The Southern Africa region currently works with 39 services in nine countries namely:
Botswana, Lesotho,
Mauritius,
Namibia,
South Africa,
Swaziland,
Zambia and
Zimbabwe.
Political instability, weak economies, the impact of HIV and AIDS, and severe drought has contributed to the poor living conditions for the majority of people with disabilities in the region. Many have no access to basic health care, education and skills training or employment.
Disability movements are playing a major part in fighting for the rights of people with disabilities in the region but need greater capacity to monitor effectively the implementation of disability legislation and policies. Leonard Cheshire Disability Southern Africa Region office (SAFO) complements the work of the Disabled People’s Organisations by aiming to promote an enabling environment that provides a platform for inclusion of disability in all policies and development areas.
Our Programme:
ACCESS
Providing platforms and necessary tools to service partners so that they can access, participate and own development processes.
AWARENESS
Focusing on building awareness of disability issues and inclusion of disability.
EMPOWERMENT
Focusing on the transfer of skills that enable service partners to serve their members and communities more effectively thus ensuring sustainability and impact.
The programme strands include:
Organisational development – The work involves capacity building of national offices, training in strategic planning and fundraising.The focus countries are Zambia and Zimbabwe (primary focus countries) Lesotho and Swaziland (secondary focus countries).
Health & Everyday Living – The programme focus is on CBR workers training, cost recovery fees research, Homes staff and Committee training, daily living skills, HIV & AIDS, medical, health and rehabilitation referrals. The projects will be implemented in Lesotho, Mauritius, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Inclusive education –The work involves conducting baseline surveys, training, awareness, teaching aids and materials, school and classroom adaptations and curriculum interventions. The focus countries are Botswana, Lesotho, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi.
Economic empowerment- The projects support Job Placements and Small Business Training in Zambia, Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
Campaigns & Advocacy – Currently the programme is implementing the UN Young Voices project in partnership with Southern Africa Disabled People's organisations in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Swaziland. We also hold round table meetings with other like-minded organisations and have printed a civic education resource pack. Looking forward, we are developing a regional advocacy strategy based on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
