With the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), MIUSA has awarded eight small grants to DPOs in Ecuador, Guatemala, and Albania.  The Building an Inclusive Development Community Project empowers people with disabilities to infuse disability rights perspectives in development policies and practices.

ECUADOR

Strategic Goal: Increasing the capacity of DPOs to participate in development.

Creating Employment Opportunities for People with Disabilities

• APDISA (Association of People with Disabilities in Azuay)
  APDISA is a DPO working to promote the inclusion of individuals with disabilities in business related projects in Azuay, Ecuador.  Their project "Microenterprise Training in Textiles” will be used to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities through job opportunities and social awareness. 
  

Building the Capacity of DPOs Working on Women’s Health Issues

• CNMDF (The National Commission of Women with Physical Disabilities of FENEDIF)
  CNMDF is a project within FENEDIF that works to support women with disabilities to achieve independence and enables them to participate more fully in society. Their project “Health and Social Issues for Women with Disaiblities ” will focus on training eight professionals about defending the rights of women with disabilities in order to promote the social inclusion of women with disabilities in Ecuador. The outcome of this project will be to increase the capacity of DPOs to promote participation of women with disabilities in healthcare programs.
  

Disability Networks in Ecuador - National Federation of People with Disabilities in Ecuador

GUATEMALA

Strategic Goal: Increasing the capacity of DPOs to participate in development.

Promoting Inclusive Education for Children with Disabilities

• ADISA (Association of Parents and Friends of People with Disabilities)
  ADISA has been working since 1997 with family and friends of children with disabilities to provide better educational access to children with disabilities.  Their project “Learning Together” focuses on providing inclusive education for children with disabilities by raising awareness of teachers as well as members of the community about how they can support children with disabilities.

Albania

Strategic Goal: Creating partnerships between DPOs and development organizations.

Building a Disability and Development Coalition

• ADRF (Albanian Disability Rights Foundation)
  The small grant will support the development phase of the “Albanian Disability and Development Coalition” to ensure long-term sustainability.  The coalition will bring together representatives from development and disabled peoples’ organizations to exchange information and training in best practices for disability inclusiveness. The coalition will include representatives from 22 diverse organizations, including USAID, Save the Children and the World Health Organization. The coalition will focus on team building and networking strategies. They will also create a long-term structure and working format for the disability and development coalition.
  

Creating an Inclusive Business Community

• ALIA (Albanian Labor Invalids Association)
  Their project “Economic growth, Employment and Disability” will work toward creating a more inclusive business community.  ALIA will organize workshops to educate the business community on inclusive hiring procedures, the Albanian disability rights laws, and the social model of disability.  ALIA will partner with Export Market Services Project (EDEM), which includes representatives from private sector businesses in the Tourism and Agriculture/Agribusiness sectors.

Family Planning and Sexual Education for People with Disabilities

• Help the Life Association/ Muscular Dystrophy Association
  In Albania, inclusive policies exist for Family Planning and Sexual Education, which are considered a human right. However, no specialized focus exists to offer these kinds of services to people with mental and physical disabilities.  The project, “Family planning and sexual education in people with mental and physical disabilities”, focuses on eliminating the communication barriers and stigmas that exist about people with disabilities and sexual issues. Help the Life will partner with Environment and Social Welfare (AAESW) and the Albanian Association of Family Planning (a development organization) to provide trainings for all staff members.  During the trainings, participants will exchange common experiences and talk about family planning methods and sexual education for people with disabilities, including different age groups.
  

Training Medical Staff and Volunteers on the Social Model of Disability

• MEDPAK Defense of rights of people with disabilities
  The Albanian project “Child Survival” financed by USAID and implemented by the American Red Cross in collaboration with the Albanian Red Cross in the Dibra Region focuses on improving healthcare for women and children. The project emphasizes that disabilities of children should be viewed from the social model of disability and not from the medical model. The project, “Change means improvement, improving together, living together”, works on increasing awareness of the social model of inclusion of people with disabilities by medical staff and volunteer networks. MEDPAK will organize an informational awareness raising campaign in partnership with the American Red Cross Albanian Child Survival project.
  

Including Children with Disabilities in Public Education

• MDPAKM Local Parents Association
  Through their project, “On use of law for inclusive education”, MDPAKM works to obtain real, successful inclusion of children with disabilities and other marginalized groups in public education. This project will be implemented in cooperation with the “Partners for Hope” office of World Vision, a development organization. Building cooperation between local government, the Regional Directory of Education of Elbasan district, parents, teachers and specialists in this field, MDPKAM will organize an awareness-raising campaign in the community. Trainings will be held with schoolteachers on ways of implementing the Individual Education Plan (IEP) as well as with parents of children with and without mental disabilities.  The project will also involve the local media by hosting a television debate on disability issues in the community.