CBM Global’s Inclusion Advisory Group and the International Disability Alliance are working together to offer a year-long funded fellowship for six individuals from the disability movement in Indonesia, Philippines and Laos, focusing on building capacity around the provision of technical advice on issues related to disabiltiy inclusion
International development stakeholders, including UN agencies, foreign government donors, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and International NGOs, have the capacity to positively impact the rights of persons with disabilities. Leveraging their resources and influence, they can demonstrate inclusive service provision through programs, collect valuable evidence, advocate for policy change, support governments in developing disability-inclusive services, among other impactful initiatives. Moreover, due to policy commitments such as the UN Disability Inclusion Strategy, they are interested in disability inclusion and rights, and are often seeking support to help them implement their commitments.
The Advisory Capacity Development and Exchange (ACE) fellowship focuses on building skills among the Fellows to provide tailored advice to these organisations, to help them implement their commitments on inclusion. It focuses on how to use foundational understanding of the CRPD and apply and communicate this to different international stakeholders.
The fellowship runs from May 2023 to mid 2024.
For more information about the fellowship see here.
This fellowship is part of a broader capacity development programme of CBM Global. This programme also includes a Pacific Disability Forum co-led project in the Pacific.
Meet the 2023-24 ACE Fellows!
Name: Aikeo Koomanivong
Organisation: Disability Service Center (DSC)
City and country: Vientiane, Laos
Aikeo Koomanivong is an experienced professional in Disability Inclusive Development (DID) consulting in Lao PDR. As a seasoned trainer in DID and Community-Based Inclusive Development (CBID), he leads teams of Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) in Lao PDR for disability inclusion advisory groups. Presently, Aikeo is actively engaged in projects focused on disability inclusion and promoting job employment for persons with disabilities while advocating for disability rights alongside OPDs in Laos. In past roles, Aikeo has been involved in various initiatives, such as promoting digital accessible information system books (DAISY), developing electronic Lao-braille software for electronic devices, contributing to the CRPD parallel report with OPDs in Laos, facilitating national disability job employment research for UNDP in Lao PDR, and leading OPDs in partnership with CBM and Humanity & Inclusion in designing DID and CBID curricula.
Name: Ida Puji Astuti Maryono Putri
Organisation: Institute Inclusive Indonesia (I3)
City and country: Boyolali, Indonesia
Ida Puji Astuti Maryono Putri holds a master’s degree in Global Politics from the Political Sciences Department at Ateneo De Manila University, Philippines. She is the co-founder of Indonesia Inclusive Institute (The I3) and has actively participated in the national coalition of OPDs to formulate a national action plan on SDGs implementation in line with CRPD in Indonesia. On a global level, she serves as an independent consultant for Silent Tears Australia, working to promote gender-based violence against women and girls with disabilities. Additionally, Ida has been part of the CBY consortium, focusing on non-formal education for inclusive youth workers in four countries across Europe and Asia. Currently, she works as an Inclusion Advisor on Inclusive Community-led Disaster Risk Reduction based on Innovation for YAKKUM Emergency Unit (YEU) and as a Program Consultant for Improving Employment Access for Persons with Disabilities in Boyolali.
Name: Janine Cruzet
Organisation: Women with Disabilities Taking Actions on our Reproductive Health and Human Rights
City and country: Makati City, Philippines
Janine is an associate in respiratory therapy, with a profound passion for disability inclusion, particularly in the context of health and providing unwavering support to individuals with disabilities. She is currently engaged in an empowering project focused on women with disabilities, leading transformative initiatives. Janine played a pivotal role in developing an inclusive manual on Access to Justice and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) for women and girls with disabilities, supported by the UNFPA. She also served as a consultant, to create an inclusive audio-video presentation addressing Gender-Based Violence (GBV) experienced by women and girls with disabilities in the Asia Pacific, a project also funded by UNFPA.
Name: Mona Liza J. Labitoria-Visperas
Organisation: Alliance for Filipino Families for Mental Health Inc
City and Country: San Miguel, Bulacan, Philippines
Mona Lisa holds a master's in business administration from Taguig City University and a Bachelor of Science in Forestry with a major in Agroforestry and Silviculture from the University of the Philippines - Los Banos. She is the founder and President of the Taguig ADHD Family Support Group, contributing significantly to the well-being of families and individuals affected by ADHD. Mona Lisa's commitment to advocacy extends beyond her organization's leadership, as she has actively worked with the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office, Bulacan. Her lived experience and expertise have earned her opportunities to speak at various intergovernmental forums, including those led by UN Women and the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. Previously, she worked as a survey partner for the UN Women Project, "Closing the Justice Gap for Women with Intellectual & Psychosocial Disabilities in the Asia-Pacific.”
Name: Samnieng Thammavong
Organisation: Lao Disabled People's Association (LDPA)
City and Country: Laos
Samnieng is a well established professional with 20 years of experience working with various INGOs in Laos, primarily focusing on community development projects. His thematic areas of interest revolve around promoting the social inclusion of persons with disabilities. Currently, Samnieng is actively engaged in two projects including capacity building for OPD human resources and disability inclusion advocacy. Notably, in past roles, Samnieng has played a vital part in a project dedicated to providing support to victims and survivors of Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) in Laos.
Name: Sholih Muhdlor
Organisation: SAPDA Foundation
City and Country: Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Sholih Muhdlor is an advocate for humanitarian disability-related work, with a focus on DRR, SRHR, policy advocacy, and crosscutting disability issues. Currently, Sholih serves as a team writer for the "Disability-SRHR Pocket Book" of the Indonesia Health Ministry, promoting the sexual and reproductive health rights of individuals with disabilities. Sholih has been instrumental in drafting inclusive protocols for women and children with disabilities during COVID-19, adopted by the Indonesian Covid-19 National Task Force. Sholih's work also includes contributions to emergency inclusive response efforts, inclusive SRHR media information, and the development of an inclusive roadmap for health services in Indonesia.
Stay tuned for more updates on the fellowship! For any questions about the fellowship, contact Amba Salelkar asalelkar [at] ida-secretariat.org and Briana Wilson Briana.wilson [at] cbm-global.org.
