Improving Employment Opportunities for Youth With Albinism Through Comprehensive Low Vision Services.
Zimbabwe Albino Association in partnership with Seeing is Believing, CBM, Council for the Blind Zimbabwe is currently implementing a project titled IMPROVING EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUTH WITH ALBINISM THROUGH COMPREHENSIVE LOW VISION SERVICES. The project aims to empower youth with albinism through provision of low vision services to improve their employability opportunities and their ability to undertake self-help projects efficiently and effectively. The project is targeting 50 youth with Albinism between the ages of 18-35 residing in Harare and Chitungwiza. The project is running for a year from the 1st of November 2019 to the 31st of October 2020.
This project is empowering youth with albinism through the following interventions.
- Low vision services
- Providing access to comprehensive low vision assessments and eye screening at Sekuru Kaguvi Hospital
- Providing appropriate low vision devices (e.g. spectacles, telescopes and magnifiers)
- Self-confidence and career guidance coaching
- This project will provide self-esteem and confidence boosting seminars to help remove effects of discrimination on esteem.
- Careers events will also be held with persons with albinism who have made it in life, to show through role modelling that opportunities do exist.
- Vocational and Business management training
- 15 youths with albinism will be supported to attend vocational training centres to enhance their skills.
- Trainings in business management and livestock production will be provided to support 35 youth who would like to start their own businesses.
After training, youth with strong business plans will be supported with start-up loans to start their own income generating projects.
Sunscreen lotion and sunhats will also be provided to youths with albinism
