In Morocco, disability rights are not the highest priority issues for the government, but a local NGO, the Regional Union for Disability Associations, is changing that with the support of IREX and its partner, the World Institute for Disabilities (WID). Regional Union recently won four government grants to support people with disabilities. The largest of these grants could help build hundreds of RoughRider wheelchairs that are well-suited for Morocco’s varied terrain.
In the wake of the Arab Spring the Moroccan government changed the way they distribute grants, accepting project proposals rather than simply dictating what those projects would be. Groups like Regional Union needed to develop a new advocacy approach. With IREX support, WID provided Regional Union with training in order to help them navigate the new grants system in Morocco.
WID began their training by helping Regional Union to identify their key issues and goals. Regional Union determined that inclusive education and access to healthcare were its primary goals. WID then helped them outline a strategy for how to reach these goals, including how to integrate the new grants system as part of this strategy.
“The main focus was to understand how the grant system worked,” said Salam Hassan. Hassan, a WID volunteer with a background in engineering, and himself a wheelchair user, was a key actor in supporting Regional Union’s advocacy work. He helped Regional Union members translate their primary goals into grant proposals.
Hassan was also a driving force behind the grant for the wheelchair production facility. Once operational, the facility will provide initial vocational training and jobs for people with disabilities.
The project was organized under the Justice & Dignity for the Middle East & North Africa [6] program, funded by the Department of State's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor [7]. The Justice & Dignity program undertakes rapid response projects to address pressing rights issues in the changing MENA region.