Strategy 2004-2007

In 1982, the Kao I Dang camp in Thailand took in 160,000 Cambodian refugees who had survived the Khmer Rouge regime. They paid a heavy price for their survival. Bullets, shell splinters and landmines left thousands of disabled people with no medical treatment and no hope. Handicap International was born. Following the international development of the organisation, Handicap International UK was initiated in 1999 and registered in 2000.

Trustees, in close collaboration with staff, used 2003 to learn from experiences acquired in the UK over the past three years in order to plan the future of Handicap International UK.

During a 10-month process concluded by a strategy workshop in November 2003, trustees and staff have analysed the environment, other organisations’ work and the internal capacity and potential of Handicap International UK.

DIRECTIONS FOR THE FUTURE

1. Increasing our support and impact on overseas projects

Two main areas have been identified as thematic priorities:

• Disability and poverty. Poverty is a contributing factor to the cause of disability but is equally an effect too. The social and economic exclusion of disabled people does not affect the individual alone, but results in a high economic dependency on family members, relatives or government. The day-to-day caring needs of a disabled person may hinder employment opportunities of carers, thus leading to a loss of potential family income. Likewise, due to the combination of ignorance, discrimination, exclusion from education and inaccessible environments, disabled people face enormous barriers to employment opportunities. This is not only a negation of disabled people’s rights, but is also a perpetuation of the vulnerability and poverty cycle. 
  
• Sustainability issues. We are currently involved in the development of a sustainability evaluation process that could be used universally for any disability or health related project in any setting. This will improve the long-term effects of our projects in developing countries. Researchers and project managers collaborate to ensure that the findings of this study will lead to the creation of new monitoring and evaluation tools and processes.

We will continue to reinforce our relationships with UK donors, both at an institutional and personal level and will continue to identify new sources of project funding. In the UK, we are well placed to do this as we have access to a wide range of competent and experienced human resources amongst UK professionals in the field of disability and public health.

2. Influencing national and international policies

Over the past 12 years Handicap International has gained legitimacy in lobbying activities through its involvement in creation of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL), which was awarded the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize.
Handicap International’s lobbying activities have been increasingly recognised as a strategy to influence international policies and to make a strong impact on the lives of people living in developing countries.

In the next strategic framework, we will become more proactive both in the UK and at international conferences in two main fields:

• Disability and Poverty. We will work to break the negative “Disability-Poverty” cycle and to directly address the Millennium Development Goal of “cutting poverty in half by 2015”. We will lobby national and international organisations as well as donors (e.g. Department For International Development) to include disabled people in their development policies and funding considerations.
  
• The Cluster Munition Coalition. In over 80 countries worldwide, cluster munitions put innocent lives and livelihoods at risk long after conflict has ended. Dozens of non-governmental organisations from around the world launched the Cluster Munition Coalition on 13th November 2003 in The Hague, Netherlands. The new coalition has been formed to address the devastating humanitarian effect of the use of cluster munitions and of explosive remnants of war more generally. Handicap International UK is an active member of this coalition and will continue to inform the public and lobby government at a national level.

3. Prioritising our interventions

Handicap International is currently working in over 50 countries. Our knowledge of the UK context has enabled us to identify the main areas of focus on which the UK office should concentrate its efforts and resources.

For the years 2004 to 2006, our work will focus on 11 english-speaking countries and regions, which are:

• Africa: Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Somaliland
• Europe: the Balkans
• Asia: Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Nepal, Philippines
• All countries affected by humanitarian emergencies

In terms of fundraising and communication, we aim to raise awareness about the activities in these 11 countries and to raise funds through direct marketing, our website and the organisation of specific public events. We will also continue to develop long-term relationships with various groups of people who have shown interest in Handicap International’s projects.

4. Attracting committed and skilled staff to our UK office and overseas projects

It has been widely recognised within the Handicap International movement that overseas programmes need experienced English-speaking staff. So it has been decided that Handicap International UK will be involved in the recruitment of expatriates.

We will outsource the management of this work to International Health Exchange/RedR, two organisations well-known in the UK development sector. This partnership will ensure Handicap International will gain expertise in the recruitment and employment of expatriates.We also will work with them to progressively set up an international, expatriate, human resource department specialised in recruiting and managing physiotherapists and country directors.

5. Promoting partnerships with UK-based organisations

Handicap International field teams are increasingly working in close partnership with other international organisations. Thus, our role is to encourage UK-based international organisations to support local partnerships and initiatives.

Over the past three years, we have built relationships with a variety of organisations such as:

• Non governmental organisations (NGOs) working in the field of disability or landmines/cluster munitions
• Development NGOs that have complementary approaches and competences to Handicap International
• Research institutes

6. Supporting the building of the Handicap International federation

Today, Handicap International constitutes a network of seven western-based sections (Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland and the UK).
Our organisation is currently developing a federation to increase the impact of its activities on disability and landmine issues. Regular meetings are organised between section directors, board members and other section departments. Models and systems are being explored, analysed and discussed in order to shape the future federation.