The government of Tanzania has at last appointed a junior minister with a brief for disabilities, thanks to persistent lobbying from Neema Crafts, the centre set up by CMS mission partners Andy and Susie Hart.

“The first thing the minister did when she took office was spend two days with Neema Crafts to see what we do,” said Susie.

When the Harts first arrived in Iringa in 2003, Susie was not planning to get involved in a project right away. But seeing disabled people marginalised, dragging themselves through the streets, thrown out of shops, she felt she had no choice but to help change society’s perceptions of deaf and disabled people.

So Neema Crafts started with three young deaf men learning the art of papermaking and today it has changed the lives of hundreds of formerly-hopeless people through skills training and employment.

In fact, Neema just opened the first fully-disabled run guesthouse in the world, to rave reviews.

In seven years, from individual lives to the government level, society has changed.

“Disabled people getting employment, the government reacting to disability issues at last…all this follows from a change in relationships. It is restoring relationships between people that brings long term change and justice,” said Andy Hart.

“This is why a Christian voice is so needed in areas of social injustice and why it can be so effective: Jesus is all about restoring broken relationships.”

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Published: 17:08 28 November 2011  |  496 views
Last updated: 29 November 2011
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