Africa: Workshop to Focus on Boosting Income for Women with Disabilities

By George Okore

NAIROBI---Developing projects to generate income for women with disabilities and resource mobilisation for them, will be the centre of an international capacity building workshop in Nairobi from November 1-4, 2011.

The five day workshop is organized by Disabled Women in Africa (DIWA), an independent organization which gives the women in Africa’s a voice, in collaboration with the Eastern African Federation of the Disabled (EAFOD), the umbrella organization for disabilities in the region. It will bring together participants from Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Mauritius, Madagascar, South-Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.

Officials say this is a unique workshop that will also give the participants a variety of lobbying skills to empower them draw strategic plans and prioritize future actions for disability work in their countries. A key end result will be linking the participants through internet groups or e-groups, networks through which they can stir discussions and generate proposals for funding of identified projects. “Strategic planning and Resource Mobilization skills are necessary in order to work successfully within all these fields,” said Rachel Kachaje, DIWA’s Chairperson.

Participants will also be trained on campaigning for the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), the optional Protocol adopted in 2006a and entered into force in 2008.  The treaty has been praised as a crucial “paradigm shift" that has led to the affirmation of persons with disabilities as “subjects" with rights, capable of being active and productive in society.

“Now the domestication of the convention is due. Governments must be encouraged by the disability movement to realize what they have agreed to. It is of importance that disabled women play their role within the Lobbying efforts in order to ensure that their demands are not left out,” said Dr. Samuel Kabue, Chairman of Eastern Africa Federation of the Disabled (EAFOD).

Within decision making arenas, disability groups are calling for Gender Mainstreaming and Disability Mainstreaming, a concept which will be analysed at the training. This means that Disabled Women get 50 per cent of all key posts within the disability movement and 50 percent of the share of all key posts given to women.

“Disability Mainstreaming is about encouraging service deliverers, development organizations, NGO’s to review their organization, programmes and policies in order to allow disabled women access and participation,” said Monika Scheffler, the DIWA coordinator. This capacity development workshop is a follow up of a Needs Assessment workshop which was held in March 2011.