Livelihoods
What's happening in the countries where we run this programme? Select a region to find out more:
Supporting People with Disabilities into Work
In some countries, the unemployment rate among people with disabilities is as high as 80%, putting them among the poorest 15 – 20% of the population. In every country in the world, people with disabilities have higher rates of unemployment than non-disabled people.
This economic poverty can lead to other kinds of deprivation including lack of access to education and health, rehabilitation or social services. Disabled people may then remain unable to find appropriate work and their children are often more likely not to go to school.
In over 15 countries, Leonard Cheshire Disability works with local partners to help disabled people earn their own living.
Programme activities include:
- providing small loans and grants to start businesses
- starting and supporting savings groups
- partnerships with employers to make workplaces
accessible
- training to help people develop life and work skills
- supporting people into work in the mainstream economy Small businesses meet local needs Our programmes are based on what is needed in the local market. For instance in countries where most people work outside the formal employment sector, self employment may be the best route into work. Our programmes in Dodoma and Kibaha, Tanzania, are good examples of this. In partnership with local organisations including a microfinance agency, mainstream development organisations and a university, we provide small loans to people with disabilities and family members of children with disabilities. The loans help cover start-up or expansion costs for small businesses that the project participants decide will be viable and will use their skills. Businesses supported include tailoring, selling vegetables and hairdressing. Training in a wide range of skills is another important element of the programme. With the university, we assessed what job skills were needed in local areas. The team then created courses together and trained 250 people in practical and financial management skills for their businesses. 40% were people with disabilities, while the rest were parents or other family members of disabled people. The project’s success led to the university offering courses in micro-finance and disability for their students. With a loan repayment rate of 97%, the programme’s credit and savings groups have been extremely successful. Allowing people to save money collectively, the groups then give loans to members to expand their businesses. People also use the groups to save for particular expenses such as school fees, medical care and funeral costs. More than 90% of the members in these groups are women, which is the case in similar groups in other countries. Meeting economic realities In countries or areas with vibrant economies, Cheshire projects are pioneering training and support programmes to help people with disabilities find jobs with local, national and international employers. In Bangalore in India, for example, the Cheshire service started a computer training programme. Geared towards Bangalore’s booming IT sector, it gives people the skills they need to get jobs with computer companies. Several of the graduates who started in entry-level jobs following their training have now been promoted. In Malaysia, a partnership between public and private sector employers, the local Cheshire organisation and training institutions created courses for help young people with disabilities. Through study, they explored areas of work they might not have considered before. While previous courses concentrated on baking, new initiatives included hospitality, information technology, office administration and business management. Disabled entrepreneurs hire other disabled workers To increase the impact of our work, some projects help people with disabilities create businesses that then employ other disabled people. These often combine the principles of self-employment and marketplace assessment embodied in other kinds of programmes. For instance, the local Cheshire organisation partners with the China Disabled People’s Federation to run a programme that both promotes self-employment and teaches market and business analysis skills. Last year over 100 young disabled people learned entrepreneurial skills through their ‘Start Your Own Business Courses’ in Wuhan. 20 trainees also took business start-up loans and increased the project’s impact by employing other people with disabilities. This year, the project is being replicated in Kunming in south-western China and other provinces in north-western China to reach more people. Across South Asia, Cheshire partners are pioneering starting larger firms such as poultry farms and restaurants. One person receives a loan to start the business, but can then employ others, which enables more disabled people to enter the labour market. In India, we have also worked closely with employers to make workplaces accessible, opening up jobs for people with disabilities in areas as diverse as office management and mobile phone repair. Please click on the following links to read more about the Dodoma programme and the story of a participant in a Livelihoods project in Zambia.
- starting and supporting savings groups
- partnerships with employers to make workplaces
accessible
- training to help people develop life and work skills
- supporting people into work in the mainstream economy Small businesses meet local needs Our programmes are based on what is needed in the local market. For instance in countries where most people work outside the formal employment sector, self employment may be the best route into work. Our programmes in Dodoma and Kibaha, Tanzania, are good examples of this. In partnership with local organisations including a microfinance agency, mainstream development organisations and a university, we provide small loans to people with disabilities and family members of children with disabilities. The loans help cover start-up or expansion costs for small businesses that the project participants decide will be viable and will use their skills. Businesses supported include tailoring, selling vegetables and hairdressing. Training in a wide range of skills is another important element of the programme. With the university, we assessed what job skills were needed in local areas. The team then created courses together and trained 250 people in practical and financial management skills for their businesses. 40% were people with disabilities, while the rest were parents or other family members of disabled people. The project’s success led to the university offering courses in micro-finance and disability for their students. With a loan repayment rate of 97%, the programme’s credit and savings groups have been extremely successful. Allowing people to save money collectively, the groups then give loans to members to expand their businesses. People also use the groups to save for particular expenses such as school fees, medical care and funeral costs. More than 90% of the members in these groups are women, which is the case in similar groups in other countries. Meeting economic realities In countries or areas with vibrant economies, Cheshire projects are pioneering training and support programmes to help people with disabilities find jobs with local, national and international employers. In Bangalore in India, for example, the Cheshire service started a computer training programme. Geared towards Bangalore’s booming IT sector, it gives people the skills they need to get jobs with computer companies. Several of the graduates who started in entry-level jobs following their training have now been promoted. In Malaysia, a partnership between public and private sector employers, the local Cheshire organisation and training institutions created courses for help young people with disabilities. Through study, they explored areas of work they might not have considered before. While previous courses concentrated on baking, new initiatives included hospitality, information technology, office administration and business management. Disabled entrepreneurs hire other disabled workers To increase the impact of our work, some projects help people with disabilities create businesses that then employ other disabled people. These often combine the principles of self-employment and marketplace assessment embodied in other kinds of programmes. For instance, the local Cheshire organisation partners with the China Disabled People’s Federation to run a programme that both promotes self-employment and teaches market and business analysis skills. Last year over 100 young disabled people learned entrepreneurial skills through their ‘Start Your Own Business Courses’ in Wuhan. 20 trainees also took business start-up loans and increased the project’s impact by employing other people with disabilities. This year, the project is being replicated in Kunming in south-western China and other provinces in north-western China to reach more people. Across South Asia, Cheshire partners are pioneering starting larger firms such as poultry farms and restaurants. One person receives a loan to start the business, but can then employ others, which enables more disabled people to enter the labour market. In India, we have also worked closely with employers to make workplaces accessible, opening up jobs for people with disabilities in areas as diverse as office management and mobile phone repair. Please click on the following links to read more about the Dodoma programme and the story of a participant in a Livelihoods project in Zambia.
