ADD’s Work

What do we intend to do

Strategic Objective 1:

To support disabled people’s organisations (DPOs) in developing effective membership structures, decision-making and information exchange processes.

Activities

• Facilitate DPOs to be effective membership organisations by providing training to members and leaders of grassroots SHGs and federations.

• Facilitate formation of drama teams of disabled people organisations to promote awareness of disability issues in society.

• Conduct monthly coordination meetings with ADD programme staff and with DPOs.

• Monitor partner DPO activities, accounts and processes on a monthly basis and reporting of DPOs on a quarterly basis.

• Provide volunteers to DPOs to organise disabled people in new working areas.

Strategic Objective 2:

To enable disabled people’s organisations at district, national, regional and international levels to link up and to lobby effectively for their rights and for inclusion in democratic processes, government services and facilities and to challenge the causes of their oppression and poverty.

Activities:

• Facilitate formation of new district federations.

• Strengthen grassroots drama teams to promote disability rights and organise disability drama festivals at the district and national level.

• Carry out exchange visits per year between DPOs and other rights based movements to share learning.

• DPOs network through meetings, correspondence, etc. with regional and international organisations to promote their rights.

• Support the National Grassroots Disability Federation to conduct a bi-annual convention of DPOs with innovative ideas and sharing of experience to promote the Disability Rights Movement.
  
• Conduct a bi-annual regional international workshop on the disability rights movement.

• Organise exchange visit of DPO leaders and drama team for cross learning and link up in the region.

• Provide training to DPOs on advocacy and lobbying; orientation workshops on democratic processes, government services and facilities; workshop with DPOs to design campaigning programmes to challenge causes of oppression and network with civil society, NGOs and government agencies as and when required.

• Provide training on basic laws and legal procedures to protect the rights of disabled people and take legal action.

 

Strategic Objective 3:

To enable organisations to gain information, skills, organisational capacity and funding.

Activities:

• Facilitate visioning workshops and meeting with ADD supported DPOs to develop constitutions and complete registration procedures for ADD partner DPOs.

• Provide training to ADD supported DPOs through workshops on strategic planning skills, operational planning, budgeting and reporting, monitoring and evaluation.

• Provide training on financial management, develop a financial manual and conduct external audit of all ADD supported DPOs.

• Provide training to ADD partner DPOs on governance, fundraising/resource mobilisation, advocacy, strategic planning and financial management.

• Provide small grant funding to DPOs.

Strategic Objective 4:

To encourage the most marginalised disabled people to form and join organisations to advocate for their rights.

Activities:

Assist DPOs by  organising style="mso-spacerun: yes">  workshops to develop a policy on participation of marginalised disabled people.

Conduct quarterly coordination meetings of disabled women leaders.

Conduct training on Gender and Disability with DPOs and work on developing a training module on gender and disability.

Provide funding to DPOs to address the needs and rights of marginalised disabled people in their work.

Assist disabled women and their forum to network with other rights based organisations.


Strategic Objective 5:

To work with national and international disability rights organisations to promote the rights and responsibilities of all disabled people and to support the Asia-Pacific Decade of disabled people and other international initiatives.

Activities:

• Hold workshops with DPOs and human rights organisations in districts and national level on the rights and responsibilities of disabled people.

• Observe national and international disability day and other disability and human rights events.

• Organise drama festivals and recreational activities in district and national level to promote the rights and responsibilities of disabled people.

• Promote the agenda of the Asia-Pacific Decade nationally and participate in international events and lobby with the government on a UN Convention on the Human Rights of disabled people.

• Network with disability and human rights organization at the national level and UNESCAP, APCD and UNHRC.

Strategic Objective 6:

To support organisations in campaigning for legal protection against discrimination and to enable disabled people to realise their rights and exercise their responsibilities as covered by national legislation.

• Organise workshops in districts and national level  to implement disability law.

• Legal support to DPOs to protect against discrimination and violation of human rights of disabled people so that they can realise their rights and exercise their responsibilities.

• Campaign and take legal action against discrimination in the public services.

• Publish a country report on the status of human rights of disabled people in Bangladesh.

Strategic Objective 7:

To work with DPOs to enable them in developing plans to influence government policy makers, the private sector, development agencies, faith groups and NGOs to adapt an inclusive approach to existing services, decision making processes and civic opportunities.

Activities:

• Workshops with DPOs in developing advocacy plans in districts and national level and provide funds to implement the advocacy plans.

• Organise workshops with government policy makers, the private sector, development agencies, faith groups and NGOs in district and national level to adopt an inclusive approach to existing services, decision making processes and civic opportunities.

• Media campaign: organise community meetings, develop posters and documentary film, conduct radio and TV programmes, publish weekly articles in national magazine, and publish print and e-news letter to influence and raise awareness.

• Develop advocacy kits/tools as part of an ongoing programme to influence policy makers and development agencies.

• Campaign to increase allocation for disabled people in national budget through budget analysis and advocacy.

• Promote inclusive education, and ensure admission of disabled children to existing mainstream schools and disabled students to colleges and universities.

• Campaign on accessibility in transport system and public buildings in district and national level. .

• Raise citizen awareness on voting rights of disabled people, monitor election process, introduce tactile ballot so that blind and partially sighted people can exercise their voting rights, and campaign for disabled people’s representation in parliament & local government.

• Campaign for the mobility of disabled people and provide funds for aids and appliances for disabled people until the government programme addresses the needs.

Strategic Objective 8:

To use the experience gained from working with DPOs to influence international development policy to be inclusive of disabled people at national and international levels.

Activities:

• Hold in-country dialogues with donors and NGOs twice a year on being disability inclusive and hold an annual round table discussion with World Bank, ADB, EU and UN agencies.

• Influence donor agencies and government through press conferences, meetings and workshops to include disability in their country assistance strategy papers and in the Bangladesh PRSP.

• Participation in national and international conferences, symposia and summits.

 

Strategic Objective 9:

To facilitate disabled people’s involvement in decision-making about poverty eradication programmes, services and activities designed to benefit them.

Activities:

• Raise awareness among DPO members about poverty eradication programmes, services and activities through workshops (6 districts x 50 people x 1 day per year).

• Advocacy with district administration to ensure involvement of disabled people in district disability coordination committees.

• Advocacy with Social Welfare Department and Banks to include disabled people in their credit disbursement committees.

• Encourage disabled people to participate in the programme design and policy formulation of poverty eradication programmes.

• Lobby with financial institutions and vocational training centers to include disabled people and provision of start up capital for income generating activities and skill development for setting up small businesses.

• DPO leaders participate in the consultation processes and programme design of development agencies, such as World Bank, donor agencies, government and NGOs.