December 3 is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities

Did you know that 20% of the world’s poorest people have a disability?

Disability often creates poverty, poverty can create disability and many people living with disabilities are amongst the poorest of the poor.

This is why Baptist World Aid Australia is an endorsing partner of CBM’s End the Cycle initiative, to raise awareness about the connection between disability and poverty in developing countries and do something to make a difference.

Baptist World Aid Australia’s Response

With so many people living in poverty affected by disability, all Baptist World Aid Australia’s projects seek to help people living with disabilities. A few of our partners have a particular focus and expertise in supporting peopling living with disability, providing treatment or referrals and working with the community to overcome the stigma of disability.

One of these partners is the Protibondhi Community Centre. They implement the Community Based Rehabilitation for People with Disability (CBRDP) project in Bangladesh.

Hello my name is Siri.

I am ten years old and I was born with cerebral palsy. I find it hard to communicate with people through speech as my muscles don’t work properly. Sometimes this makes it hard for me to eat as well.

Because of these difficulties, my local school said that I was not allowed to attend.

My grandmother is part of a self-help group set up by CBRDP. She meets with 12 other women who either have a disability themselves or who have a family member with a disability. These women meet together to save so that they can take loans to support their families.

As part of their group, my grandmother also learnt that people with a disability have rights and that they should be able to participate in community activities too.

My grandmother and the other members of her self help group got together and went to visit the local school, the one that would not let me attend. They talked to the school authorities about the rights of people with disabilities and told them that we have a right to attend, and that it is the government’s responsibility to support people living with disabilities.

After this the school allowed me to enrol. I am now in grade four and like school very much. I enjoy learning and meeting with my classmates.

I’m happy that CBRDP have helped people living with a disability become more accepted in our community.

What you can do to help people living in poverty with a disability

You can make a difference too:

• Speak courageously by signing the End the Cycle statement.
• Listen carefully to understand disability better by visiting the End the Cycle photo exhibition in Martin Place Sydney on 2nd December 12-2pm or in other states later on.
• Give generously to Baptist World Aid Australia’s community development projects. 
• Pray faithfully for people living with disabilities and for their families and communities.
• Pray for our partners overseas like CBRDP and The National Centre For Disabled Persons in Cambodia who work specifically with people with disabilities.
• Pray for the End the Cycle campaign that is aiming to raise awareness about the effects of disability. 
• Pray for Siri, his grandmother and their community as they work to breakdown prejudice towards disability and as Siri goes to school.

Learn More

Read a blog post from our Director of Community Engagement, Scott Higgins, about his visit to the National Centre for Disabled Persons in Cambodia. 

Read about the connection between the Millennium Development Goals and addressing disability from our friends at Micah Challenge.