People-centred
development reminds us that policies and programs focussing on macro-economic
policies and top-down initiatives rarely provide solutions to the daily struggles
faced by the poor and their communities. As we work to promote viable and sustainable
poverty reduction efforts that are people-centred, we must also recognise that
the same forces that create gaps between the rich and the poor can exist among
groups of people living in poverty, thereby creating further marginalization
and vulnerabilities. A people-centred approach must also address the challenges,
needs and barriers to participation faced by the most vulnerable people in society.
To do this, we not only need to identify those who are exceptionally vulnerable
to poverty and lack of opportunities, but also to understand the economic and
social forces that have contributed to marginalizing their needs and priorities.
Disability and Poverty Reduction
Perhaps no single group of people is more vulnerable to the worst impoverishment
than those who live with physical or intellectual disabilities. Disabled people
in all countries—rich or poor—are disproportionately poor and
living on the margins of their communities. The connections between disability,
poor health, social marginalisation and lack of opportunities to participate
in poverty reduction programs form a vicious circle of unrealized human potential.
These connections are most profound in the developing world. Including disability
issues in poverty reduction frameworks is being recognised as imperative by
a growing number of international agencies.
To meet this challenge an important starting point is to recognise the capabilities that exist within the disabled people’s movement, not only to identify the forces that perpetuate marginalization, but to provide solutions and strategies that foster an environment of inclusion in development programming. As we create space in international policy dialogue for people with disabilities, we take the first step toward building the political will necessary to ensure policies, legal frameworks and programming approaches that remove barriers to full social and economic participation.
FIT has been selected to design and deliver a regional project for the Asian Development Bank aimed at mainstreaming disability issues in poverty reduction programming in the Asia Pacific region. This project includes a review of policies, legislation and regulations in four countries—Cambodia, India, Philippines and Sri Lanka—that impact on the ability of poverty reduction programs to reach disabled people. In addition to policy studies, the project will also explore the institutional framework within which disability issues are addressed, from government departments and agencies to civil society organisations, disability advocacy organisations and community-based services. From this work, National Plans of Action to mainstream disability issues will be developed, leading to a regional strategy. Just as important, however, the project will contribute to the development of capacities among institutions capable of leading efforts to implement the action plans and bring about positive change at both the social and public policy levels. Finally, the project relies on the participation of disabled people themselves at all levels of the process. Through bringing a capacity building approach to the development of the regional policy, we hope to strengthen a system of multi-sector cooperation that will continue to build the political will that will be necessary to achieve disability issues mainstreaming.
Building a Rights-based Approach to Protecting Children
Concern for children living in poverty is by no means a new phenomenon; since
the 1950s, no other single group has been targeted so consistently by international
aid organisations as children. Children touch us because of their vulnerability
and when we see children living without enough food to eat, unable to go to
school, working in dangerous jobs, we see the vicious circle of poverty come
to life
.
In most parts of the world, children living in poverty have almost no opportunity
to better their conditions as adults.
Children are members of families, communities, and society and when these are impoverished, so too are the children. At the end of the day, the best means of promoting the basic needs of children is by ensuring that their families and communities have the ability to meet those needs. At the same time, there are a number of targeted approaches that can create opportunities for children to build a better future. Programs that extend opportunities for basic education and address the conditions of working children have a profound impact on the lives of children and provide hope for lasting poverty reduction.
FIT has found many opportunities to address the needs and issues of children within projects. In our small and micro enterprise development programs, for example, children and work has emerged as a cross-cutting theme. It is a reality that many children are forced by poverty into the labour market. By studying and understanding the issue of children and work in the social and cultural context, our partners have been able to develop strategies to discourage inappropriate involvement of children in businesses, such as long working hours, work that keeps children out of school or lack of adult supervision. At the same time, employing children to do work that is physically demanding or unsafe is strictly prohibited. Equally important, by encouraging dialogue between business development advisors and business owners, the projects have created an opportunity to educate employers on the risks of children and work.
Addressing the needs of children living in poverty from a rights-based perspective builds upon these programs by working to ensure that children’s basic human rights are recognised and respected by society. However, acknowledging the rights of children is just the beginning. A strong legal and policy framework is necessary to ensure that the rights of children are protected and respected. In societies and cultures that view children as the “property” of their families, establishing such a system is a challenging task. In Sri Lanka, FIT has started a project aimed at marshalling the resources of the local NGO community and child protection agencies to build commitment at all levels to institutionalizing child rights. The focus of this work is to promote the development of networks and building capacities among community-based organisations and NGOs with a focus on child protection. The project will also identify opportunities to allow and encourage children themselves to participate in goal setting, networking, capacity building and training initiatives. By strengthening the entire system and ensuring a strong voice for children, we hope to not only create an enabling environment for child protection, but social and political commitment to promoting child rights.
