Caritas Australia and disability

South East Asia program perspective

BackgroundPrinciples by which we work

Our mandate is to work for (and with) the poorest of the poor – we define as poorest, marginalised and vulnerable

We use the principles of Catholic Social teaching (CST) as the framework for our programs.

Catholic Social TeachingUphold the dignity of the human person

Begin and strengthen processes that lead from less human to more human conditions

Serve others, especially the poorest

Enable the poor to participate in decisions affecting their lives

Promote peace and communal harmony; the common good

Care for the environment

Promote justice for all, especially economic justice

Subsidiarity

Love one another

Asia Strategy

We aim to develop and implement strategies which

reach,

include,

support,

benefit

and empower the poorest, most vulnerable and marginalised in each community in which we work.

Working with the poorest of the poor

By the term “poorest of the poor” we mean:

the poorest in terms of food, shelter, clothing, access to education and health services; weakest in terms of capacity to influence; the most vulnerable in any society and those who are marginalised for reasons of race, disability, difference etc.

How we do this•Partners are trained on CST and working with poorest•Training includes session listing all those groups who might be included as poorest•Partners discuss obstacles to working with poorest and how to overcome obstacles•Partners understand obligations to the poorest

How CST has supported disability work

Partners look again at their programs

Putting disabled people on the agenda may mean:

Mainstreaming disability into all programs

and/or

Implementing specific disability programs

Mainstreaming Partners need to look at inclusion in all initiativesHow do we do this?Inclusion features: listening, creating access, providing assistance, empowermentConstraint: Within a strategy to reach the poorest are disabled people lost amid widows, orphans, landless, illiterate, elderly, the sick etc?

InclusionCA supports many programs in broad community development both rural and urban; in each of these we need to find a special place for the disabled elderly, landless, orphans etc

This takes time and a consistent approach

Example:A community development project in Kampong Speu province Cambodia, included as “common good” the building of a school but also supported the poorest in provision of clean water, chicken-raising and kitchen gardening

Thmey village,Kampong Speu, Cambodia

Advantages of specific projects

Raises profileSpecific initiatives for people living with HIV/AIDS created an environment in which HIV was recognised as a major health and social issueMore effective at ensuring the involvement of people with disabilityRecognises the value of PWD

Specific initiatives

Vietnam:

Training of parents and teachers of the disabled to become advocates particularly in communities and schools

Self-help groups

Livelihood development

Vocational training

Parents as trainers

Specific initiativesCambodia- Maryknoll

Deaf Development ProgramThe majority of deaf people in Cambodia live isolated lives in the provinces. Deaf men work in the rice fields with their hearing siblings. Deaf women are kept at home to cook and clean. They have no language except for some “home signs” made up by family and only understood by family.

Maryknoll-DDP

Most students have never been to school

For deaf students over 16 years

Two year program: sign language, basic literacy and numeracy, life skills

Organises vocational training

Three centres:Kampot, Kampong Cham, Phnom Penh

Staff includes 9 deaf people

Provides hostel accommodation

Vocational training

Lao PDR- two programs

Lao Disabled People’s Organisation (LDPA). Support for children with intellectual disability – volunteer-run school, training of parents and teachers of children with ID. First initiative in the country; LDPA has potentially wide-reach

CRS – Sight and Sound project. Training and support of teachers in identifying hearing and visual impairment among children; provision of aids – glasses, hearing aids

Both projects are supported by government

For discussion

Where do we start?

Is mainstreaming just an idea rather than a strategy?

Is mainstreaming another word for marginalisation?

How successful are development agencies at mainstreaming?