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This newsletter provides an update on the social inclusion and rights (SIR) Project in West Africa and features information and links to various resources undertaken as part of the DECISIPH project
DECISIPH Newsletter, Number 014

Background: Health policies have the potential to be important instruments in achieving equity in health. A framework – EquiFrame - for assessing the extent to which health policies promote equity was used to perform an equity audit of the health policies of three international aid organizations.

Objective: To assess the extent to which social inclusion and human rights feature in the health policies of DFID (UK), Irish Aid, and NORAD (Norway).

Method: EquiFrame provides a tool for analyzing equity and quality of health policies with regards to social inclusion and human rights. Each health policy was analyzed with regards to the frequency and content of a predefined set ofVulnerable Groups and Core Concepts.

Results: The three policies vary but are all relatively weak with regards to social inclusion and human rights issues as defined in EquiFrame. The needs and rights of vulnerable groups for adequate health services are largely not addressed.

Conclusion: In order to enhance a social inclusion and human rights perspective that will promote equity in health through more equitable health policies, it is suggested that EquiFrame can be used to guide the revision and development of the health policies of international organizations, aid agencies and bilateral donors in the future.

Limitations: Analyses are limited to “policy on the books” and does not measure how effectively vulnerable groups are included in mainstream health policy work.

This report focuses on the issue of gender and inclusion within Handicap International's organisation and its programmes in Laos. Current practises are identified and the gaps at different levels in each programme are noted. The report makes recommendations and provides an action plan to increase gender inclusion and develop capacity in a sustainable way

This toolkit, developed as part of Handicap International’s project ‘Make community-based disaster risk management inclusive in South Asia,’ addresses issues faced by persons with disability and attempts to ensure that services and systems are adapted to meet the diverse needs of the community in reducing risk. It has been designed for use by disaster risk management practitioners and policy makers who wish to understand more about how to make community based disaster risk management (CBDRM) inclusive of persons with disabilities.

The first part establishes the rationale for taking an inclusive approach, firmly establishing the links between disability and disasters and the need for action on inclusion. Part Two provides practical guidance on how to make core CBDRM activities inclusive. Separated into eight individual booklets, it takes each activity in turn and highlights what needs to be taken into account both in planning and in implementation. The Toolbox contains a number of tools to complement the advice given in Part Two and support good practices in implementation. These tools can be taken and used as provided or adapted for use as necessary

SD/PG 01

This policy brief gives an overview of how Handicap International works with and supports disabled people's organisations through capacity building, changing attitudes, practices and policies, monitoring the situation of people with disabilities and their human rights, and supporting people with disabilities’ individual empowerment
PP brief No 4

“This report highlights the salient findings of the two-stage child disability study among children aged 2-9 years conducted in 2011. The first stage was a screen to identify children with conditions making them more likely to be living with a disability. The second stage was a detailed assessment to accurately determine their disability status. This two-stage procedure is designed to reduce the costs of administering a detailed assessment to many children who are highly unlikely to have a disability”

This collection of articles documents the lessons learned during the project implementation in Nepal. It describes the prevailing physical, institutional and socio economic context, and details the activities and its interventions. The collection presents a compilation of initiatives and their evaluated outcomes on improved and diversified livelihood strategies, including the adoption of new income earning opportunities with increased resilience and food security, and improved health and resilience of targeted communities while reducing their exposure to prevailing and future hazards

"This report describes lessons learned from Handicap International’s programme in Algeria which aimed to enhance full participation of people with disabilities and the situation of children deprived of family care"
SD/LL 05

Persons with physical disabilities face many architectural and social barriers to community participation. This research employed the ‘Photovoice’ method. The aim was to gain insight into the daily lives of persons with physical disabilities, and to assess their needs in the Kumasi metropolis. Participants in this study were trained and instructed to photograph their everyday activities, so as to document their struggles and concerns, to promote critical dialogue and to reach policymakers. Results indicated a number of concerns, such as poor accessibility to public toilets, transport and buildings, as well as a need for attitudinal change and equal opportunities. Other needs which were raised by theparticipants included economic empowerment, marketable vocational training, accident prevention, affordable and quality rehabilitation, and the establishment of emergency shelters. It was concluded that the most pressing needs of persons with disabilities were related to overall social, employment and accessibility issues. Finally, the ‘Photovoice’ methodology offered a suitable, structured, and participatory way to assess the needs of persons with disabilities. It gave this marginalised group a voice through photographs, and formed an excellent way of disseminating the findings of this study to the stakeholders involved.