Advancing the Rights of Women and Girls with Disabilities in Zimbabwe

Start DateOngoingEnd Date

11 Dec 201730 Jun 2021

Programme Status

Closed

Programme Budget

US$ 549,876

Financial Information

Thematic focus: Access to Health, Awareness Raising, Disability Policy and/or Law, Inclusive education, Legal Capacity, OPDs capacity building

Implementing Partners

UN Agencies

UNDP
UNFPA
UNESCO

Government Organizations

Ministry of Health and Child Care
Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare

Organizations of Persons with Disabilities

National Agency for Disability
National Association Of Societies For The Care Of The Handicapped (NASCOH)
Jairos Jiri Association
Tose Center

The Programme

The Government of Zimbabwe has undertaken major efforts to establish a legal and institutional framework for the inclusion of persons with disabilities. However, its implementation has realized limited success. As a result, persons with disabilities in Zimbabwe face huge challenges accessing healthcare, education, and justice with disabled women and girls bearing the brunt of the discrimination due to their marginalized gender.

Approach

UNESCO, UNDP, and UNFPA in collaboration with UNICEF, UN WOMEN, and the Resident Coordinator’s Office aimed to support women and girls with disabilities in Zimbabwe by

Amplifying their voices based on evidence supported needs, aspirations, and priorities;

Addressing negative cultural norms;

Advocating for improved response and prevention to Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and access to sexual reproductive health (SRH);

Engendering a human rights based approach to SRH service delivery and access to justice, all of which will advance CRPD articles 6, 8,13,23, and 25. While three agencies implemented the proposed project, namely UNDP, UNESCO, and UNFPA, an advisory group consisting of UNICEF, UN Women, the implementing agencies, government, and Disabled Persons Organizations (DPOs) will be created to oversee its execution.

The UN in Zimbabwe engaged around critical issues such as the transformation of cultural norms, the design and delivery of services, including among others SRH, and the protection of women and girls with disabilities from GBV and harmful practices.