Lazarus Hakalebula-Zambia

My name is Lazarus Hakalebula. I am a disability rights advocate a leader a studio owner and a gospel musician from Zambia.

For most of my life my work has been guided by one central belief that persons with disabilities must not only be included in national conversations but must also have the opportunity to thrive in everyday life.

Over the years I have served in several leadership roles within the disability movement. I currently serve as the Vice President of the Zambia National Federation of the Blind and I also lead the Monze District Community Based Inclusive Development initiative. Previously I served as the Southern Provincial Coordinator for the Zambia National Federation of the Blind where I worked closely with communities to strengthen grassroots leadership and representation for persons with disabilities.

One of the achievements I am most proud of is my contribution to advocacy efforts that led to the passing of Bill 7 now enacted as Act Number 13 of 2025. This law marked an important step forward in inclusive governance in Zambia by strengthening the participation of persons with disabilities in decision making processes. This experience reinforced my belief that policies are most effective when they are informed by lived experience.

Alongside advocacy music has always been an important part of my journey. In 2002 I received the Ngoma Award after being recognized as the Best Young Musician and Singer in Zambia. In 2013 I was honored with a Presidential Recognition Award by President Michael Sata for my contribution to the national arts scene particularly in promoting music among persons with disabilities. Music has been both a voice and a tool for me a way to inspire dignity confidence and visibility.

Despite these milestones I reached a point where I realized that advocacy recognition and policy change were not enough on their own.

My participation in the Lead Without Limits leadership program at Tyrone Havnar Foundation marked a turning point in my journey. The program challenged me to move beyond titles and positions and to think deeply about systems sustainability and long term impact. It pushed me to reflect on how leadership must translate into action that changes daily realities.

Through this training I began to clearly see the gap between policy progress and the lived experiences of persons with disabilities especially in rural communities. While laws were improving many people with disabilities still lacked access to basic technology digital skills and climate related knowledge that is increasingly necessary for survival and resilience.

I asked myself a difficult but honest question. If I understand this gap and if I have the leadership tools to address it why am I not building something that responds directly to this need. That question became the foundation of a clear and focused dream not just to advocate but to build an institution that delivers practical solutions.

As a result I am now in the process of establishing an organization called Fair Trust for Persons with Disabilities.

Fair Trust for Persons with Disabilities is being developed as a rights based and action oriented organization dedicated to empowering persons with disabilities particularly in rural and underserved communities. The organization is not designed as a charity model but as a platform for access skills and resilience.

The organization will focus on expanding access to technology and digital skills for persons with disabilities building climate change awareness and resilience to ensure inclusion in adaptation and mitigation efforts and strengthening community based inclusive development led by persons with disabilities themselves.

Through Fair Trust for Persons with Disabilities I aim to bridge the gap between national policy and community reality and ensure that inclusion is practical measurable and sustainable.

My vision is an inclusive Zambia where persons with disabilities have equal access to technology climate knowledge and opportunities to live resilient dignified and self determined lives.

My mission is to empower persons with disabilities particularly in rural and underserved communities through inclusive technology skills development climate resilience education and community based leadership enabling full participation in social economic and environmental decision making.

Fair Trust for Persons with Disabilities represents the next chapter of my leadership journey shaped by lived experience strengthened through the Lead Without Limits program at Tyrone Havnar Foundation and driven by the urgency of real world needs. This organization is not only a vision for the future but a response to the present and a commitment to ensuring that persons with disabilities are not left behind in Zambias development journey.

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