Making It Work Gender & Disability Project: supporting women and girls with disabilities
The Making It Work (MIW) Gender and Disability project fights violence against women and girls with disabilities in Africa. MIW promotes their empowerment by supporting grassroots organizations and by conducting evidence-based advocacy at all levels.
Women with disabilities are twice as likely to experience domestic violence and other forms of sexual and gender-based violence as non-disabled women. Aware that violence against women and girls is the result of power inequalities between men and women, social norms and the systemic discrimination against them, the Making It Work Gender and Disability project supports grassroots organizations to fight violence against women and girls with disabilities in Africa.
The objectives of the MIW project
In application of the MIW methodology developed by HI, the MIW project
Supports the advocacy
of Disabled Peoples’ Organizations and women’s organizations, using good practices on the ground as evidence-based advocacy material. In 2018, the Gender and Disability project produced a report on the intersectionality of Gender and Disability in Practice and brought 10 women leaders to various international advocacy events.
Supports the technical and financial capacities of country partners
In 2018, the MIW team organized a regional workshop on the intersectionality of gender and disability to bring together 9 partners (from Cameroon, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Uganda), and established a Seed Fund to support them in scaling up their practices.
Enhances cooperation between all actors
involved in the response to violence against women and girls with disabilities (such as gender focused, reproductive health and rights, legal and disability organizations).
In 2019, and following MIW’s Call for Good Practices, 8 new country partners have been selected. MIW network of Country Partners comprises 17 Organisations led by women and involved in eliminating violence against women and girls with disabilities, located in Burundi, Cameroon, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Nigeria, Uganda, and Rwanda.
Stories
Easter Okech, Executive Director of the Kefeado organization in Kenya
talks about her and her organization's commitment to women's rights. The organisation is a partner of HI through the Making it Work programme.
Associated documentation
Making it Work: Good practices for disability-inclusive development and humanitarian action
Gender and disability intersectionality in practice: Women and girls with disabilities addressing discrimination and violence in Africa
Overview of the 2018 Making It Work project report
June 2018
