By IDA

 - April 27, 2017

“The International Disability Alliance calls on leaders to prioritise funding of education to include children with disabilities. Without this we will not achieve the Sustainable Development Goals". Colin Allen, Chair of the International Disability Alliance.

On Thursday 27th April a group of 40 international and national non-profit organizations launched a ‘Call to Action on investing in disability-inclusive education’. 

Download the Call to Action in accessible PDF format.

In a joint statement, the world’s leading NGOs working in disability and education in developing countries, including Light for the World, Handicap International, Sightsavers, CBM, Plan International, together with the Global Campaign for Education (GCE) and the International Disability Alliance (IDA) and others call on governments and donors to significantly step up action and show their commitment to deliver on the promise of the Sustainable Development Goals to ensure quality education for all children by investing in inclusive education for boys and girls with disabilities.

More than 32 million children with disabilities in developing countries are out of school. Those who are in school are educated in settings that do not promote their inclusion in society and attainment of learning outcomes that would secure a decent livelihood. The exclusion of these children has a devastating impact on whole societies and economies.

NGO leaders endorsed a joint ‘Call to Action to invest in disability-inclusive education’ in which they have agreed to commit to making education for children with disabilities in developing countries a top priority and to advocate for better donor financing for inclusive education. The campaign was initiated by the International Disability and Development Consortium (IDDC) inclusive education task group.This action is expected to gain momentum and become endorsed by major international non-governmental organisations and their government partners in the global South.

Tens of millions of children with disabilities are out of school due to poor government and donor practice, according to findings in the recent #CostingEquity report by the IDDC, led by Light for the World and supported by Open Society Foundations and other international NGOs. 

See the list of organisations and read more.