DIWA – Disabled Women In Africa

Mission

To empower African women and girls with disabilities through research, information sharing and networking, partnership and capacity development for unity in diversity.

WEI’s Work With Disabled Women In Africa (DIWA)

DIWA and WEI have been working closely since representatives of the organization attended our Africa Regional Convening in 2018. Since then, we have been collaborating on a number of submissions to U.N. human rights bodies and experts, particularly on the rights of women and girls with disabilities in Malawi. These have included a Joint Submission to the Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review of Malawi and a shadow letter to the Human Rights Committee and have collaborated in fundraising efforts.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, DIWA was one of the first organizations WEI turned to partner on ensuring a gender- and disability-inclusive global response. As part of this partnership, through a project in conjunction with UNFPA and UN Women and working alongside several other sister organizations around the world, DIWA and WEI organized a Malawi country consultation and Africa regional consultation of women and gender non-conforming persons with disabilities, to learn about their lived experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Leveraging their expertise and experience on the ground, DIWA has also participated in events and meetings on the impact of COVID-19 and contributed to a number of materials created as a result of these consultations, including a Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Checklist, a Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Checklist, a Compendium of Good Practices, an Impact Assessment, and a set of GBV-focused Know Your Rights materials.

DIWA has been instrumental in advancing the rights of women with disabilities in Africa, and we hope to continue mutually supporting our efforts so that women and marginalized genders with disabilities in the region and around the world can enjoy their full range of rights.