Increasing Civil Society Organisations’ Capacities for Mainstreaming the Rights of People with Disabilities in Albania
- World Vision Albania – Coordinator
- Albania Disability Rights Foundation (ADRF)
- Defending the Rights of People with Disability (MEDPAK)
February 2018 - February 2021
Overall Objective
Enhance the effectiveness of civil society organisations in Albania to influence the social inclusion of PwD and the creation of a multidimensional approach to mainstreaming the rights of PwD.
Summary of the Project
The three partner organisations were engaged in increasing the access of people with disabilities (PwD) to specialised services and community centres. There have been a number of consultations held with the PwD and their caregivers in the four targeted municipalities of Lezhe, Diber, Berat and Korce. They revealed the need to organise PwD into a civic action that is vocal for the cause of disability rights, utilising a wider partnership of local organisations and community groups, particularly volunteer youth groups.
The action was designed to strengthen civil society’s role in Albania as a driver of change, promoting human rights protection, monitoring and influencing legislation and decision-making.
(The 2016 Child Disability Prevalence Study shows that the percentages of families that have at least one child with a disability in the targeted areas are: Berat 14.3%; Dibër 16.6%; Korçë 12.4% and Lezhë 21.6%.)
Activities
- Map local PwD, civil society organisations, Disabled People Organisations, and conduct a capacity building needs assessment
- Design and provide trainings on organisational development, disability rights mainstreaming, monitoring, networking and lobbying
- Mobilise and train youth volunteers to initiate community service projects to benefit PwD
- Establish an online interactive e-learning platform for civil society organisations/ Disabled People Organisations /PwDs
- Develop an index-monitoring tool for National Action Plan implementation with the support of disability experts
- Build the capacities of local civil society organisations to administer the index and monitor eight domains of the National Action Plan
- Carry out two participatory action research studies to prepare the baseline and final monitoring reports on the National Action Plan implementation
- Organise ten public events (eight on the local level and two on the national level) to disseminate the findings and recommendations of the participatory action research, and of monitoring reports
- Establish four local networks to engage in advocacy at the national level
- Develop two-year Action Plans for four local networks, based on priority issues identified in the baseline monitoring report on the National Action Plan implementation
- Conclude Memorandums of Understanding between local networks and municipalities to institutionalise the dialogue on mainstreaming disability rights
- Local networks and Albanian Disability and Development Coalition participate in consultation meetings on annual planning and budgeting (three times per year)
- Organise exchange visits for local networks to share experiences
Expected Results
- Strengthened capacities of civil society organisations active in the cause of disability rights (including Disabled People Organisations, PwD and their caregivers) to advocate for the rights of PwD and their participation in monitoring of public policies
- Established and effectively used mechanism for monitoring the implementation of the National Action Plan at local and national levels
- Local networks of civil society organisations are developed/strengthened, and actively engaged in dialogue with the local and central government to contribute to the enforcement of the National Action Plan
Alessandro ANGIUS
alessandro.angius@eeas.europa.eu
