In July 2019, VSO and UNABU developed an intervention- Living with Dignity- implemented in Rwempasha and Rwimiyaga sectors in Nyagatare District. Living with Dignity was designed to improve the lives of girls and boys, as well as women and men with disabilities. It aimed to have a positive impact on their families, by including the brothers and sisters of children with disabilities, the fathers and mothers of children with disabilities, and the husbands or wives of people with disabilities. By engaging people with disabilities alongside their family members, the programme targeted to empower people with disabilities with the knowledge, skills and confidence to address their needs and concerns with their families acting as allies and build supportive relationships between them.
On the other side, Living with Dignity was designed to support people’s understanding of social norms related to gender and disability, to provide them with information about their rights as people with and without disabilities, and educate them about sexual and reproductive health. It helped them to enhance their communication skills, and to subsequently improve their relationships with each other as well as to develop and achieve their future goals.
Living with Dignity implementation approach and its impact
The Living with Dignity programme was delivered through a series of 12 sessions – 9 sessions in separate groups and 3 dialogue sessions when teenager and adult groups from within the same cell meet to discuss and share what they are learning. By June 2022 when the program implementation closed; 60 self-advocacy groups of adults men (20), adults women (20) and teenagers (20) supported by 40 facilitators were provided with knowledge around disability, human rights, gender and gender based violence, sexual reproductive health and rights, healthy relationship and communication etc along with follow up coaching by UNABU staff together with VSO national volunteers for strengthening their leaning
This family centered approach has proven effective to contribute to dignified life for persons with disabilities in their families whereby 64.8% of members of groups reported changes among their family members as result of awareness sessions they have attended all along the project implementation. This was confirmed by 38% of women across the group who reported their feeling of safety and security against violence as well as 31.7 % whose confidence to report gender based violence was enhanced and 26.4% who observed changes in relationships at the household level.
“I am a husband to a woman with physical disability. Since I married her we lived in peace but after having disability, she never had rights to use our family money -which I called mine- without my permission. She has physical disability and I always considered her as a burden to our children and me. Even When need to use the money pay for our children school fees, I never believed in her word. I always emotionally abused her and sometimes she slept after being beaten but now as I joined the Men’s group from this program, I am aware that disability is not inability. She is good wife even if she has disability and she is a good mother of our children. I love her than before and now we are a happy family together”, Ruzindana share his story of change.
Some parents never allowed their children with disabilities to go to school or even going outside of their houses, to protect their family honor due to Rwandan culture and stigma around disability. After joining the living with dignity programs through male and female groups, they reported change in these behaviors and now allow their children to play and walk freely and comfortably outside their homes.
“I don’t know how I can tell you my feeling after being informed by my parents that the year 2020 I will go to school wearing my school uniforms with my books and pen into my bag on my back. Oooh I am very happy (with a smile on his face)! My parents are good to me now, they changed a lots of things which did not happened to them before they attend the group. I remember had never even allowed me to go to play with friends in the neighbors houses, because even their parents did not want me to join them and transmit my disability to their children. I remember the day when my mother heard about this , she immediately came and beat me! A 15 years old Living with dignity right holder shared.
The project implementation also inspired practices among family member of persons with disabilities: 53% reported their family members has at least undertaken one action aiming at supporting an protecting them from abuse and discrimination.
Awarding ceremony of courageous facilitators women with disabilities
Three years later, on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, VSO and UNABU held an exceptional event in Nyagatare to celebrate courageous Girls and Women with disabilities community facilitators who have contributed to positively changing the life of their fellow girls and women with disabilities across the Sectors of Rwempasha and Rwimiyaga under this Living with Dignity program implementation. The event brought together 36 facilitators from Rwempasha and Rwimiyaga along with representative from Rwandan Organization of Women with Disabilities, VSO and district representatives.
Talking to the purpose of the event, the VSO representative at these ceremonies, Mrs Sarah Shalloner explained the essence of partnership with UNABU. In 2009 she met UNABU Executive Director and she was excited by activities implemented by UNABU to promote the rights of girls and women with disabilities in order to change their lives in various domains. Indeed, she added that around 2019 in collaboration with UNABU they established self-advocacy group and unfortunately the Covid-19 emerged and negatively affected these groups functioning routine but they continued to struggle until today. That resilience shown by these groups and their facilitators deserved recognition! She stressed that the awarding event was initially planned in March to be aligned with the cerebration of International Women Day but due to many preoccupations, it was postponed to 15 July 2025.
In this regards six courageous Girls and Women with disabilities community facilitators who have shown the courage to sustaining the momentum of their respective groups functions and positively changing the life of their fellow girls and women with disabilities across the two sectors of Rwimiyaga and Rwempasha were provided with smartphones.
Awarded facilitators were given an opportunity to express their feelings after being awarded.
For them , they were full of emotions of happiness and emphasized that the smartphones they received will be a channel to improve the communication. Yvette MUKAMURERWA said” I am very happy to be awarded this smartphone, before I did my best to coordinate my group activities , communicating on time without waiting any reward because we were working as volunteers. Now I am awarded, now I am going to work hard to achieve more than what I achieved before. Indeed, this phone will help me to report the achievements and challenges our group might be facing. Thank you”
Director of Social Development, who represented the District at these ceremonies, addressed the participants by VSO and UNABU for their initiative to help persons with disabilities to change their living conditions as people who are ignored by others. He stressed that this was the result of political will of good governance, which does not leave anyone behind. He reminded the awarded facilitators to use smartphones in relevant activities, which should be impactful for them, their groups and entire community rather than using them in prohibited actions, which should put their life in danger. He asked them to be confident because disability is not inability!
