Appendix G: D.R.P.I. Kenya Organizational Partners

African Union of the Blind (A.F.U.B.)

The African Union of the Blind (A.F.U.B.) was founded in Tunis Tunisia in 1987 under the Organization of African Unity (O.A.U.) resolution CM/Res.944 (XL) as a Continental Non-Governmental umbrella Organization of National Associations of and for Blind and Partially Sighted people in Africa and represents one of the six regional unions of the World Blind Union (W.B.U.).

The Organization

A.F.U.B. is a registered International Non-Governmental Organization (I.N.G.O.) in Kenya and enjoys consulate status with the Kenya Government’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A.F.U.B. also enjoys Observer status in the African Union (A.U.) and has a mandate to operate in all African Union member states through O.A.U. resolution CM/Res.944 (XL) where it seeks to initiate, promote and sustain development programs to uplift the standards of living of blind and partially sighted people in Africa. Currently A.F.U.B. has a membership of 52 national organizations of the blind from 52 African countries (Djibouti and Comoro Islands have not yet formed their national organizations).

Vision

A continent where blind and partially sighted people are dignified, are not marginalized and discriminated on the basis of their visual impairment.

Mission

A.F.U.B.’s mission is to spearhead the establishment, the Strengthening and unity of organizations of blind and Partially Sighted People in Africa, for the Purpose of building their Capacity in advocating for the rights, social inclusion, and full participation of blind and partially sighted people in the society.

This is achieved through partnership, capacity building and coordination of programs in close cooperation with governments, United Nation Agencies, International Development Agencies, Private Sector, Civil Society Organizations and Faith Based Organizations.

Kenya Union of Blind (K.U.B.)

The Kenya Union of the Blind (K.U.B.) is a non governmental and non profit membership organization founded in 1959 by blind persons from Thika School for the Blind. It was registered in 1960 as a union under the Societies’ Ordinance Act with the aim of working for the co-operation, unity and social integration of blind persons in Kenya with a view to improving their standards of living.

Ever since, K.U.B. has grown to establish itself as the national organization of the blind in Kenya, opening district based branches in more than 40 districts around the country.

The Vision of K.U.B. is to see a barrier free society in which persons with visual impairments enjoy full and equal opportunities.

K.U.B.’s Mission is to promote the social inclusion of persons with visual impairments through uniting and empowering them as well as advocating for their rights.

At K.U.B., we believe in human dignity, equalization of opportunities, social responsibility, rule of law and organizational ethics.

K.U.B.’s programs and activities are designed and implemented around three key result areas: Advocacy and Representation, Personal Empowerment and Organizational Development.

In order to promote its Mission, K.U.B. networks with several agencies and partners, both within the blindness sector and within other mainstream sectors. K.U.B. is also a member of several disability organizations, including the World Blind Union and the African Union of the Blind.

Centre for Disability Rights, Education and Advocacy (C.R.E.A.D.)

The Centre for Disability Rights, Education and Advocacy (C.R.E.A.D.) was created early in 2005 as inter-Disabled People Organizations Program to develop, disseminate and implement a proactive and scientific methodology for protection and promotion of the human rights and dignity of disabled people as a follow up on recommendation of a Disabled People’s Organizations’ workshop on Strategic Advocacy in Limuru, Kenya.

C.R.E.A.D.’s objectives are; to promote, protect the legal status and human rights of the persons with disabilities, to influence policy, law reforms and change the ablist mentalist in society that is harmful and which discriminates against persons with disabilities, to lobby for mainstreaming of disability in the justice system, to contribute to the development of human rights state with focus of improving the social, economic and political status of disabled people in the country, and to work towards eradication of violence, torture and all forms of degrading treatment of disabled people.

C.R.E.A.D.’s five Point Strategy includes; annual State of the Disabled peoples rights reports, Disability Legal Aid Clinic, Disability Rights Resource development, Disability Rights Research, Lobbying and Advocacy. For more information Email C.R.E.A.D. or visit the C.R.E.A.D. website.

Disability Rights Promotion International (D.R.P.I.)

