News
Advocacy Ascends
Advocating for Disability Rights in Nepal’s Remotest Mountains
December 15, 2023
KARNALI REGION, Nepal – Himalayan Education and Development (HEAD Nepal) is a nonpartisan nonprofit that has been working on disability rights in the remote mountains of the Karnali region of Nepal since 2011. Tsering Palmu Lama is a disability rights and women’s rights advocate and a project coordinator at HEAD Nepal. At HEAD, Lama leads the “Our Voice for Our Rights – disability rights advocacy project in the Himalayas,” funded by the Disability Rights Fund (DRF) since 2022. In this edited interview, Lama talks with DJP Fellow Chhitup Lama about the challenges people with disabilities encounter in the Himalayan region of Nepal and how her project addresses those challenges.
Question: Can you tell us about some of the challenges of people with disabilities in Nepal?
Answer: It is really tough [for people with disabilities] in the remote mountains like Karnali regions. The problem which is faced by them in the region is that there is inaccessibility in the public area or even in the working area. And due to the remote mountains and tough geography, there is inaccessibility on the roads also. The families of people with disabilities are [unaware of] the rights of people with disabilities. In the local government, there are a lot of policies for the rights of people with disabilities and the inclusion [of] people with disabilities. But they’re not [being implemented].
Question: What are the goals and objectives of the project “Our Voice for Our Rights – disability rights advocacy project in the Himalayas”?
Answer: The main goal is to raise a voice for disability rights and there are four objectives of our project. Objective one is to increase our OPDs’ (Organizations for Persons with Disabilities) and relevant CSOs’ (Civil Society Organizations) capacity to participate in advocating and decision-making regarding development and rights. Another objective is promoting the inclusion of persons with disabilities in government programs like health education, justice, and budget planning and implementation. The third one is advocacy to ensure the inclusion of a disability perspective in governmental implementations and monitoring of UNCRPD (United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities) and Nepal’s Disability Rights Act of 2017. Building the institutional capacity of HEAD is our fourth objective.
Question: What are the key strategies you use to ensure these objectives are achieved?
Answer: Under those four objectives, we have many strategies. Under the first objective, we have capacity-building training for the OPD and CSO representatives and advocacy skill development for them. Under the second objective, we have training for people with disabilities about their rights like in education and the health budget, training on UNCRPD, the Nepali Disability Rights Act 2017, and SDGs. Under the third objective, we have meetings with the local governments and authorities. We also do UNCRPD, SDGs and Nepali Disability Rights Act training for local governments and authorities. We have developed policies and a 5-year strategy plan for HEAD under the fourth objective.
Questions: What are the major achievements of this project so far?
Answer: Implementing a project is very hard in this region. But, we have achieved many outcomes. Before implementing the project, even the local government representatives were [unaware] of the rights of people with disabilities. [Now they] are a bit sensitized and more responsive towards disability-inclusive development. We have a vision that people with disabilities [should be able to] actively participate in society with a high position and respect. [Persons with disabilities] are [now] happy to [have a place] in society because their families are more positive than before. The community people are also positive [about] people with disabilities because they are able to claim their rights. The CSOs are also becoming active in responding to the needs of PWDs.
Question: What are the challenges you have experienced while implementing these projects?
Answer: There are a lot of challenges. [Initially], the families of people with disabilities did not understand the rights of people with disabilities. There are still challenges in the local government [because of] the newly elected representatives. They have little knowledge [of] the rights of people with disabilities. [Some] families of people with disabilities are still [unaware of] the rights of people with disabilities. They are [unaware of] the services and inclusion policy of the local governments. There is also inaccessibility in public areas.
Question: What are the plans to continue the outcomes of the project?
Answer: We have formulated 26 self-help advocacy groups of persons with disabilities who will further develop their capacity to advocate for their rights. HEAD Nepal is collaborating with the CSOs who will be further trained for disability-inclusive development. Our close coordination with local government will be continued for the formulation of new policies and implementation of the existing policies including UNCRPD and SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals). The second phase of the project is planned to sustain the outcome of the project.
Chhitup Lama is the founding executive director of HEAD Nepal. He spearheads overall management, institutional development, strategic direction and the vision and mission of the organization.
News From the Global Frontlines of Disability Justice
From Isolation to Advocacy
Nigeria’s DeafBlind community has long lacked recognition, but the launch of the Deaf-Blind Inclusive and Advocacy Network marks a turning point. Led by activist Solomon Okelola, the group seeks to address communication barriers and a lack of support. Among those affected is John Shodiya, who once thrived in the Deaf community but struggled with belonging after losing his sight.
Disability Aid Disrupted
The Trump administration’s 90-day pause on USAID funding has had far-reaching consequences, particularly for disabled people and organizations worldwide, including members of the Disability Justice Project (DJP) community. Activists from Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Rwanda report severe disruptions, deepening challenges for marginalized communities, especially disabled people facing conflict, poverty, and structural discrimination.
A Life’s Work
After losing his sight, artist Jean de Dieu Uwikunda found new ways to create, using a flashlight at night to outline objects and distinguishing colors by their scents. His story, along with that of DeafBlind sports coach Jean Marie Furaha, is rare in Rwanda. While over 446,000 Rwandans have disabilities, a 2019 study found that only 52 percent of working-age disabled adults were employed, compared to 71 percent of their non-disabled counterparts.
‘I Won’t Give Up My Rights Anymore’
After a life-altering accident, Lakshmi Lohar struggled with fear and stigma in her rural Nepalese community. In 2023, she found a lifeline through KOSHISH National Mental Health Self-Help Organization, which helped her develop social connections and access vocational training in tailoring. Today, Lakshmi is reclaiming her independence and shaping a future beyond the limitations once placed on her. “I won’t give up my rights anymore,” she says, “just like I learned in the meetings.”
Rwanda’s Marburg Crisis
As Rwanda confronts its first-ever Marburg virus outbreak, people with disabilities face heightened risks — not only from the virus but also from the lack of accessible health information. “Without proper accommodations, such as sign language interpreters, captions, Braille, or visual aids, the Deaf and DeafBlind community may miss crucial information about how to protect themselves, symptoms to watch for, or where to seek help in case of infection,” says Joseph Musabyimana, executive director of the Rwanda Organization of Persons with Deaf Blindness.
Capturing Vision Through Sound and Touch
Last year, the DJP trained Indigenous activists with disabilities from the Pacific on the iPhone camera to create a documentary series on disability and climate change. With VoiceOver, the iPhone provides image descriptions for blind and low-vision filmmakers and offers other accessible features. “If you think about it, it doesn’t make sense for a blind person to use a camera,” says DJP filmmaker Ari Hazelman. “The iPhone gives you more avenues to tell your story in a more profound way as a blind person.”