Enabling rights for persons with disability through effective awareness raising & vocational training 

Humanitarian Initiative Relief for Afghanistan has been advocating for the rights of people with disability in Afghanistan since 2015. In addition to advocacy work, HIRA also provides vocational trainings to improve the situation of people with disability in the country. HIRA also aims to support all those NGO’s working in the sector, to bring better coordination on advocacy campaigns and lead change. 

In 2023 aim to start a project to amplify the voices of people with disability in Afghanistan. The project will share information between DPOs to inform and influence government’s policy on people with disabilities and to co-ordinate advocacy campaigns. 

People with disabilities in Afghanistan struggle to have their voices heard.

• The latest disability survey in 2005 estimated 2.7-15% of Afghans have different levels of disabilities. The trend is growing. In the first nine months of 2018, the UN reported over 5,252 civilians were injured in the ongoing conflict.

• The Afghan government ratified the UN Conventions on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, but in practice it has not been implemented. 
• Exclusion for people with disabilities is severe, children cannot access school, employment is limited and discriminatory behavior is prevalent in society. (almost 73% of people with disabilities cannot access schools);
• DPOs and NGOs are advocating for disability rights however, better coordination of advocacy campaigns is needed to hold the government accountable to its commitments.

 HIRA’s Response

• Capacity building
• Collecting data from all those NGO’s working  in the field
• Coordinating the advocacy campaigns and awareness-raising efforts of disability organizations