Final Report: Expanding Participation of People with Disabilities

The project was implemented by Christian Children's Fund (CCF) Belarus, with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Cooperative Agreement Number 121-A-00-05-00703-00. The project had three main objectives: to support initiatives of people with disabilities and extend current services provided by local organizations, to encourage advocacy efforts by Belarusian DPOs to promote the rights of people with disabilities, and to improve the capacity of Belarusian DPOs supporting people with disabilities and their families. To achieve these objectives, CCF piloted several activities that increased the role of people with disabilities in society and strengthened civil society organizations of people with disabilities. Approximately $90,000 was awarded to Belarusian DPOs through 9 small-grants to support 65 new or improved services for people with disabilities, including job placement, professional education, inclusion and habilitation for children with disabilities. A CCF-facilitated Task Force on Advocacy worked to promote the model of Multidisciplinary Councils on Disability Issues in local communities to allow people with disabilities' participation in decision-making and local agenda-setting. The Task Force elaborated a manual/resource handbook and conducted a series of Round Tables in several communities to introduce the idea of the Council to key stakeholders. In addition to capacity-building workshops on management and advocacy, CCF ran a six-month course entitled "Leadership without Boundaries" that offered people with disabilities a skill-building training in integrated groups. The course equipped its participants with knowledge, increased their self-confidence, and inspired 12 of them to become peer-to-peer advisors and supporters of positive changes that impact living conditions of people with disabilities and entire communities where they live. The project helped to stimulate the work of DPOs and significantly improved support services provided by them for people with disabilities. The number of people with disabilities self-generated initiatives encouraged and facilitated by CCF project was 87. Due to small grants, 65 created or improved services helped to increase access to education, vocational training, and employment opportunities, and social support for people with disabilities. The project encouraged advocacy efforts by Belarusian DPOs, with the number of people with disabilities efforts increasing from 25 to 38 in one year. The advocacy efforts were concentrated on three main areas: lowering discrimination of people with disabilities, creating a non-barrier environment, and promoting community-based coordinating councils on people with disabilities' issues. The project's results exceeded expectations, with the number of children who participated in integrated activities greater than six times the pre-project number, reaching 324 people. The total number of adults who benefited from integrated activities was 2,556 people, far exceeding the planned target of 600.