Our Projects
GFD’s programme themes are drawn from its strategic plan and promotes the fundamental human rights and freedoms of persons with disabilities in Ghana. Currently, there are 7 key thematic areas of GFD’s programme implementation:
- Organizational Development (OD)
- Inclusive Employment Programme
- Health Programme
- Inclusive Education Programme
- Governance Programme
- Sports
- Monitoring implementation of international human rights mechanisms, policies and processes such as UPR, VNR, GDS, CRPD, SDGs. Gender is a cross-cutting issues and carefully considered in all programmes and projects.
Our Past Projects
The GFD has over the years implemented several interventions in the form of projects and programmes to promote the rights of persons with disabilities in Ghana. Projects have been the major avenue through which specific issues about the rights and development of persons with disabilities, as well as member organisations of persons with disabilities, have been dealt with in Ghana. They are also significant sources of funding and technical resources that have helped to sustain the operations of the organisation. The most significant of these interventions (projects and programmes) have been listed below:
This project was implemented at the national level and in 24 districts across 7 regions (BA, Northern, Upper East, Upper West, Ashanti, Western and Greater Accra). It was a ten-year project involving the direct participation of four (4) of GFD’s member organisations namely the Ghana society of the physically disabled; Ghana blind union, Ghana National Association of the Deaf and Inclusion Ghana. Each of these member organisations managed aspects of the project related to their constituent members and sector of disability with the GFD performing a coordination role and also directly dealt with cross-disability issues, particularly relating to organisational strengthening of the branches, promoting joint governance structures, and leading in cross-cutting disability advocacy issues.
The joint project was supported by the Danish government through DANIDA with the Disabled People’s Organisation of Denmark (DPOD) being our bilateral sister organisation. The project was implemented in three phases. Phase one spans 2008-2012, phase two was from 2012 to 2018 and the final phase was implemented and completed in 2019. There was an inception phase which last from 2008 to the end of 2010. The project achieved the following:
- Strengthened local branches in 24 districts to provide quality leadership in advocating the rights of persons with disabilities across the country.
- The disability movement became vibrant and led in advocating key legislative reforms in Ghana including the ratification of the UNCRPD, exemptions for persons with disabilities under the national health insurance scheme and advocating the establishment of the 2% (later increased to 3%) common fund for persons with disabilities. Access to the common fund for persons with disabilities was facilitated and over 5,000 people benefited from the fund across the 24 project districts.
Through a collaboration with the Ghana Health Service, this project was implemented between 2018 and 2020, reaching out to over 2,000 persons with disabilities with SRH promotional messages through the media, community durbars and information sharing workshops. The project enabled GFD to undertake research into issues around access to sexual health services and reproductive health rights of persons with disabilities to support evidence-based advocacy. It was supported by Amplify change in the UK.
Increasing the participation of persons with disabilities in Ghana (2015-2017). This two-year activity was implemented as part of USAID’s support to the GFD to strengthen its capacity to support initiatives that advocated the rights of persons with disabilities to participate in society. Through this project, regional networks of organisations of people with disabilities were established and supported to coordinate the activities of local branches of the OPDs, draw strategic action plans and increased the visibility of organisations of persons with disabilities in the media space along with the issues that needed attention. There was a legal education component to the project which enabled over 1,000 persons with disabilities to be trained in fundamental concepts of human rights, the CRPD provisions and how to advance the course of justice for those whose Human rights are violated contrary to provisions in the CRPD and Ghana’s domestic laws.
- Advocacy for the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights Of Persons With Disabilities (CRPD) project (2015-2019).
Under a funding sponsorship by the Open Society for West Africa (OSWA), the GFD worked with partners such as the LADA Institute and Mind Freedom Ghana to promote effective implementation of the UN CRPD. The focus of this project was on getting the government of Ghana to draw a road map plan of implementation for the CRPD, set up a country coordination mechanism and properly designate institutions to report on the status of implementation of the provisions in the CRPD. The project succeeded in getting the National council for persons with disabilities to initiate moves within government to pursue the goal of a roadmap for the CRPD implementation.
- Advocating increased resources for the implementation of Ghana’s inclusive education policy project.
This was a UNICEF Ghana supported project which was implemented in 10 districts across the country. The project targeted building evidence through research and policy brief development for evidence-based advocacy to increase budgetary allocation to the IE policy implementation. Community-level sensitisation and awareness were raised through durbars and media campaigns which encouraged parents to enrol their children with disabilities in schools.
- Leave no woman behind project.
