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Preparedness of civil society in Botswana to advance disability inclusion in programmes addressing gender-based and other forms of violence against women and girls with disabilities

HANASS-HANCOCK, Jill
MTHETHWA, Nomfundo
MOLEFHE, Malebogo
KEAKABETSE, Tshiamo
2020

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Background: In low-income and middle-income countries women and girls with disabilities are more likely to experience violence than those without disabilities. Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and disabled people’s organisations (DPOs) can help to address this. However, in countries like Botswana we know little about the preparedness of NGOs and DPOs to increase inclusion in and access to programmes addressing violence.

 

Objectives: To explore the capacity and preparedness of NGOs and DPOs to ensure that women and girls with disabilities can participate in and access programmes addressing violence.

 

Methods: A qualitative study was undertaken using interviews with 17 NGOs and DPOs in Botswana to understand the organisations’ level of and ability to deliver programmes addressing violence against women and girls.

 

Results: Both NGOs and DPOs lack elements of universal design and reasonable accommodation, and thus are inaccessible to some people with disabilities. Some programmes address violence against women but lack skills and resources to accommodate people with disabilities. In contrast, DPOs work with people with disabilities, but lack focus on violence against women with disabilities. Participants identified opportunities to fill these gaps, including adaptation of policies and structural changes, training, approaches to mainstream disability across programmes, development of disability-specific interventions and improved networking.

 

Conclusions: Botswana’s NGOs and DPOs are well positioned to address violence against women and girls with disabilities, but need to increase their accessibility, staff knowledge and skills and disability inclusion. Training, resource allocation and participation of women with disabilities in NGOs and DPOs is needed to drive this change.

 

 

African Journal of Disability, Vol 9, 2020

What African children and youth think and feel : an opinion poll of children and youth in eastern and southern Africa

AFRICAN CHILD POLICY FORUM
UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN'S FUND EASTERN AND SOUTHERN AFRICA REGIONAL OFFICE (UNICEF-ESARO)
2006

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This is a summary of the findings of polls carried out in 8 countries in eastern and southern Africa on the opinions of children and youth as to their well-being, emotions and environment; their relationships with family and friends; their relationship with their communities, their countries and their leaders; and about their perceptions of the issues concerning them. The polls involved over 4,000 young people aged between 9 and 17

Participatory hygiene and sanitation transformation : a new approach to working with communities

SIMPSON-HERBERT, Mayling
et al
1996

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Participatory Hygiene and Sanitation Transformation (PHAST) is designed to promote hygiene behaviours, sanitation improvements and community management of water and sanitation facilities using specifically developed participatory techniques. This document describes the underlying principles of the approach, the development of the specific participatory tools, and the results of field tests in four African countries. It documents: the principles which underlie the approach; how the methodology was developed at workshops in the African region; the impact that PHAST made on communities and extension workers that were part of the field test; the lessons learned during the field test; and how the approach can be adopted more widely

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