Working with CBM: what is the value to people with disabilities?
Stories | January 14, 2022
CBM Australia sees the value of working with Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs), in helping these organisations to get stronger and more influential in promoting disability rights.
For many years, CBM’s team in Cameroon has worked with an OPD network that consists of 119 small disability associations, spread across the Northwest Region in Cameroon.
Chick Sama is the coordinator of the network and says:
“The value that our OPD has had because of the involvement with CBM funded projects, is that it has empowered people with disabilities to a very good extent, so that they can take community advocacy and regional advocacy to very high level.”
By being part of a project, people with disabilities have been able to gain new skills. During the height of the Covid-19 outbreak, OPDs were involved in the distribution of support packages to households where people with disabilities were struggling. They were also vocal in making sure that local governments included people with disabilities in their local Covid-19 responses.
Sama is visually impaired and has been a strong voice for disability rights in West Africa. He was part of CBM’s evaluation of our Cameroon project and provided key insights on how CBM could better support the disability movement. He recently joined CBM to speak at the International Civil Society Centre conference and reflected on what’s been the value of working with organisations like CBM, as well as areas where we could do better.
Sama outlines some key benefits of working with CBM in the video below:
Working with CBM: Interview with Sama Video Transcript
CBM acknowledges the support of the Australian Government through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP)
https://www.cbm.org.au/stories/working-with-cbm-what-is-the-value-to-people-with-disabilities
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