This project was supported by Netherlands based organisation called VOICE and jointly implemented with partners in Kenya and Mali who are members of the Global Call for Action Against Poverty (GCAP). GFD was the lead organisation in the implementation of the project. It involved a series of activism in Ghana and at the global level to promote the inclusion of women and girls with disabilities in programmes aimed at achieving the UN sustainable development goals (SDGs).Â
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Ongoing Projects
This project is a 4-year project (2021 – 2024) with the overall goal of positioning GFD to be a stronger national umbrella organisation of Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) that effectively influences legislations, policies and programmes for disability inclusion and increased participation by persons with disabilities in the Ghanaian society. The project seeks to increase capacity and support advocacy related actions of GFD.
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There are three major components of the proposed project:
- Organisational development,
- Advocacy for policies and laws to protect the welfare of PWD’s in Ghana and
- Disability data to inform policy development and implementation as well as reporting on international conventions and protocols signed by government.
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Outcome of the project includes:
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- GFD has established strong organisational systems, provide needs-based capacity building and members effectively participate in policies formulation, implementation and monitoring.
- Government has developed policies that are sensitive to the promotion of disability welfare and has started to put structures in place to support implementation of the policies.
- Member organisations have contributed to gathering disability specific data to inform policy making and development of shadow reports on international conventions and protocols signed by government.
Funders
- Disable People of Denmark
This is a six months initiative that seeks to support the GFD to strengthen its position as a strong partner by engaging the government through public consultations, advocating and tracking of implementation and dissemination of information to persons with and without disabilities to appreciate the issues and actively participate in all ongoing processes towards the implementation of the CRPD and any related policy interventions.   Â
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Expected Results
- Opportunities are created for stakeholders, DPOs, and Persons with disabilities to effectively participate in Ghana’s inclusive development processes.
- Stakeholders in Ghana’s disability sector effectively rallied around critical areas identified through the UPR, the state report on CRPD implementation, and the GDS 2022 commitments.
- Alternative reports on UPR developed which informs all engagements among government, CSOs, OPDs, and partners within the sector on inclusive development based on the issues highlighted in the UPR
- List of issues from CRPD review by the UN committee of experts published and disseminated among OPDs and stakeholders
- National Roadmap on GDS 2022 commitments development, Ghana’s commitment from GDS published and disseminated among OPDs and stakeholders.
- At least 5 media reports published on the project
- At least 350 persons with disabilities and stakeholders directly benefit from the project activities
Funders
- Disability Rights Fund
This 6 months initiative which mobilize OPD in Ghana and around the global to ensure that participation of CSOs in the GDS which anticipated to accelerate the implementation of the CRPD, the successful achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as well as the previous commitments made during the first GDS. The GDS22 will seek to promote actions to increase inclusiveness and equality in line with the principle of leaving no one behind and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
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Objective
- To consolidate issues and inputs from persons with disabilities and their representative organisations for inclusion in Ghana’s commitment at the GDS 2022.
- To influence the formulation of realistic disability inclusive development commitments by the government of Ghana.
- To increase awareness on the GDS2022 and mobilize persons with disabilities and their stakeholders for participation.
- To promote collaboration between CSOs and Development partners to deepen disability inclusion in government programmes and activities.
Funders
GDS secretariat, IDA, Sightsavers, UNICEF and Disabled People’s Organisation – Denmark (DPOD) and Office of the United Nations Representative/Coordinator in Ghana.
GFD is implementing a technical assistance (TA) project with the aim of improving GFD’s leadership, data management and MEL. With GFD being an umbrella for disability organisations with sub-structures at the regional and district levels, the improved leadership and governance will enable GFD to have good oversight of its sub-structures and promote accountability at all levels. Also, improved leadership and governance skills will enable GFD to strengthen its sub-structures, to engage sub-regional and district government institutions/stakeholders effectively and meaningfully in their various jurisdictions.
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TA goals and objectives
- Assess the strength of GFD leadership and provide capacity building by October 2023
- Increase GFD capacity on how to generate and manage the use of disaggregated data for advocacy by November 2023
- Work with GFD to put internal MEL systems in place and provide the skills to implement these systems by December 2023
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The expected indicators
- Output 1: Improved leadership and governance structures of the GFD.
- Output 2: GFD skills enhanced to generate and manage the use of disaggregated data for advocacy Milestone
- Output 3: Improved internal monitoring, evaluation and learning systems.
Funders
This initiative is funded with UK aid from the UK government through the Ghana Somubi Dwumadie (Ghana Participation Programme).
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Ghana Federation of Disability Organisations (GFD), formerly known as Ghana Federation of the Disabled now, was established in 1987 as a national umbrella of organisations of persons with disabilities with the full legal status under the laws of Ghana
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- Accra Rehabilitation Centre, Accra, Ghana
- +233302249079
- +233240867200
- info@gfdgh.org
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