Zaepd

About us

The Zambia Association on Employment for Persons with Disabilities (ZAEPD)

We are 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. Since inception, ZAEPD has been facilitating the award of 100% Government bursaries for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities through the support of the Ministry of Technology & Science (MoTS) to enroll for vocational skills training every year.

Our membership currently stands 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. In terms of percentages, males enrollment stood at 62.7% while

ZAEPD is present in the five (5) provinces of Zambia namely, Lusaka, Copperbelt, Central, Southern and Luapula. The headquarters is based at the Curriculum Development Centre (CDC) building situated on Hailes Salassie Avenue Opposite Chinese Embassy in Longacres, Lusaka

ZAEPD CADIR PROJECT QUARTER THREE REPORT (17)

Goal

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

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.

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.

More about ZAEPD

Since inception, the institution has been working with the Government of the Republic of Zambia through the Ministry of Technology and Science (MoTS), under the vocational skills training department. ZAEPD also partners with other Government Ministries and Agencies, Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) as well as relevant stakeholders. Currently, the organization is implementing the LEAVE NO ONE BEHIND PROJECT: EQUAL RIGHTS FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES, whose primary focus is the push for Inclusive Education with the support from the Norwegian Association for the Disabled (NAD) to carry out its activities of promoting vocational skills training and also the integration of persons intellectual and developmental disabilities into the labour market.
ZAEPD has been undertaking series of employment awareness meetings with relevant stakeholders such as the Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MLSS), Ministry of Technology & Science (MoTS), Zambia Agency for Persons with Disabilities (ZAPD), Zambia Federation of Disability Organizations (ZAFOD), Zambia Federation of Employers (ZFE), International Labour Organization (ILO), Human Right Commission (HRC), Disability Rights Watch (DRW) among others in a bid increase participation of persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities into the labor market. In addition, the organization also carry out sensitization programs on different platforms such as TV, radio and community outreach engagements with members of the public aimed at creating awareness so as to foster positive attitudes towards persons with disabilities in general.

School Visitations

ZAEPD conducts school visitations programs every year in the Provinces mentioned above to identify potential learners with intellectual and developmental disabilities and facilitate for their enrolment in the TEVETA accredited institutions such as the National Vocational Rehabilitation Centre (NVRC), Lusaka Business College, Kabwe Institute of Science, Mansa Trades, Livingstone Institute of Business, Engineering and Science (LIBES), Zimba Centre for Youth and Rural Development (ZCYRD) among others.

Through this exercise, the office submits list of accepted learners for the award of bursaries and ZAEPD expresses its deepest gratitude and appreciations to the Government through the Ministry of Technology and Science (MoTS), who offers 100% bursaries to the learners with intellectual disabilities on an annual basis.

Vocational Skills Training

In terms of statistics, ZAEPD has facilitated for over 3583 learners who have since graduated from these TEVET institutions to which some have been integrated into the labor market. 

In a nutshell, as ZAEPD, lobbying and advocating for inclusive education through access to vocational skills training by persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities is a game changer and it is something the organization cherishes to do and calls for more collaborations.