WUNRN
South Asia - Creating Spaces – For Women
with Disabilities (WWD)
to
Communicate and Advocate for Their Rights in South Asia
This project aims to empower and improve the capacity of WWD to effectively communicate and represent themselves, and to mobilise movements in each of the operating countries, through which WWD will collectively demand their rights and entitlements at community, national and regional levels.
Though the priority will alternate by country, the rights to full participation and equality of opportunity, will underpin all activities. It is intended that through this action the positive changes in the opinions, policies and practices of the target agencies will be achieved. These include: governmental and non-state actors (Non-governmental organisations (NGOs), Disabled people’s organisations (DPOs), Women’s organisations (WOs), the media and community groups/leaders). A number of activities form the core of this project:
- Development of
up-to-date and relevant research on the current policy environment in relation to
disabled women/girls in each country.
- Training of key WWD in
each country,
both via first line regional training and subsequent cascade training.
- Development of WWD
national networks in each operating country and at regional level.
- Establishment of
targeted advocacy activities, based on the priorities defined by WWD themselves.
- Development of
evidence-based documentation on WWD issues in the operating countries, south-south
networking and learning, and WWD advocacy better practices.
In addition, by working in countries across the South-Asia region, skills, experience and resource exchanges are made possible, and a forum is provided for the development of new and innovative ideas. Of particular significance will be the lessons that less structured groups will be able to derive from their counterparts who are further advanced in terms of disability advocacy and lobbying.
The key focus areas represented by the core partners are:
- India (especially the North East region – West Bengal,
Orissa, Assam, Bihar, and Jharkhand)
- Sri Lanka
- Bangladesh
Other participating countries include: Nepal, Maldives, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bhutan and Azerbaijan
We are also identifying, gathering and signposting good practice on gender, leadership and mainstreaming disability into development both at policy and implementation level. This is working with our International Information Support Centre (Source).