About Us
FIEPWD is a nonprofit organization based in Bamenda, Cameroon, with mission to ‘accelerate the meaningful inclusion and full participation of youth with disabilities in socioeconomic and political activities by proudly showcasing the ability in disability”.
We are a group of persons with disabilities who are poised to change the narrative of our fellow youths with disabilities in Cameroon and beyond. Our motor is “Inclusion for Everyone”.
In the past six years and counting, we have built the capacity of several youths with disabilities, teaching them how to accept and live a happy and fulfilling lifestyle.
We use advocacy as a weapon to influence policy makers, parents of children with disabilities and society at large to understand that empowering Persons with disabilities is a duty and not a choice.
Conscious of growing societal discrimination and exclusion, we arm youth with disabilities with mental health and leadership trainings to boost their self esteem.
We strongly subscribe to the maxim that, nothing for persons with disabilities without persons with disabilities.
Our Mission.
Our mission is to “accelerate the meaningful inclusion and full participation of youth with disabilities in socioeconomic and political activities by proudly showcasing the ability in disability”.
We envision a world where everyone has all inclusive access to the same educational, technological and employment opportunities irrespective of disability, color and sex.
Our Intervening Areas
In order to accomplish our mission, create impact and accelerate the inclusion and full participation of youth with disabilities in mainstream activities, our work evolves around the following thematic areas:
Inclusive Education
We are conscious of the barriers to inclusive education. We went through these barriers and wouldn’t want to see our younger peers go down the same road as we.
Our organization considers inclusive education as a catalyst in developing the capacity of disable youth to further promote values of inclusion and empowerment. As such, we support basic, secondary and tertiary, as well as vocational education of children and youth with disabilities.
Leadership And Peace Building.
We believe in the power of molding disabled youth as a cine qua non for fast tracking disability inclusion and equal participation. Our leadership approach produces dynamic leaders who are ever enthusiastic to change the narrative of persons with disabilities in their communities and nationally.
Also, we encourage and promote the inclusion and participation of disabled youth in peace building initiatives.
Inclusive Information and Communication Technology
We promote ICT products and services geared towards fast tracking the inclusion and full participation of youth with disabilities in mainstream activities. We partner with other Organizations and individuals to train disabled youth on ICT skills.
Livelihood and Sport.
We strongly support and promote livelihood activities as a means of independent living by persons with disabilities.
We equally encourage and promote the culture of sport among youth with disabilities to ensure healthy living and as enshrined in the UN convention on the rights of persons with disabilities.
Research.
Promote mutual understanding of Disability Related issues by strengthening joint studies on theories, systems, policies and practices in this milieu. It can also provide consultation and advice for other organizations and major stakeholders in areas surrounding disability
Protection
The emergency humanitarian crisis in which the region finds itself has disproportionately disregarded the rights of persons with disabilities. Alongside acting on issues in Safeguarding, child protection and Gender Mainstreaming, we take measures to empower Persons with Disabilities in their rights which gives them a voice of their own to advocate for the promotion and protection of the rights and inclusion of persons with disabilities in community and national life. This comes on the hills of the ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD)
Solution Journalism Stories.
Through our dynamic team of communication specialist, we use communication tools at our disposal to reveal and tell stories about disability inclusion and expose solutions to the issues and problems faced by persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups
Our Values.
Our values are Empathy, Equality, Humanity, Justice and Peace.
Our Framework
Advocacy
Advocate for implementation of the CRPD and other relevant laws and disability inclusion in Agenda 2030 (SDGs) and the Agenda for Humanity
Progress in implementation of CRPD and inclusive SDGs at all levels
Increased commitment and capacity of mainstream state and nonstate actors for inclusive development and humanitarian action.
Enhanced Collaboration
Facilitate sharing of resources and knowledge with key stakeholders for inclusive development and humanitarian action.
A collaborative and accessible sharing mechanism is in place to ensure that thematic exchange, joint proposals and relevant information are made available on the collaborative platform.
Partnerships established with mainstream civil society actors to achieve inclusive
Capacity Development
Support development of civil society capacities to promote, implement and measures policies and practices for inclusive development and humanitarian action
CRPD-SDG training is successfully implemented with key stakeholders.
Organisational Development
Ensure that the organization is appropriately resourced with the appropriate working capacities
The organization has a clear sense of direction and is implementing its strategic vision with clear accountability and review mechanisms in place.
FIEPWD’s Brand is clearly established and communicated.
Internal communications function effectively within and between the organization.
Research
Ensure the general needs identification of all persons with disabilities
Carry out and act as focal point for disability inclusive research
A database of all needs of persons with disabilities in the 2 regions with clear desegregations
A database of Research in Disability Inclusive Development
Built capacities of persons with disabilities and key stakeholders in all spheres of disability inclusive research
Our Story
Our Founder, Kesah Princely, in October 2016 during his first Journalism lecture in the university of Buea had a bitter experience that got him thinking for weeks. He was asked by the lecturer to drop the program on grounds that Journalism was not meant for blind people.
“don’t come and be a burden to people’s children because as a blind you can’t succeed here,” he said.
Kesah, though depressed and disappointed that this could come from a teacher, was not defeated.
It became clear to him that much advocacy was required to break the barriers to inclusion, and such a course could best be championed by persons with disabilities themselves. Consequently, he invited his four peers with disabilities to share the idea of FIEPWD with them.
Each of the four, just like Kesah had bitter lessons to remember when they met for lunch in Bamenda, November 2016.
They all were unanimous that setting up the organization was a necessity owing to the growing discrimination and exclusion of persons with disabilities in Cameroon.
An armed conflict later broke out in the country’s two Anglophone regions in 2017, making the situation of persons with disabilities to grow worse.
The team managed to mobilize resources to start the FIEPWD vision.
