Six disability-movement changemakers celebrate the conclusion of advisory fellowship in SE Asia

Project, Stories-iag | July 9, 2024

Image description: (L-R) ACE Fellows Aikeo Koomanivong, Lao PDR, Sholih Muhdlor, Indonesia, Janine Cruzet, Philippines, Mona Liza J. Labitoria-Visperas, Philippines, Ida Puji Astuti Maryono Putri, Indonesia, and Samnieng Thammavong, Lao PDR. 

On April 30th, 2024, the year-long pilot of the Advisory Capacity and Exchange (ACE fellowship) concluded with an online celebration of achievement of the six disability movement fellows from Indonesia, Philippines and Laos PDR.

Six members of the disability movement in Southeast Asia have recently celebrated the completion of an innovative year-long programme of knowledge exchange, skill development, collaboration, network-building, and friendship, increasing disability inclusion advisory capacity across the region.

The Advisory Capacity and Exchange (ACE) fellowship, hosted by IAG and International Disability Alliance (IDA), began in April 2023, with fellows chosen to participate through a competitive process – two each from Indonesia, Laos PDR, and the Philippines.

The fellowship worked to translate disability inclusion theory into practice, providing technical inclusion advice to international development stakeholders, such as UN agencies, Development Banks, International NGOs, and bilateral donors.

The fellowship comprised of a series of technical webinars, written assignments, a 5-day face-to-face workshop in Jakarta on rights-based advice and inclusive programming, a mentoring programme, as well as practical on-the-job learning experiences, supported by advisors from CBM Global and IDA.

“I feel like I’m jumping high – it’s been the best experience of my life!” Fellow, May 2024.

During the programme, fellows were engaged in a wide range of knowledge and skill-building experiences, tied to their own personalised learning goals. These included sector specific knowledge and skills, such as inclusion advice on:

• Disability-inclusive disaster risk reduction (DiDRR)
• Cross cutting issues such as intersectionality, and
• Advisory skills such as negotiating a Terms of Reference, technical writing, inclusive facilitation; and working with partners.

IAG is currently conducting an evaluation of the pilot fellowship to learn what worked well, what could be done differently, and to begin to understand the impact that programmes of this kind can have on building localised, meaningful, and transformative partnerships with the disability movement.

The fellows even made commitments to support each other in their advisory work going forward.

“Without the fellowship, I think it would take me another 3-5 years to be doing this kind of work.” Fellow, 2023.

What we do know so far is that there has been a lot of learning and sharing in both directions, a huge amount of hard work, and lasting, supportive, relationships built across the region within the disability movement.

We can’t wait to see where this takes the fellows, and how we can support through implementing new iterations of the fellowship in the future.

Congratulations to all of the fellows!

 

The ACE project is funded by Equity Trustees, UNFPA Asia Pacific and CBM Australia.

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