• Disability Programme

Disability Programme

Enabling rights for persons with disability through effective awareness raising & advocacy

 

Our local partner, Community Centre for Disabled (CCD) have been advocating for the rights of people with disability in Afghanistan since 2007. In addition to advocacy work, CCD also works to build the capacity of Disabled Persons' Organisations (DPO) to improve the situation of people with disability in the country. BAAG is supporting CCD to relaunch the Disability Rights Watch Afghanistan (DRWA) to bring better coordination on advocacy campaigns and lead change. Disability Rights Watch Afghanistan is a network of national organisations working on disability. It aims at coordinating DPOs and CSOs advocacy efforts to inform and influence government’s policy on people with disabilities.

 

In February 2018, BAAG, with the support of UK Aid Direct started a 3-year project to amplify the voices of people with disability in Afghanistan. With the Community Centre for Disabled, we aim to share information between DPOs to inform and influence government’s policy on people with disabilities and to co-ordinate advocacy campaigns. These  activities will be possible thanks to the re-establishment and expansion of Disability Rights Watch Afghanistan, the national network monitoring the rights of People with Disability (PwD) and advocate for better support to them.

 

People with disabilities in Afghanistan struggle to have their voices heard.

 

  • The latest disability survey in 2005 estimated 2.7-15% of Afghans have different levels of disabilities. The trend is growing. In the first nine months of 2018, the UN reported over 5,252 civilians were injured in the ongoing conflict.

 

 

  • Exclusion for people with disabilities is severe, children cannot access school, employment is limited and discriminatory behaviour is prevalent in society. (almost 73% of people with disabilities cannot access schools);

 

  • DPOs and NGOs are advocating for disability rights however, better coordination of advocacy campaigns is needed to hold the government accountable to its commitments.

 

 

Mapping the landscape of DPOs in Afghanistan

To assist in these activities it is important to understand the needs and opinions of people with disabilities across Afghanistan. In December 2018, CCD mapped the landscape of DPOs across the country. First, they trained provincial DPOs in Kabul in how to administer questionnaire.  This resulted in 84 completed questionnaires from 22 provinces, representing a wealth information about DPOs in both rural and urban areas of Afghanistan. The findings informed the first database on DPOs in Afghanistan.

 

What is BAAG doing now?

  • Capacity building
  • Improving data collection and analysis to create the first database of DPOs in Afghanistan.
  • Coordinating the advocacy campaigns and awareness-raising efforts of disability organisations through the relaunch of the DRWA network.