On 21 September 2011, the UK Secretary of State for International Development Andrew Mitchell and USAID Administrator Raj Shah hosted an event during the UN General Assembly (UNGA) – MDG Countdown 2011: Celebrating successes and innovations.

The event  highlighted and celebrated the success of countries which are achieving progress in each Millennium Development Goal (MDG). The following programmes have achieved real progress by transforming people’s lives, bringing hope and a way out of poverty for millions.

ADDC Bulletin August 10th 2011

This bulletin provides updates on the following:

Updates:

o UN International Day of People with Disability

o ILO Global Business and Disability Network

o The Smart Campaign

o Cook Islands National Disability Biennial General Meeting

o Cook Islands National Disability Council Board Training

o Historical tour for Inspiring Fijians

o VPC Approves Membership of Three Vanuatu Organisations

o Northern Ghana Has No Psychiatric Hospital

o Human Rights premier event of the year! Nominations now open!

Conferences & Events:

o ACFID – Universities Linkage Network Conference

o Disability in the Pacific Forum

Employment & Funding Opportunities:

o WHO Technical Officer (Disability)

o Call for Volunteer Inclusive Education

o CBM Australia Positions Available

Resources:

o Critical Perspectives on Human Rights and Disability Law

o Disability News Asia

o Global Polio Eradication Initiative

o Study of Disability in EC Development Cooperation

o Global Disability Experts Speak Out

o interPART Newsletter

Download: ADDC Bulletin August 10th 2011

Millions in Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya and Somalia are facing severe food shortages with rates of malnutrition and related deaths having reached alarming levels in many parts of the region. Somalia is the worst affected country, with the UN last week declaring a state on famine in two areas of the south.

People with disabilities are placed in the most vulnerable position in time of emergencies and humanitarian crisis. Funds are urgently required to attempt to meet the demand. ADDC does not favour any particular organisation but requests you seriously consider donating to this cause and look to agencies that facilitate disability-inclusive development practices. 

Persons with disabilities are among the most vulnerable groups in times of food insecurity and other emergencies. They and their families may not be able to access emergency response services due to difficulties in mobility, hearing, seeing and understanding. Disability inclusion is essential for effective and good quality humanitarian practice.Disability Inclusion in Drought and Food Crisis Emergency Response (Fact Sheet).

With this in mind, CBM Australia and Plan International Australia have released a new fact sheet, providing base level information to practitioners for awareness raising, training, advocacy, project design and proposal writing: the

 For this and more, please read on:  ADDC Bulletin August 1st 2011

The WHO Director-General and a senior official of the World Bank will launch the World report on disability at the United Nations Building in New York, USA in the presence of high-level representatives from Member States, celebrities with disabilities, together with representatives of disabled people’s organizations, professional groups and non-governmental organizations.

WHO has released a series of video clips on ‘What disability means to me’. Refer to bottom of page.   

Keep posted for updates.

May 25th 2011

ADDC held its first Practitioner Interest Group meeting on May 25th 2011 at World Vision offices. 

The Minutes and reports and presentation notes are available for your information.  Please feel free to add comment and join us at the next meeting.

Link to report: 20110525 Minutes ADDC Interest Group

Link to presentations:

An Inclusive Education Case Study from Samoa

ADDC PIG 25May2011 Inclusive Education – Sally Baker

Disability in Bangladesh: The wheels are moving

Disability situation in Bangladesh

Progress Report on Pacific DPO Capacity Development Research

Progress report May 2011 to ADDC

There have been many natural disasters within the past few months.

As the first anniversary of the Haiti earthquake is today, January 12th 2011, we have collected information to update you on the reconstruction of Haiti.

While the people in Haiti continue to rebuild their lives, we must not forget that many others are experiencing similar challenges in other parts of the world.

DOWNLOAD NEWSLETTER

This issue provides updates on the following:

1. Haiti Earthquake – One Year Anniversary
2. One Year On, Huge Challenges Remain for Haitian Quake Recovery
3. Haiti- A Year on from the Earthquake
4. Year After Quake, Thousands of Haitian Children Still Suffering- UNICEF
5. IOM Displacement Figures for Displaced Quake Survivors.
6. Pazapa
7. Stand with Haiti- 6 month report
8. Stand with Haiti- Three Year Plan
9. UN Video & Archives of the Quake
10. Receiving Therapy
11. Is Haiti’s Health System Any Better?
12. Remarks to the General Assembly on Haiti
13. Haiti: Ban appoints four top medical experts to probe source of cholera epidemic
14. Press Conference on Haiti’s Reconstruction, One Year after Earthquake
15. World Bank- Overview A year of Progress and Challenges
16. YouTube- Haiti 12 months on- World Bank Video of rebuilding
17. Situation Update: Nine Months after the Earthquake in Haiti
18. Social Stigma of Disability Plagues Quake Victims
19. What’s Going to Make the Difference in Haiti in 2011?
20. Rolling Stones and Haiti:

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• MDG 1: Poverty
• MDG 2: Universal Primary Education
• MDG 3: Gender Equality
• MDG 4: Child Mortality
• MDG 5: Maternal Health
• MDG 6: Combat HIV. Malaria and Disease
• MDG 7: Environmental Sustainability
• MDG 8: Develop Global Partnerships

Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

The world will not alleviate extreme poverty if the rights of people with disability are
ignored. Of the estimated 650 million people with disability worldwide, 80% live in
developing countries2, and 82% live below the poverty line. Disability and poverty are
mutually reinforcing. People with disability and their families represent a substantial
proportion of the poor, especially the extremely poor.

