2011 – Disability Equality Awareness Training:
The Government of Tanzania has developed a key piece of legislation The Person with Disabilities Act 2010 which, when fully implemented, will have a meaningful and positive impact on the lives of people with disabilities living and working in Tanzania.
Disability Equality has risen rapidly on the international agenda of Trade Unions and Disability Organisations. Disability Aid Abroad, and the Tanzanian Union of industrial and Commercial Operatives (TUICO )has recognised the importance of training on disability matters and the sharing of key information in formulating disability employment support programmes in the workplace.
This training is an integral part of a comprehensive employment support program for workers with disabilities in Tanzania in co-operation with the Tanzanian trade union TUICO, and international unions AFL-CIO, TUC, and individual Irish unions NIPSA, INTO, PSEU, Impact and UTU.
2011 – UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disability:
The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with a Disability(2006) has provided many safeguards in relation to the provision of health, education and employments rights mto disabled people. However in many cases these rights, although enshrined in legislation, are rarely implemented. In 2011
Disability Aid Abroad gave a number of empowerment and capacity building workshops to disabled peoples organisations in Dar es Salaam and Mwanza.
2011 – Tanzanian Employment Support Programme:
Chairperson of Disability Aid Abroad, John Coghlan and General Secretary of Tanzanian Union of Industrial and Commercial Operatives, Boniface Nkakatisi in June 2010 announced the launch of an employment support programme for disabled people in Tanzania called Employability. The two year pilot project, funded by international trade unions seeks to strengthen the participation of Tanzanian people with disabilities in employment. The employment of people with disabilities is an important step towards ending ignorance, stigma, discrimination, and building a truly inclusive society in which all members are able to participate fully.
2011 – Mwanza Disabled Women’s Training and Employment Co-operative:
The project was started by Disability Aid Abroad in 2008 to develop a disabled women’s training and employment clothing co-operative in Mwanza Northern Tanzania. In partnership with the Small Industry Development Organisation of Tanzania (SIDO), Disability Aid Abroad is using an existing training centre in Mwanza to train 80 women with disabilities per year in clothing skills. The project directly addresses the issue of poverty, illness and the degradation of disabled women by empowering them financially by providing them with machinery, training, materials, and initial set up costs in a clothing co-operative. The project provides training and equal employment opportunities for disabled women, as well as capacity building and community development programmes. The ensuing financial independence enables access to medical and education facilities for the women and their families. The project plans to directly train 400 women with disabilities over a planned 5 year project life span. A Disability Coordinator will be employed in Mwanza to coordinate the training, employment and marketing aspects of the co-operative.
2010 – Mehayo Centre for Disabled Young People:
The MEHAYO Center is a Tanzanian charity established with the aim of helping Disabled Children. Many of the children have been abandoned at birth at the gates of the centre because they were disabled. The Mehayo Centre is run by an amazing woman called Linda Ngido, a former teacher who has dedicated her life to helping disabled children and young people. The social stigma associated with being disabled frequently means that disabled children are denied basic appropriate medical treatment. In a recent visit to the centre we were told of many instances where children were denied medical treatment because they were disabled.
In 2011 Disability Aid Abroad employed a local doctor to attend Mehayo Center 2 days per week helping to provide medical treatment for 60 disabled children living in Mehayo.
