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Advocacy in Bangladesh

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017
Photo: Overcoming barriers together

We've been supporting deaf young people to stand up for their rights in Bangladesh to improve not only their own lives but those of future generations.

We've been working with the Centre for Disability in Development in Bangladesh to support a group of deaf young people, and a network of parents who meet regularly to talk with their peers about the challenges they face both as deaf young people and as parents, in struggling to access support and basic services.

We share information with the groups so they better understand their rights and provide advocacy training so that deaf young people and their families can speak up and get their voices heard to help create positive change that will impact on their lives.

Three organisations help implement the project in the districts:

  • Access Bangladesh Foundation in Dhaka
  • AID Foundation in Jhenaidah
  • Songshoptaque in Chittagong.

We are delighted to announce some recent successes as a result of the advocacy efforts from both the parents and deaf youth groups:

  • A local hospital has agreed to waive fees and provide free medical facilities for all persons with disabilities and advocacy is ongoing to secure the same support from hospitals in other districts.
  • 32 deaf young people are receiving financial assistance from the Government to access education and other services and many more are applying for support.
  • 42 deaf young people are accessing free vocational skills training and two have received sewing machines enabling them to start their own business.

It is great to see their advocacy efforts paying off, which will have a positive impact, not just on their own lives but on the lives of many other deaf people in the area.