Building on project initiatives and lessons learned in Kenya, Mexico, Vietnam, and Armenia, MIUSA and the RightsNow! U.S. Consortium are expanding technical assistance and trainings to Guatemala and Peru.
In Guatemala, RightsNow! will be working with El Colectivo Vida Independiente de Guatemala, an NGO that defends and promotes the rights of persons with disabilities. As part of a coalition with 13 other organizations (COGUASDI) and two other networks of Disabled People’s Organizations (DPOs), El Colectivo is working to harmonize Guatemala’s domestic legislation with the CRPD (Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities).
In Peru, RightsNow! will be working with the Blind Women’s Commission of Peru (Comisión de Damas Invidentes del Perú). CODIP is a non-profit organization that empowers women and girls with visual disabilities, and works in partnership with DPOs and other vulnerable groups to conduct joint advocacy activities through the Roundtable on Disability and Rights, which is part of the National Coordinator for Human Rights in Peru.
“CODIP has been working to further the rights of persons–particularly women–with visual and other disabilities for over 15 years. The RightsNow! project will build on current human rights dissemination, monitoring, and enforcement work currently underway in Peru in areas such as inclusive education, employment, health, and accessibility.” Rosario Galarza, President, CODIP
The “RightsNow! Strong Communities through Enforcing the Rights of Persons with Disabilities” project offers technical assistance, tools, and resources to disability rights leaders, governments, and civil society to strengthen the implementation and enforcement of disability rights legislation to protect and promote the rights of persons with disabilities. Key thematic project areas include using legal, policy, and enforcement strategies to improve physical accessibility and promote access to education, information technology, gender-based violence prevention resources, workforce training, and community-based alternatives to institutionalization. Explore these resources and themes at http://www.globaldisabilityrightsnow.org
RightsNow! is a collaborative effort of four organizations, led by Mobility International USA (MIUSA) with the U.S. International Council on Disabilities (USICD), the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF), and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES). Learn more about RightsNow!
