We have been working in Rwanda since 2016 , empowering children and young people with disabilities to fight for their rights.

UWEZO Youth Empowerment
OUR PARTNERS

UWEZO Youth Empowerment

UWEZO (which means ‘Ability’ in Swahili) Youth Empowerment is a Disabled Persons Organisation (DPO), established by and for young people with disabilities to take charge of their own lives in Rwanda.

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Nearly half of all people with disabilities in Rwanda are under 35. Two-thirds of these are not in education or employment and over 90% fall below the national poverty line. Children with disabilities comprise less than 1% of all primary school students and this rate drops further at secondary and university levels. We are trying to change this.

104

Youth Advocates Engaged

We set up a network of 104 young people with disabilities who have been advocating for the inclusion for children with disabilities.

158

Girls Empowered

We improved inclusive access to health, hygiene and child protection services for 158 girls with disabilities.

874

Parents Trained

We have supported 874 parents of children with disabilities to better understand and safeguard their children's rights.

What we are proud of

Through our ongoing partnership, we have been supporting UWEZO Youth Empowerment (UWEZO) to develop improved mechanisms for Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPD’s) to be recognised and heard by government. We are really pleased that this work has extended into our programmatic work, where we have seen an improved engagement between young people with disabilities and government officials. From our Raising Aspirations project with UWEZO, 20 of our youth disability advocates have organised a national youth group and attended several meetings with government forums to advocate for youth engagement on the implementation of disability inclusive policies, and the Sustainable Development Goals. To date, the group has registered an additional 72 members across Rwanda.

CASE STUDY

Ebo’s Story

15-year-old Ebo lives with his parents in rural Rwanda, and despite his family's best efforts, due to inaccessible environments, was missing out on school. Our mentoring project with our partner in Rwanda found a solution for him.

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Together, we can transform the lives some of the world’s most vulnerable children.

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See our Project Impact Report on WASH in Rwanda.

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