Making DPOs Equal Partners of Inclusive Development in Africa

The Making DPOs Equal Partners of Inclusive Development in Africa programme aims to ensure that persons with disabilities, including persons from underrepresented groups of persons with disabilities, enjoy equal human rights and full participation in society in Sub-Saharan Africa.  The programme is being carried out by IDA and its members from November 2019 until December 2022.

Budget: 40,000,000 Norwegian Kroner ($4,540,000 USD), funded by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad).

Expected results:
The programme is working towards influencing the disability rights movement to shape the development agenda in Sub-Saharan Africa towards the full and effective realization of human rights of persons with disabilities has increased. Results include:

1. The disability movement is strengthened - Capacity of persons with disabilities, especially underrepresented groups, to organize and coordinate their political advocacy work is strengthened
2. Technical capacity is developed - A critical mass of national activists with disabilities across African countries have developed technical skills to effectively engage in advocating for their rights and advise reforms of policy, laws and development programmes and to monitor progress
3. Evidence-based accountability is carried out - DPOs engage in evidence-based advocacy, provision of technical assistance, and/or monitoring of their rights with governments and development partners.

The program has a geographic focus on Sub-Saharan Africa, with priority target countries: Kenya, Ivory Coast, Mozambique, Ethiopia, Angola, Rwanda, Uganda, Nigeria, Malawi, Zambia, Tanzania

The programme combines a strong focus on Sub-Saharan Africa and national level interventions, while also building connections with regional and global levels as critical levers for action to support civil society to play an effective role and implement a comprehensive accountability strategy.

At the global level: the programme will focus on (a) supporting the voice of underrepresented groups of persons with disabilities to be more visible and heard, AND (b) build on IDA and IDA members’ unique experience in peer to peer international cooperation including capacity development and peer support by and for DPOs to generate recommendations on continuation of much-needed investments to equalize capacities of DPOs as development partners. 

At the regional level: the African Disability Forum (ADF) and their members will play a key role in coordinating opportunities for mutual learning, training and exchanges across African countries, as well as in leveraging African-level opportunities to hold governments accountable.

At the national level: IDA’s members’ members will be supported to develop and strengthen underrepresented groups of persons with disabilities by the disability rights movement, to build evidence for advocacy and engage in using this to reform laws, policies, programmes, and/or hold governments and INGOs accountable for progress in leaving no person with disability behind.

IDA Members directly involved in programme implementation include African Disability Forum, Down Syndrome International, Inclusion International, World Blind Union, World Network of Users and Survivors of Psychiatry, and World Federation of Deafblind.