[vc_row parallax=”true” parallax_clr=”whitish” parallax_bg=”919″][vc_column][vc_row_inner content_placement=”middle”][vc_column_inner width=”2/3″][vc_custom_heading text=”ORGANISATIONAL BACKGROUND” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left|color:%231e73be”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1548432665014{margin-top: 10px !important;}”]IDIWA is a voluntary, not for profit non-governmental Organization established in 2000 by women of different disability categories including physical and sensory disabilities together with parents of children with disabilities from Iganga District. The establishment of IDIWA came out of realization that women and girls with disabilities face heightened discrimination on account of gender and disability. They are among the poorest in their communities and efforts to address their plight are hindered by lack of coordination and sufficient information. This necessitated the birth of IDIWA to design self help community based development programs for women and girls with disabilities.

However, in 2015, IDIWA embarked on a restructuring process which opened doors for other vulnerable groups in programming including i.e. Children, Youth, People living with HIV/AIDS and the Elderly, and expanded the area of operation from Iganga district to the entire Busoga Sub region.

In order to achieve its mission, IDIWA prioritizes the following themes:

• Human Rights and Good Governance
• Economic Empowerment and Livelihoods
• Health and Reproductive Rights
• Vocational Skills Training
• Community Rehabilitation

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1. Mainstreaming HIV/AIDS and Child Protection: HIV/AIDS is challenge to People with Disabilities and cannot be overlooked if a development program is to succeed. PWDs are not targeted by many HIV/AIDS actors which results into lack of information and vulnerability to the pandemic. IDIWA conducts monthly HIV/AIDS mainstreaming sessions for Staff and Board members, annual KAP surveys and mainstreams HIV/AIDS in all training activities. In line with IDIWA Child Protection Policy, we ensure that all children in our care during implementation of activities are free from abuse. All staffs are required to sign up to IDIWA’s code of conduct and statement of commitment to Child Protection. We conduct annual Child Safety Assessments and training for Staff/Board members.
2. Environment: To address climate change effects on PWDs, under our livelihood activities, we emphasize sustainable agricultural/environmental practices such as organic farming, use of fuel saving stoves to save trees/forests, zero grazing (feeding cattle in paddocks), small vegetable gardens and planting fruit trees such as mangoes and avocado around the home. We conduct sensitization on the effects of climate change and encourage communities to plant more trees especially those that provide several advantages such as fruits, firewood, shed and mulching.
3. Gender: Although IDIWA is a women organization, our programs target both men and women in line with the new Development Strategy and the Gender policy. Sixty percent of project beneficiaries are women with disabilities. Youths with disabilities are given priority in our programming i.e. 60% of project beneficiaries are youth.

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1. IDIWA has a niche in Human Rights Advocacy and is now rated among the most effective organizations promoting the human rights disability issues to the local government agenda in Busoga sub region. The major achievements under this component including:

• Influencing enactment of the Local Government (Iganga District) (Persons with Disabilities) Ordinance, 2007 and its amendment in 2013 to ensure conformity with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
• Advocacy for formulation of the Iganga District Policy on Disability, 2013.
• Documentation of the Local government budgeting process, 2014.
• Development of a human rights training manual.
• Training and establishment of a core team of Disability rights monitors.
• Translation of the CRPD into Lusoga, 2010.

2. Contribution to reduction in paediatric HIV infections through provision of home based care and support for the sick in terms of counselling, drugs and transport besides Joint Active Client Follow-Up of HIV-positive mothers who get lost-to-follow up in health centres to reduce mother to child infections.

3. Promotion of Reproductive Health rights for GWWDs through Peer education and support, human rights training and advocacy for appropriate access to the full complement of reproductive health services for women with disabilities which includes individualized birth control methods, family planning, prenatal care, and prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

4. Empowerment of 500 Women and Youth with Disabilities through Vocational skills training and provision of start up materials including carpentry tool boxes, sewing machines, catering and hair dressing equipment among others to enable the use the skills learnt.

5. Economic empowerment for 500 Girls and Women with Disabilities through entrepreneurship and business management training and support for establishment of Income Generating Activities.

6. Contribution towards prevention of Disability and support for Habilitation and Rehabilitation through supporting corrective surgery and home based care for 300 Children with Club feet, Post polio paralysis and Hydrocephalus; provision hearing aids, wheel chairs and other mobility appliances for 700 PWDs.

7. Establishment of the Iganga Disabled People’s Saving and Credit Cooperative (IDP-SACCO) and provision of financial services to over 500 PWDs, Women and other vulnerable groups. Financial services were previously out of reach to PWDs because service providers equate disability to inability to perform.

8. Establishment of Lancy food processing Centre (a cottage industry) is a major achievement. It is helping People with Disability and the community to use their land to grow and supply mangoes and earn income for sustaining their livelihoods. The cottage is a source of income for sustaining IDIWA activities in the future.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]