Disability Rights Promotion International (D.R.P.I.) is a collaborative project working to establish a comprehensive and sustainable global system to monitor the human rights of people with disabilities. The project emerged from an international seminar convened in November 2000 by Dr. Bengt Lindqvist, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Disability (1994-2002). D.R.P.I. is working to build capacity within existing international and national human rights mechanisms and within disability organizations, to develop the tools, methods and infrastructure needed to monitor disability rights issues. In order to ensure that comprehensive information is collected about the human rights situation of people with disabilities, D.R.P.I. has adopted a holistic approach involving monitoring in three focus areas: individual experiences of people with disabilities; government law, policy and programs; and media coverage and depiction of disability.

The project is currently in its second phase which involves primarily the development and field testing of disability rights monitoring tools and training sessions. This phase emphasizes: capacity building (increasing capacity to understand disability rights as human rights, to engage with human rights mechanisms, and to monitor disability rights); monitoring (establishing ongoing international collaborations and sustainable monitoring programmes in various locations around the world); and raising awareness and encouraging action (providing information to facilitate disability and other groups’ engagement with the international and regional human rights systems using the monitoring data).

D.R.P.I. is co-directed by Dr. Lindqvist and Dr. Marcia Rioux, Professor in the School of Health Policy and Management (Critical Disability Studies) at York University in Toronto, Canada. Further information about D.R.P.I. can be found on the DRPI project website.

Swedish Association of the Visually Impaired (S.R.F.)

The Swedish Association of the Visually Impaired (S.R.F.) is the main organization of blind and partially sighted in Sweden. S.R.F. is a non­governmental organization where its members actively participate in decision making. SRF was established in 1889 and is a national association with approximately 15.000 visually impaired members, 170 local branches and 24 regional affiliates. 250 officers/secretaries are employed in the organization, about half of which are visually impaired themselves.

The aim of S.R.F. is to achieve a society based on equality and solidarity where people with visually impairment can participate on the same terms as everybody else.

S.R.F. divides its work into two main areas: safeguarding interests, and managing co-operative activities.

Cooperative activities

The commitment of the people it concerns is the only guarantee of success. Only the visually impaired themselves know what is necessary to improve their situation in order to achieve full participation.

Areas S.R.F. are particularly engaged in are; meetings, discussions and social activities in the 170 local branches, training to help people who have recently become visually impaired to overcome their insecurity, leadership training, meeting of parents of visually impaired children in order to exchange experiences, individual counseling about rights and services, initiatives on new kinds of service.

Safeguarding of interests

Creating a society that is equal is the responsibility of everybody. S.R.F.'s nationwide involvement serves to ensure that the government, municipal authorities and businesses follow official guidelines for creating a society with equal rights for all.

Priority is given to the following areas; guarding against discrimination of people with impairments, rehabilitation and compensatory training of people who have recently become visually impaired, vocational training and changing of attitudes to give unemployed visually impaired people a fair chance, giving visually impaired people access to new information technology, maintaining a general welfare system that applies to all citizens.

International involvement

S.R.F. is involved in two areas of international activity:

• Firstly, there is co-operation between national associations within the World Blind Union. There is a constant exchange of ideas, as well as co-operation between national associations in order to influence international authorities such as the United Nations and the European Union. S.R.F. has been particularly active in bringing the situation of women with visually impairment to the fore.
• Secondly, there is material and personal support for organizing projects in developing countries aimed at building strong national organizations of the visually impaired. In a globalizing world, these and other types of co-operative development are becoming more and more important.

Swedish Organizations of Disabled Persons International Aid Association (S.H.I.A.)

Swedish Organizations' of Disabled Persons International Aid Association (S.H.I.A.) is a non-governmental organization with 27 members, comprising Swedish Disabled People's Organizations actively concerned with international development co-operation. One of the member organizations is The Swedish Association of the Visually Impaired (S.R.F.). S.H.I.A. is an administrative support organization for its members focusing on solidarity, human rights, inclusion and accessibility. S.H.I.A. functions as a link between its members and Sida, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency. For more information visit the S.H.I.A. website or Email S.H.I.A.

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