The Africa Disability Forum (ADF) and CBM Global are delighted to announce their newly established strategic partnership, formalized through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

The ADF currently boasts members from 44 African nations and is dedicated to advancing the rights and inclusivity of individuals with disabilities and their families across Africa. Their mission revolves around empowerment, participation, unity, and amplification of voices while bolstering organizational capacity and fostering partnerships.

CBM Global, on the other hand, collaborates with individuals with disabilities residing in some of the world’s most impoverished regions to combat poverty and exclusion, catalyzing life transformations and cultivating inclusive communities.

These two organizations have been actively collaborating on several fronts, including their joint involvement in CBM Global’s Inclusion Advisory Group, where they provide advisory services to the World Food Programme in fulfilling its commitments to disability inclusion.

The newly established MoU between ADF and CBM Global encompasses a wide array of collaborative initiatives. These include advocacy and lobbying efforts to facilitate the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) at the national level and the ratification of the African Disability Protocol by the member states of the African Union. Additionally, the partnership involves strengthening the capacity of Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) within ADF’s membership, offering inclusive advice to other organizations, and promoting inclusive actions related to climate change, humanitarian response, and disability-inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction.

Anderson Gitonga, the Inclusive Development Director at CBM Global, expresses enthusiasm about this ongoing collaboration, highlighting the alignment of goals and commitments shared by both CBM Global Disability Inclusion and ADF. He emphasizes the pivotal role of collaborative work in fortifying disability inclusion, noting that diverse teams bring unique perspectives that drive innovation and growth.

Shuaib Chalklen, the Executive Director of ADF, extends a warm welcome to CBM Global’s renewed commitment to working closely with ADF as they strive to achieve their goals and objectives, particularly focusing on social protection for Africans with disabilities.

Both organizations unite under a common vision to champion the rights and inclusion of individuals with disabilities and to enhance their quality of life, leaving no one behind.

See also: https://cbm-global.org/news/africa-disability-forum-cbm-global-to-strengthen-disability-inclusion