A life of independence and human dignity for Persons with Disabilities -2024

Build an enabling environment for the community with disabilities to assert their rights, access equal opportunities and contribute for the national development processes in order to live a life of independence and human dignity as the rest of the population.

Uplifting the transparency and accountability of the State sector

  • The main State service delivery structure designated for persons with disabilities is the ministry of social services. This project intends to create an inclusive environment to ensure that persons with disabilities are not excluded from multi sectoral services delivered through other ministries.
  • This project opens avanues for the State service delivery mechanisms to reach out to the most marginalised groups.
  • The project promotes non-discrimination of persons with disabilities and guarantees the right of persons with disabilities to fully enjoy the rights entitled to them

Strengthening the Rule of Law

  • Raising awareness among the government officials on latest internal circulars issued by the North Western province that came into effect as a result of Sri Lanka’s international obligations to protect and promote the rights of persons with disabilities, State laws and regulations pertaining to persons with disabilities and the impact of past year activities of SSGP project.
  • Empowering and upgrading the knowledge of youth groups with disabilities mobilized through the SASGP programe and their families on legislations applicable to persons with disabilities
  • Contributing to ensure equal access to justice.
  • Uplifting Sri Lanka’s image as a State that respects the international human rights conventions and protects and promotes the rights of all groups without any form of discrimination.

Social Empowerment and Increased Media Involvement

  • Enable emerging young leaders/activists with disabilities conscious of rights through further strengthening of the district level organization of youth with disabilities established through the first phase of this project
  • Identifying a promising team of youth for the second-tier leadership building of AKASA, Association of Women with Disabilities, one of the weaknesses identified through the Organizational Capacity Assessment (OCA) process.
  • Publicizing the project activities in various virtual and other platforms such as AKASA website, NGO coalitions, and the WhatsApp groups maintained by Kurunegala and Anuradhapura district level forums
  • The video documentary produced in the first phase of the project and a new documentary on the proposed project will be uploaded on Youtube and publicized through all virtual platforms
  • Increased levels of independence of persons with disabilities
  • Contributing to strengthening social relations and interactions and laying the foundation for social inclusion
  • Decreased marginalization and increased respect for pluralism
  • Increased opportunities for persons with disabilities to contribute to national development

Strengthening democratic institutions and practices

  • The proposed project aims at inculcating positive attitudes in members and officials of provincial government institutions in order to gain their maximum contribution to ensuring the rights of persons with disabilities
  • The project will lobby for the inclusion and participation of youth with disabilities in the development processes of local/provincial governance bodies. Since AKASA has been maintaining close working relationships with provincial government institutions it would be able to facilitate this participation successfully.
  • It will create a link between the rights holders – persons with disabilities and duty bearers – officials in provincial governance to reduce the existing gaps
Two-day residential program for 30 heads of audited public institutions to raise awareness about the problem of lack of access facilities related to the human rights of persons with disabilities and a round table discussion.
AKASA Project Manager, Mr. M. R. C. K. Premathilake, welcomed the guests.
The occasion of the former Chief Secretary of the North Western Province addressing the assembly
The Project Manager of The Asia Foundation Mrs. Darshanie Abeykoon, addressed the gathering.
While making their own work plan
While Delivering the lecture about the law by Mr. Major Anil Senevirathne – Attorney at Law
While Delivering the lecture by Mr. Jeevan Kodithuwakku -Disability Expert of Janathakshan GTE Ltd
An experience exchange program with a selected organization in Jaffna for 16 youth organization members and 10 guardians to study how citizens with disabilities build their lives and socialize
The group poses for a group photo in front of Chunnakkam Digital Library
At the end of the program, all the participants posed for a group photo

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