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This Yearbook “aims to bring into prominence an area traditionally neglected by both African governments and academics. Following in the wake of the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, it is the first peer-reviewed journal to focus exclusively on disability as human rights on the African continent. The Yearbook, which is projected to appear annually, is set out in three sections. Section A contains academic articles; Section B consists of country-based research, charting recent developments on disability rights legislation, case law and policy developments in selected African states; and Section C deals with relevant developments in the African Union (AU) and African sub-regional organisations”

Volume 1

This report presents the World Bank’s experience in climate and disaster resilient development, and contends that such development is essential to eliminating extreme poverty and achieving shared prosperity by 2030.  Case studies are used throughout this report to illustrate promising approaches, lessons learned and remaining challenges.  Vulnerable populations are discussed within the report

This video documentary and accompanying booklet present Handicap International’s approaches taken since January 2007 to restore the Rwandan population’s psychological well-being and its social cohesion after the genocide. Knowledge about setting up and implementing a community mental health project is shared for the information of Handicap International team members, partners and the public. General guidelines are offered to share expertise and technical perspectives in the field of mental health and psychological support

This brief provides an overview of Handicap International's activities in mental health in post-crisis and development contexts. Handicap International’s mental health projects specifically address the mental health of people with psychosocial and mental disabilities or with intellectual disabilities
PP brief No 3

"This document is an operational guideline produced specifically for Handicap International’s programmes. It is intended to provide them with guidance and a framework for each stage of the project cycle (project development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation) for projects tackling the theme of diabetes and other cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF)"
Policy paper 6

Purpose: This article aims to present the role of community health workers in the implementation of a comprehensive CBR Programme in rural Mongolia, and to explore the main challenges that arise in this specific geographical and socio-economic context.

Methods: Qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews with CBR workers from three selected provinces; short meetings and interviews with respective provincial level CBR coordinators complemented the information acquired. Additionally, a workshop with national level CBR stakeholders was carried out in order to review and discuss the findings.

Results: The study highlighted a number of practical barriers (including long distances and lack of transportation, low population density, and harsh climate conditions) which constrain the work of community health workers in the areas studied. In relation to disability, the study shed light on the difficulties found by community workers in shifting from a medical approach to disability to a new approach that emphasizes prevention and rehabilitation. Exploring interviewees’ experience in the five areas of CBR (health, education, livelihood, social, empowerment) the authors found that working in the areas other than health is perceived as difficult due to insufficient training as well as objective contextual barriers.

Conclusions: Despite many challenges, CBR represents a significant improvement for disability action in rural Mongolia. In this context, the local community health workers are well suited and willing to act as CBR workers; nonetheless, more training and some tailoring work to adapt the Programme to the context is needed if all potential results are to be achieved.

Limitations: This study did not include direct observation of CBR activities or consultation of beneficiaries and other stakeholders. Their involvement and consultation would certainly improve the understanding of all the issues raised.

This paper examines the theories and principles upon which the Convention of the rights of people with disabilities (CRPD) are premised. It demonstrates the potential value and utility that these have in extending the inherent human rights that people with disabilities, are endowed. The implementation of the CRPD is a challenge considering the complex ‘rights based’ issues involved and because disabled people have to generate the commitment from civil society and government. It is argued that there is a need to move from policy to implementation, and that this needs to be adequately monitored and evaluated. Sustainable and effective interventions will benefit by being informed, monitored and evaluated based upon the broader human rights paradigm and the capabilities approach.

Alter
Volume 5, Issue 3, July–September 2011, Pages 206-220

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.alter.2011.02.004

Purpose: This paper aims to explore the conditions needed for sustainable community based rehabilitation (CBR) programmes for persons with disabilities in Vietnam, and to identify the conditions and opportunities missing at present for the implementation of such programmes.

Method: Two CBR programmes in Vietnam, one medical based and one comprehensive (medical, educational, livelihood, social and empowerment), were evaluated for requirements and the current situation. Four factors were taken into account - human resources, organisational setting, social and political environment, and financing. Data were collected through interviews with programme managers and focus groups with stakeholders from provincial, district and communal levels, and with persons with disabilities. Persons with disabilities also completed a questionnaire to evaluate their satisfaction with the programme and their involvement in it.

Results: The conditions needed for a sustainable CBR programme were identified: availability of human resources, training, monitoring and evaluation, collaboration, commitment and financing. The conditions missing at present were: a stable pool of human resources (in both programmes), collaboration between sectors and with local authorities (in the medical programme), and knowledge about how to maintain financing (in both programmes). Persons with disabilities were more satisfied with their involvement in the comprehensive programme than in the medical programme. Stakeholders proposed opportunities to increase sustainability; highest priority was given to a collaboration plan (comprehensive CBR programme) and to involvement of other sectors in the CBR Steering Committee (medical CBR programme).

Conclusions: Few differences were found in conditions needed for sustainability of the medical and comprehensive programmes. The existence of disabled persons’ organisations (DPOs) seemed to be associated with the level of satisfaction persons with disabilities felt with their involvement in the programme.

Limitations: The People’s Committee was not involved in this research, although their input was perceived to be important. Generalisation of the results of this study should be done with caution because health system structures and organisational levels of CBR differ.