Value for Money
Read our Value for Money Paper – ‘Why investing in children with disabilities is worth every penny’
Read our Value for Money Paper – ‘Why investing in children with disabilities is worth every penny’
About this resource
There have been a number of convincing papers that make the economic case for disability inclusion in development. These publications make sound monetary arguments for inclusion on the whole, but none fully unpack the added benefit and increased value for money that investing in children with disabilities offers.
When you invest in a child with disabilities, you transform a young life with years of possibility ahead. Giving children with disabilities the tools, confidence, and surroundings in which they can reach their full potential supports a generation who can contribute to global economies throughout their adult life. Ensuring their inclusion reduces the many years of social investment required later in life as a result of the exclusion they have undergone since childhood. Moreover, the exclusion of children with disabilities has knock-on effects on their parents, families and communities, exacerbating the cycle of poverty for not only themselves but those around them. Experience has shown us that responding to these adverse effects of exclusion in later life will cost more than planning and costing for inclusion from the start. Therefore, the earlier you invest in children with disabilities, the cheaper it is.
In the current post COVID-19 context, struggling economies and soaring inflation has seen a renewed focus on national interest in Official Development Assistance (ODA) spending and a decrease in disability-inclusive development spending. With less development funding available, competition is high, and organisations are increasingly required to demonstrate value for money in their work. Now more than ever then, we must make the case for investing in inclusive-development for children with disabilities in terms of a cost-benefit analysis to ensure it remains a priority for donors, government, and INGOs alike.
This paper intends to set out why, in a context of aid cuts and reduced national budgets, including children with disabilities provides a good return on investment and is worth every penny.
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