The GIRLS Project

The three pillars of the GIRL Project are inclusion, response, and linkages. Inclusion to combat the disability-related stigma and discrimination Girls With Disabilities (GWDs) face, ensuring that service providers and stakeholders are sensitized to be able to effectively respond to Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights/Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SRHR/SGBV) experiences of GWDs and Linking them to disability-inclusive services.

The project has successfully identified and sensitized women’s rights organizations, CSOs, and autonomous groups who work in the area of SGBV /SRHR. This particularly opened up discussions on how these organizations and groups can improve on their work by mainstreaming disability into their programs and work plans. It also provided opportunities for identifying areas of partnerships and collaboration to ensure that disability issues are properly captured during project planning and design.

The project also recognized that in order to eliminate Violence Against Women and Girls With Disabilities/Harmful Practices (VAWGWDs/HP), WGWDs must be targeted and empowered to understand Gender Equality and Women Empowerment (GEWE), disability rights, and what constitutes acts of violence against them. The projects successfully trained Women and Girls With Disabilities (WGWDs) to lead advocacy for improved and inclusive SGBV / SRHR services. These women now have a voice and are empowered to raise awareness of duty bearers and the public on the challenges they face in accessing services.

The GIRLS project secured a commitment from the media in improving their reportage of disability issues especially in reporting SGBV against WGWDs. The project has recorded changes in the reportage of media practitioners since the conclusion of the training. The handbook will also serve as a resource material for all media practitioners to have a better understanding of disability-inclusive reportage.

As a result of this project, WGWDs now have a better understanding of their SRHR, and this evidence in their actions and conversations on social media and during subsequent meetings. Some of them have also carried out sensitization for primary school girls with disabilities on their SRHRs. Some of the women’s rights groups trained under the project are currently seeking collaborations with Organizations of Persons With Disabilities (OPDs) and also making changes to their workplans and activities to be disability-inclusive.