last five (5) years, the institution has managed to facilitate the award 228 persons with intellectual disabilities through Government bursaries under the Ministry of Technology and Science (MoTS) to enroll for vocational skill in various Tevet accredited institutions. From the 228 awarded, 143 are males whilst 85 are females.

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Current ZAEPD Membership

20 +

Facilitated Govt Bursaries in 5 years

20 +

Present in 5 Provinces in Zambia

1

Projects Per year

20 +

ZAEPD

GOAL, MISSION, VISION

Our Goal

Promotion of Inclusive Vocational Skills Training for persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and also Lobby for their Integration into the Labor Market.

Our Mission

Provision of the conducive and enabling environment that fosters the participation of persons with intellectual disabilities in the area of education as well as the labor market without discrimination

Our Vision

To Uplift the Livelihood of Persons with Disabilities through the Provision of Employment Opportunities after the acquiring vocational skills training.

VALUES

The Core Values of ZAEPD are Honest, Transparency, Commitment, Respect in Human Dignity and the ability to share.

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Our Objectives

  • To increase awareness levels among persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their parents/guardians on the availability of inclusive vocational skills training and employment opportunities.
  • To increase placement and selection process for enrolment of persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities to enable them undergo inclusive vocational skills training.
  • To lobby and advocate for the integration of graduates with intellectual disabilities in the labor market from government ministries, agencies and other stakeholders in a bid to develop linkages with employers on various platforms to enhances of employment opportunities for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
  • To lobby and advocate for the integration of graduates with intellectual disabilities in the labor market from government ministries, agencies and other stakeholders in a bid to develop linkages with employers on various platforms to enhances of employment opportunities for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Whats New?

News from ZAEPD

ZAEPD

Success Stories

The Zambia Association on Employment for Persons with Disabilities (ZAEPD) is pleased to note that the project activities have recorded numerous successes in many diverse ways which include the following;

01.

The levels of negatives attitudes towards persons with disabilities has significantly reduced as witnessed during the course of the project activities implementation in the last 5 (five) years for instance were parents/guardian that did not take their children for vocational skills training with the mindset that they cannot do anything but through continuous robust community engagements and sensitizations triggered them to begin sending their children to school through ZAEPD facilitation.

02.

The interventions are aimed at creating awareness to members of the public on the need to foster an inclusive society where NO ONE IS LEFT BEHIND as stipulated in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), the vision 2030, the Disability act No. 6 of 2012 and the recently launched 2025 National Disability Policy which places premium emphasis on inclusivity without leaving anyone behind.

03.

ZAEPD recently managed to integrate one 2023 General Agriculture graduate with intellectual disability into the Zambia National Service (ZNS) in the Agriculture department. This integration into the labor market is one successful story that brings joy not only to ZAEPD but society as a whole. Disability is not inability.

04.

ZAEPD activities has impacted positively communities in the operation areas through access to information on inclusive vocational skills training as well as employment opportunities.

Challenges ZAEPD Encounter

ZAEPD faced numerous challenges during the course of the project implementation and these include the following;

1 – The integration of graduates with intellectual and developmental disabilities into the labor market is one major challenge ZAEPD faced severely. This can be attributed largely to the high unemployment levels in the country where they are many graduates in the streets chasing after limited jobs.

2 – Dependance on one donor in past years has triggered ZAEPD to cover limited areas to conduct lobby and advocacy for persons with intellectual disabilities.

3 – Mobility challenges

Future Interventions

Going forward, ZAEPD will implore better strategies arising from the challenges which have been encountering by way of scaling up resource mobilization so that more corperate partners (Donors)are attracted into the organization. With the difficulties to integrate persons with intellectual disabilities into the labor market, ZAEPD under the Economic Empowerment Thematic Area will enable to bring forth activities aimed at empowering graduates with intellectual disabilities so that they can venture into self employment activities rather than over dependance looking for jobs.
The challenges faced in the current project has enabled ZAEPD to be more proactive going forward.
ZAEPD will also intensify more on collaboration with the Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission (CEEC) and the Local Authorities through the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) so that persons with intellectual disabilities are incorporated into the grants and loans facility. Additionally, ZAEPD intends to conduct budget tracking into the disbursement of these grants and loans by the Councils to check whether there is inclusivity. This will be one of the lobby and advocacy strategy which will be used.
ZAEPD emphasizes more on collaboration and as such, ZAEPD is looking forwardbroadeing the platforms/networks so that together, we can exchange ideas and news ways of conducting our lobby and advocacy for effective service delivery to our respective clientele.