By Senzeni Ncube
The National chairperson for the Bulawayo Disabled People’s Development Trust (BDPDT), Prichard Mpofu has urged women living with disabilities to partake in the Spurts crypto currency which aims at empowering women living with disability and eradicating poverty amongst them.
Spurts is a form of crypto or digital currency introduced by donors in New Zealand around May 2017 meant to benefit women leaving with disabilities in to help enrich their lives by investing in different businesses and cooperatives in the communities they live in.
Speaking during the Spurt trading day ahead of the International Day for Disability commemorations, Prichard Mpofu said disabled women are the most abused in society.
“This is a day we set aside as a trading day where disabled women trade amongst themselves using the spurts currency, as you can see they are showcasing different projects and selling different staff. Our donor is a woman who would like to see women living with disabilities able to sustain themselves in the communities they live in” , Mpofu said.
He added that the spurts currency is going to help improve the standards of living amongst women with disability as they are easily abused in society
“People with disability or rather women are usually regarded as poor in society and this usually makes them easily fall victims to abuse,” he said.
Mpofu said they wish the Government would speed up the process of legalising spurt currency.
“We wish the government can speed up the process of legalising this currency so that disabled women can get help and be independent as there is no employment in the country and the situation is even worse for women living with disability,” he said.
Bulawayo Disabled People Development Trust, Administrator Dominic Sithole said disabled women have a lot of talent that is usually not recognised in society.
“The Spurt currency has seen many women living with disability come with different project ideas to benefit themselves, everyone has their own talents but women with disability are always looked down upon when it comes to realising their capabilities.
“This is a space for them to showcase what they are capable of doing as some are into sewing, grinding of peanut butter and poultry amongst other projects’ Sithole said.
He said engagements with the Government in legalising the currency are under ways.
“We are still trying to engage the government to legalise this currency in Zimbabwe so that people with disability can use it, but other business people have been opening doors on certain days for us to buy using this currency,” he said.
Julias Sfindo a member of Sound Prosperity said Spurt is meant to benefit disabled women to be independent and be able to seek medical attention on their own.
“Our vision is that they can use this currency even when they want to purchase wheel chairs and seek medical attention on their own , we want to see them better their lives and those of their families,” said Sfindo.
He urged other disabled women to be part of spurt so that they can better their lives in the communities.
