Rights in Action: Strengthening Underrepresented OPDs in Africa

News | June 5, 2025

CBM Global, in partnership with disability organisations across Africa, has launched a new advocacy project titled Rights in Action: Strong Connected Organisations of Persons with Disabilities for Inclusive Advocacy. Funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland, the project will run until December 2026 and aims to tackle the discrimination and human rights violations faced by persons with disabilities, especially those from underrepresented groups, in Nigeria and Zimbabwe.

Inclusive Change from the Ground Up

Underrepresented groups, including people with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities, deaf and deafblind individuals, continue to face barriers to autonomy, public participation, and basic services. Despite existing legal protections across many African countries, these groups are often excluded from development and humanitarian processes.

“We have diverse legal frameworks in the African continent meant to address the barriers that Africans with disabilities face, but still many are left out,” says Anderson Gitonga, CBM Global Inclusive Development Director. “To have a project that seeks to address some of these barriers, more so by underrepresented groups, is a big milestone—not just for us, but for our OPD partners in Africa.”

A Collaborative Approach Led by OPDs

The project’s design and implementation will be co-created by 14 Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPD) partners in Nigeria and Zimbabwe. These partners will shape the programme based on their own priorities and needs, focusing on three main areas:

• Governance
• Advocacy capacity
• Organisational sustainability

Fatma Wangari, Regional Coordinator of Inclusion Africa, says “This project is more than just advocacy—it’s about reclaiming our voices. For too long, underrepresented groups like ours have been sidelined in decisions that affect our lives. ‘Rights in Action’ gives us the tools to challenge exclusion and demand real change.”

In addition, the project will work with two regional OPDs and one global-level OPD, creating opportunities for broader influence and learning.

“Rights in Action intentionally prioritises under-represented groups—including persons with intellectual or psychosocial disabilities, deaf and deafblind persons—and particularly intersections between these characteristics,” explains Karen Glisson, Head of Programmes at CBM UK. “We aim to strengthen coordination and information flows between OPDs, duty-bearers, and civil society allies.”

Learning Across Borders

To promote learning and capacity building beyond Africa, an online organisational strengthening module will be developed. This will facilitate cross-regional exchange with OPDs in Asia and the Pacific, enabling mutual learning and deeper understanding of shared challenges.

Grounded in Our Global Commitments

This initiative builds on CBM Global’s broader commitment, made during the 2025 Global Disability Summit, to increase the number of programmes working with marginalised and underrepresented groups. Specifically, we aim to:

• Increase by 25% the number of projects that include OPD organisational strengthening components.
• Ensure that at least 20% of our funding to partners goes directly to OPD partners.

These commitments reflect our belief that inclusive development is not possible without the full participation of all persons with disabilities—especially those often left behind.

Partners at the Helm

The Rights in Action project will be facilitated by CBM Global in partnership with:

• African Disability Forum
• Federation of Organisations of Disabled Persons in Zimbabwe
• Inclusion Africa
• Inclusive Friends Association, Nigeria
• International Disability Alliance
• Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities, Nigeria
• World Federation of the Deaf
• Zimbabwe National Association for Mental Health

Together, we look forward to advancing a stronger, more inclusive disability movement that leaves no one behind.

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