A life with disability is still life with abilities.
Our advocacy is to sensitize communities against the myth and negative stigma around disability. We seek to educate communities about the true meaning of disability, acceptability and equal treatment. We perceive ‘’disability’’ as not literally an inability as understood by the majority of our society, but a different kind of ability expressed differently. We campaign against disability stereotype and discrimination but support fairness, equal access, respect for basic human rights and dignity. Therefore, we seek to promote awareness and self-reliance as a medium at which vulnerable children and families in disabling circumstance(s) to live independently and in dignity.
Lifeways aim is to support the various categories of children within our target groups to access the level of quality education intended for everyone despite their life challenges. Our approach is accessibility and retention in an inclusive learning environment where applicable. We believe this will help reduce inequality and promote social inclusion. Lifeways initiative is to support child school attendance, learning materials, quality education and safe learning environment.
We believe in inclusiveness in ensuring that our target groups of children have access to those services intended for everyone in our society. This model of support system builds resilience and strengthens the abilities of not only the children but also their parents and caregivers. As part of our support plan, we will continue with referral services where applicable, physical rehabilitation and pain management for those conditions that are incurable and reoccurring for the children. Moreover, Lifeways works to support the metal health of parents and caregivers of those children by providing counselling services and other tailored psychosocial support system.
We are with the notion that extreme poor living condition may negatively increase the impact of disability that will impact children’s growth, healthcare, accessibility to education, social inclusion and participation, self-independence and dignity. The best way to build a sustainable and fulfilled life for our children and the vulnerable girl-child is early interventions with individualized livelihoods projects (i.e. income-generating activities, skill development, microenterprise development, and improving food security to attain better lives and livelihood for children etc.) that is community based for the parents and caregivers. We believe that empowering families/caregivers with relevant support systems will help create the change on a much larger scale for our disabled and vulnerable children.
Children with disabilities in hard to reach and deprived communities are most likely to experience difficult socio-economic outcomes such as lack of inclusive quality education, poor health condition, suffer high poverty rate, and neglect from parents or caregivers, especially if they lack relevant skills, tolerance, finance, and adequate resources to care for them. They are often not considered valuable human beings and face a lot of prejudice from the society. Hence, our main area of intervention is to support children with disabilities. We work towards inclusivity and awareness for these children knowing that a child with disability is still a life with abilities.
Vulnerability in this context includes orphans, children living in abject poverty and disaster areas, children from agonizing single parent’s families, children of parents with disabilities etc. living in hard-to-reach and deprived communities. Lifeways perceives this group of children to be susceptible and at risk of falling into early substance abuse, national brain-drain and lose of human capital. Some of these children unavoidably will end up alienated from socio-economic opportunities available and their basic human rights. Lifeways shall continue to provide sustainable and well-managed systems for these children to have better livelihood by means of promoting fairness, inclusive quality education and equal opportunities for all regardless of their individual life challenges.
Lifeways believes in the fact that every individual and family unit has a unique potential and an innate desire to care for self and family regardless of their limitation(s). Hence, they are yearning to be able to care and uphold themselves and family’s dignity at every giving opportunity. Training and financial support systems are vital aspects to build their capacities and eventually minimize/eradicate poverty. They whole idea is to enable families of children with disability to be financially capable to independently support their children and in dignity via our Public Sector Strengthen (PSI) initiatives.
This program is primarily geared towards disabled and vulnerable children of school going age with learning capacity in remote and deprived communities. Lifeways seek to include these children in every opportunity in pursuit of inclusive education, acceptance, participation and retention in school at every level. Our supports cover: books, pens, pencils, bags, cost of uniforms, and other relevant learning materials as required.
Our approach is to support vulnerable and disabled children and their families in hard-to-reach and deprived communities to live in a safe and inclusive environment that support development of the vulnerable and children with special needs. Disabled and vulnerable children are often not encouraged and accepted by their family members and the environments wherein they find themselves as a societal stereotype and stigmatization. They are marginalized to lower human beings. As a result of these discriminations; they build up so much emotional annoyance leading to disorientation and isolation. Lifeways believe that by creating an enabling environment will inevitably empower and encourage inclusivity of this category of children and their families and caregivers in their respective communities. An early tailored intervention is central to any child’s development.
Lifeways is also engaged in school to school campaigns on social inclusion and awareness of disability, and the accessibility of schools for our beneficiaries. The purpose of this campaign is to bring to light the awareness about disability i e; how to manage children with disabilities, create empathy and stops stereotypic mindsets that deter inclusivity and safe environment for them. Tolerance and acceptability is also important in the world of disability particularly with children with disability.
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