By Lloyd Mangoh | 263Chat Contributor
A new regional push to amplify the voices of persons with disabilities is gaining momentum across Southern Africa. At its heart lies a crucial goal: strengthening the capacity of Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) to become more effective champions of inclusion, advocacy, and policy change.
This initiative is part of the Realisation of the African Disability Protocol (RAD-P) project, funded by the European Union and implemented by Sightsavers, in partnership with DZT, FODPZ and NASCOH. Currently active in Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Zambia, the project aims to equip OPDs with the tools and skills needed to advocate for the domestication of the African Disability Protocol (ADP) in national legislation, starting with Zimbabwe.
During a recent training workshop in Harare, stakeholders from across the region gathered to refine tools for assessing OPD capacity. Among them was Colleen Roberts, Global Technical Lead for Social Inclusion and Mainstreaming at Sightsavers. In an interview with 263Chat, she emphasised the central role OPDs play in national inclusion strategies.
“They’re the ones who bring the grassroots voices to the national level,” Roberts said. “They have the expertise, the lived experience, and the community’s trust. That makes them uniquely positioned to influence change.”
But even as their role expands, OPDs face serious obstacles—chief among them, inconsistent funding. Tapiwa Tsikai, Co-founder and Technical Director at ThisAbility Hub, noted that many OPDs struggle to sustain their work due to a lack of reliable financial support.
“Most OPDs are ineffective because they don’t have consistent or adequate funding,” Tsikai said. He advocates for the creation of a National Disability Fund to ensure these organisations can function sustainably.
Human resources also present a challenge. Leonard Marange, National Director of the Federation of Organisations of Disabled People in Zimbabwe (FODPZ), said staff retention is one of their most challenging issues.
“Young professionals often leave after gaining experience because there’s no long-term funding to retain them,” he explained. “We need resources—financial, human, and material—to maintain any real level of effectiveness.”
Still, when OPDs are well-resourced, the impact is tangible. Marange cited the successful development of a Shadow Report to the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) as one example. “We were operating at over 75% capacity then, which directly contributed to our success,” he said.
OPDs like FODPZ are now integral players in shaping national policy. They’ve partnered with government ministries, civil society, and the private sector. Notably, FODPZ helped craft a CRPD-compliant budget guide and a costed national disability action plan—concrete steps toward inclusive development.
Still, challenges remain within the disability movement itself. Advocate Gamuchirai Uzande warns that not all OPDs are truly disability-friendly.
“Some are in it for the fame or the funding, not for the community,” she said. “But if you capacitate OPDs properly and give them the right tools and training, they can earn trust and become real agents of change.”
Technical capacity is another concern. OPDs often operate in sectors like health, education, and employment, requiring specialised knowledge. According to Roberts, Sightsavers’ approach is to support OPDs through “learning by doing,” mentoring, and peer exchanges—methods designed to match each organization’s needs.
She pointed to recent work in Cameroon, where tailored support for people with intellectual disabilities included easy-to-read materials and accessible training methods. “It’s about listening, adapting, and making everything as inclusive and flexible as possible,” she said.
Crucially, building OPD capacity is not a one-way street. “We also need to work with government systems to make them more inclusive,” Roberts added. “True inclusion happens when both sides are ready to engage meaningfully.”
For Roberts and her colleagues, empowering OPDs is about more than training or funding—it’s about justice.
“These are not acts of charity,” she said. “This is about giving people with disabilities the tools to lead the change they want to see.”
As Southern Africa continues its journey toward full disability inclusion, the message is clear: when OPDs are strong, communities thrive, and policy begins to reflect the voices that matter most.
