Poverty, stereotyping, difficulties in finding jobs, lack of self-confidence - landmine victims and other people with disabilities often face exclusion and an increased vulnerability, even though access to work is a fundamental human right.
© N. Axelrod for Handicap International |
Like all of us, people with disabilities need employment to earn a living, contribute to supporting their families and improve their self-esteem. Yet less than 20% of them are currently employed.
Employment enables people with disabilities to participate and contribute to community life, one of the core values that the Handicap International’s livelihoods projects promote all over the world.
Entrepreneurship: a key opportunity to rise out of poverty
In low-income countries, self-employment provides the main opportunity to earn a livelihood and a majority of people work in the informal economy. It is the same for people with disabilities. Self-directed income generating activities – production, services, trade – provide income to thousands of people with disabilities and a chance to contribute economically to their families and communities.
Handicap International’s livelihoods projects play an important role in working along people with disabilities around the globe, including many mine/Unexploded Ordnance affected countries, to become self-employed by starting or expanding their own income generating activities. These projects aim to facilitate access to the financial and business training tools and resources that people need to help them rise out of poverty.
Improving or developing skills: a prerequisite for sustainable livelihoods
© T. Kowalcuk - Handicap International |
A wide variety of skills are vital to ensure sustainable access to work, including positive attitudes, knowledge and know-how. However, people with disabilities are often deprived of their right to develop such skills. This can be addressed through appropriate, inclusive skills training.
Handicap International’s livelihoods projects promote opportunities for disabled people to learn different types of skills (technical, core life, business), within their family, their community, and wherever appropriate training is available.
Access to Inclusive Microfinance: a step out of poverty
People with disabilities, like any other entrepreneurs, need financial services both to start and develop their own businesses. Today, microfinance has developed widely as a means to getting access to these services, to save and to build assets. However, everywhere in the world, most people with disabilities still face difficulties in accessing traditional financial services.
In coordination with local Disabled People’s Organizations, Handicap International develops partnerships with mainstream microfinance institutions to promote financial services that are accessible. Our approach fosters the recognition of people with disabilities as equal clients of credit, and ensures long-term sustainability and access to quality financial services.
Key facts and figures
• People with disabilities, along with the majority of poor people, do not have access to financial services
• Only 3% get access to financial services (HI study on Good Practices for economic inclusion)
Access to waged employment: removing barriers
People with disabilities may also earn their living through wage employment: salaried or paid jobs under contract. However, there are a number of barriers that job-seekers with disabilities commonly encounter when trying to obtain waged employment:
• Their own lack of knowledge about their inherent right to work
• A lack of employment services
• Prejudice and discrimination by employers, often due to their lack of awareness of the abilities and potential of disabled workers.
Handicap International’s waged employment projects help overcome or lessen these barriers by raising awareness and expanding the options for formal employment, providing supportive strategies for people with disabilities to get and keep jobs. To do so, we work through partnerships with local employers, job placement services workers and Disabled People’s Organisations.
