Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Work Hours
Monday to Friday: 7AM - 7PM
Weekend: 10AM - 5PM
What We Do
“We exist to facilitate the unification, capacity building and effective and efficient networking of disability organisations in Zambia as instruments of positive change in the lives of persons with disabilities and in society”.
Our programming activities are implemented through the use of the social and human rights model, that recognizes persons with disabilities as rights-holders and asserts that disability is as a result of the attitudinal and environmental barriers created by societies. Once such barriers are removed, persons with disabilities would fully and effectively participate in society on an equal basis with others. ZAFOD has played a leading role in policy and legal reforms in Zambia, such as advocating for signing and ratification of United Nation Conversion on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) in 2006 and 2010 respectively; the enactment of Persons with Disabilities (PWD) Act no. 6 of 2012; the Mental Health Act no 6 of 2019; development of the National Disability Policy 2015; accessible banknotes and accessible electoral system.
Strategic Goal:
“To have persons with disabilities receive improved and equitable support, through legal provisions, by dismantling barriers and enable them fully and effectively participate in public life”.
- Strategic Objective 1: To effectively advocate for the application of local and international instruments, which promote and protect the rights of persons with disabilities, especially women,childrenandyouths,by2025.
- Strategic Objective2: To capacity build ZAFOD affiliates in order to strengthen their secretariats and networks so that they can effectively demand and advocate for improved service delivery for persons with disabilities,by2025.
- Strategic Objective 3: To carry out nationwide research on various thorny issues affecting the development and enjoyment of rights and freedoms of persons with disabilities; to feed into ZAFODadvocacywork,by2025.
ZAFOD Opportunities
Despite Zambia being a signatory to a number of international and national legal instruments that protect the rightsanddignitiesofpersonswithdisabilities,personswithdisabilitiescontinuetofacemajorbarrierssuchas environmental,social, cultural,andattitudinal,intheirfight forequalrights andfreedoms.ZAFODiscurrently repositioning and re-branding itself to be the flagship of disability movement in Zambia; to aggressively lobby for the dismantling of all existing barriers to the realisation of fundamental rights and freedoms, including full and effective participation in social, cultural, economic, and political and public life for persons with disabilities. ZAFOD perceives the above stated marginalisation gap as an opportunity to foster equitable support for persons with disabilities, so they too can enjoy their deserved rights, dignities and freedoms, and subsequently be able to fully and effectively participate in public life. In order to actualise such an ambitious vision, ZAFOD would need the support from all stakeholders, especially funding Partners.
Our Strategic Direction
In the next five years (2020-2025) ZAFOD will focus on doing the following, on a national-widescale:
- Be the umbrella body of trust, coordinating the disability movement in Zambia.
- Build a strong resource base for ZAFOD’s functions and operations.
- Fundraise for affiliate members to implement country wide programs, while providing oversight.
- Capacity build affiliate members to effectively implement projects to Donor satisfaction.
- Carry out research on various disability issues, that would feed into national level advocacy work.
- Conduct national level advocacy for increased service provision and a full realization of all the rights for persons with disabilities as provided for in local and international instruments.
- Foster positive attitudes towards persons with disabilities among the citizenry through dialogues and information sharing platforms.
- Increasethevisibilityofpersonswithdisabilitiesinpubliclife,throughpublicationofrightmessages.
- Create new and lasting partnerships, networks and collaborations, with like-minded institutions, to strengthen ZAFOD’s position and the disability voice in Zambia.
- Provide litigation on various abuses experienced and reported by persons with disabilities.
Target Groups
- Organisations of and for Persons with Disabilities (OPDs), formerly Disabled People’s Organisations (DPOs).
- Policy makers
- Persons with disabilities
- Service Providers/ Duty bearers
- Communities and Media audiences
- Civic and traditional leaders
- Political players
- Households housing persons with disabilities
- Line ministries
- Cooperating partners/ Donors