Poverty is a Reality

“You ask us to think about how it would be to live in a developing country. I was born in one, El Salvador, lived there for 25 years of my life before moving to Australia. I would like to focus in the first two goals:

I have see poverty first hand also I have seen the struggles of people with disabilities just to survive, many wouldn’t have access to aids to help them get around, I have seen people with disabilities begging on the streets since that’s all they can do in life. There is no welfare system.”

Silvia Marshall
Donation Administration Assistant

Post your own response!

Answer these two questions about MDG01 Poverty:

1. How do you believe the MDG’s are relevant to/impact on people with disabilities? AND
2. How does what you do contribute to making the MDG’s a reality?

.

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• MDG 1: Poverty
• MDG 2: Universal Primary Education
• MDG 3: Gender Equality
• MDG 4: Child Mortality
• MDG 5: Maternal Health
• MDG 6: Combat HIV. Malaria and Disease
• MDG 7: Environmental Sustainability
• MDG 8: Develop Global Partnerships

Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases

To effectively address the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the entire population, including people with disability, must be reached. However efforts frequently do not include or are not accessible to people with disability, putting them at higher risk. People with disability have at least the same level of risk of HIV/AIDS as people without disability. The misguided but prevalent belief that having sex with a person with disability is safe because they are not sexually active, or that sex with a person with disability is a method of curing HIV/AIDS, means including people with disability in the fight against AIDS is critically important.

Every 30 seconds a child dies due to malaria

MDG 6 speaks about reducing preventable disease including HIV AIDS and malaria.

To me malaria is one of the biggest killer’s people around the world, especially children, who are the most vulnerable to it.

Every 30 seconds a child dies due to malaria.

And malaria is also a huge cause for all sorts of disabilities.

There’s high fever that’s caused by malaria which often results in mental disability, CP or developmental issues for children.  So I feel kids and little babies who are at risk of getting malaria are really the most vulnerable. But often access to medication, access to mosquito nets, those sorts of treatments or prevention is really only accessible to people who have a bit of money and the poorest of the poor are those that are most at risk really.  So to see some improvements in that area and to see more research done and a reduction in the children dying due to malaria, or the children getting a disability through malaria is a huge goal and I’m really for it and want to see that changed.

I feel my work here is really part of educating the public, part of telling people about the realities that people with disabilities, people that are poor, people that have that double disadvantage, have to face.   While I’m not involved in this work directly on the ground, it does inform people, it does educate people about these things.  And I think that’s really important, I think that’s where the money that is being raised comes from & so I feel I am part of the big puzzle. On the side of photography, what I sometimes do as well, that’s  a really good tool to communicate visually- speaking to people’s hearts visually.

Christoph Ziegenhardt
Communication Production Manager

“The aim of Australia’s aid program is to reduce poverty through improved medical care, education, economic opportunities and governance” Mr. Kevin Rudd

ADDC welcomes the Governments announcement of an independent review on the effectiveness of the Australian Aid program. It is both very welcome and timely for persons with disabilities across the poorest regions of the world.

The Review is designed to maximise the effectiveness of the aid program, as Australia increases its Official Development Assistance to 0.5 per cent of Gross National Income by 2015-16.

Download Full Press Release

ADDC, in partnership with CBM Australia, ACFID and PWD hosted a parliamentary breakfast on November 17th 2010 to promote disability inclusive development within the Australian Aid program.

Drawing attention to the needs of people with disabilities has been timely with the Government announcement of an independent review of the effectiveness of aid earlier this week.

The breakfast was well attended as noted by the Hon Kevin Rudd MP “…there is a very solid roll out from both sides of the aisle and from both houses of parliament ….. it’s great to see this level of roll out in political support across the spectrum for what is an important mission in Australia’s name”.

In his opening address, Mr. Rudd drew attention to the importance of Australia’s foreign aid and development programs. He acknowledged the efforts of many NGO’s in their efforts to ensure that people with disability are included in development programs and referred to the leadership Australia has demonstrated with the implementation of the’ Development For All: towards a disability-inclusive of Australian Aid Program 2009 to 2014’. He encouraged NGO’s to continue to ensure that ‘those with disabilities in developing countries have a proper international voice.’

The Government has committed to raising ODA to 0.5% of GNI by 2015 and Mr. Rudd assured the group they are on track and called for bipartisan support.

The breakfast was also addressed by Hon Therese Gambaro MP, Graeme Innes, the Australian Disability Commissioner; Jack de Groot, CEO Caritas; Jim Stallard, advocate and author; and Dimity Fifer, CEO AVI.

Borrowing Mr. Rudd’s closing statement, the joint efforts of ADDC and partnering NGO’s will “Continue to prod Government (us) effectively, but gently, so that we do more and do it more effectively together and bring about a material change to a better human kind”.

Download: Media Release - ADDC On Aid Review