Outline of the Project

Name of the project:

Project for the Promotion of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities and Disability Mainstreaming

Partner country:

Republic of South Africa

Date of signature:

2015/12/14

Duration:

2016/5/9～2020/5/8

Counterpart:

Department of Social Development (hereinafter referred to as "DSD")

Target Group:

Direct beneficiaries: DSD (National, Provinces, Districts),

Indirect beneficiaries: Persons with disabilities and disability related organisations in South Africa

Project Site:

South Africa

Project Study Sites:

Site 1: Malamulele, Vhembe District, Limpopo Province
Site 2: Maluti-a-Phofung Municipality, Thabo Mofutsanyana District, Free State Province

BACKGROUND

The Government of Republic of South Africa has been striving to reduce poverty and inequality since the advent of democracy in 1994. Various policies and legislations ensure equal distribution of benefits of economic and social developments. Yet, the country continues to face persistent or even widening inequality. Particularly, persons with disabilities remain uneducated, unskilled, unemployed and as a results, the poorest of the poor. South Africa has ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in 2007. However, there are still a lot to be done to implement the CRPD and other disability related policies for practical realization of the rights of persons with disabilities in South Africa.

DSD is at the forefront of delivering basic social services to persons with disabilities, in collaboration with other key Departments. Despite a comprehensive policy framework, effective implementation of existing policies and standards remains problematic. Limited access to development hinders active participation of persons with disabilities. There is a lack of institutional capacity to plan, budget, implement and monitor disability-inclusive programmes through the empowerment of persons with disabilities in a cross-sectoral manner. Data and information about the challenges faced by persons with disabilities in different parts of the country is seriously lacking. This prevents DSD officials from delivering appropriate support based on the system for disability mainstreaming which hampers sound programme implementation as well as organisational learning.

In this regard, since 2012, JICA dispatched the advisor on disability mainstreaming and assisted national and province DSD officials in facilitating a series of training at the national and provincial-level. This was done through knowledge and skills development by DSD officials to effectively mainstream disability and the empowerment of persons with disabilities. The advisor worked hand in hand with DSD officials and persons with disabilities to promote disability mainstreaming. In 2013-2015, DSD/JICA organized 11 disability mainstreaming trainings in all 9 provinces for 617 participants including officials and persons with disabilities from Lesotho, Eswatini (former Swaziland), Namibia, Zimbabwe and Botswana. The DSD officials have been monitoring and evaluating the level of participation of persons with disabilities in the social development activities based on the action plans developed in the training. In addition, they have been collecting information and needs related to persons with disabilities and "good practices" in terms of social participation of persons with disabilities. Through activities mentioned above, the level of understanding on the importance of disability mainstreaming in DSD has been improved and services provided by DSD has become disability inclusive. However, there are minimal services for and opportunities of persons with disabilities at the community level, therefore, the capacity development of DSD in implementing empowerment of persons with disabilities and disability mainstreaming is an urgent issue to be addressed.

In order to deal with these challenges, DSD/JICA has implemented the "Project for the Promotion of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities and Disability Mainstreaming" in order to enhance capacities of DSD through developing approaches and resources in accordance with needs of persons with disabilities and coordinating relevant organisations of the neighbouring countries.

PROJECT OUTLINE

Overall Goal

Empowerment of persons with disabilities and disability mainstreaming in South Africa are promoted through collaboration by DSD and the resources developed by the Project.

Project Purpose

Capacities of DSD in empowerment of persons with disabilities and disability mainstreaming are enhanced.

Outputs

Output 1:

The information of situation and resources for the empowerment of persons with disabilities and disability mainstreaming in South Africa is managed in DSD.

Output 2:

Approaches for implementing empowerment of persons with disabilities and disability mainstreaming are developed by DSD.*

Output 3:

Resources (human resources, relevant organisations, partnership etc.) are strengthened for empowerment of persons with disabilities and disability mainstreaming.

Output 4:

Functions of DSD to collaborate and coordinate with relevant organisations of the neighbouring countries for empowerment of persons with disabilities and disability mainstreaming are strengthened.

* "Approach for empowerment of persons with disabilities and disability mainstreaming" is defined as a set of procedures 1) to formulate activities and processes for empowerment of persons with disabilities (e.g. peer counselling, leadership development etc.) and disability mainstreaming (e.g. universal design, information access etc.), 2) to customize a combination of these activities and processes based on needs and situations of persons with disabilities as well as societies, and 3) to conduct implementation with necessary stakeholders (e.g. persons with disabilities and officials etc.).

Activities:

1-1	Establish the Working Groups** for each study site and confirm their terms of references.
1-2	Collect the baseline information of the empowerment of persons with disabilities and disability mainstreaming in South Africa with particular focus to study sites
1-3	Analyse the collected information in Activity (1.2)
1-4	Compile the collected and analysed information and create the database for resources
1-5	Update the database according to the activities of Output 2, 3 & 4
2-1	Working Groups develop a plan to formulate approaches for empowerment of persons with disabilities and disability mainstreaming
2-2	Implement the activities planned in Activity (2.1)
2-3	Conduct collection and analysis of the results and process of Activity (2.2)
2-4	Prepare draft guidelines for each method for implementation of the empowerment of persons with disabilities and disability mainstreaming based on the results of Activity (2.3)
2-5	‘Approaches for empowerment of persons with disabilities and disability mainstreaming' are compiled in documents (e.g. guidelines)
2-6	Apply the guidelines prepared in Activity (2.4 and 2.5) and make necessary modifications on them
3-1	Working Groups established in Activity (1.1) design a plan for development of the resources
3-2	Based on the plan set in Activity (3.1), develop resources for empowerment of persons with disabilities and disability mainstreaming in cooperation with relevant organisations (Human resources / Materials compiling know-how & contents / Partnerships to conduct disability mainstreaming, Disability Equality Training, peer counselling etc.)
3-3	Monitor Activity (3.2) and training effects through collaboration with relevant organisations, and feedback to the activity plan
4-1	In cooperation with relevant organisations, invitations is extended to the participants from neighboring countries to the seminars / workshops / trainings as the need arises
4-2	Collect the information of current situation concerning empowerment of persons with disabilities and disability mainstreaming in the neighbouring countries during the seminars / workshops / trainings
4-3	Share the information of situation and knowledge concerning empowerment of persons with disabilities and disability mainstreaming in South Africa and the neighbouring countries

** Working Group: Working Group will be set at each study site with practitioners (including officials and persons with disabilities) of the study sites and DSD officials (National, Provinces, Districts).

INPUTS:

Japanese side:

1) Dispatch of two (2) long-term experts

(Chief Advisor / Disability mainstreaming, Project coordinator / Empowerment of persons with disabilities)

2) Local expert(s) / external short-term experts

(Preference should be given to local experts in South Africa, e.g., experts from the study sites and human resources who have gone through the DSD/JICA training and activity.)

3) Provision of the equipment

• Project vehicle
• Project office in national DSD: Copy machine
• Project offices in district DSD: Copy machines, computers, printers, projectors

4) Training of counterpart personnel (in Japan, other countries)

5) Local costs

(Training costs, production / printing costs for materials, travelling and accommodation expenses for representatives of disabled people's organisations etc.)

South African side:

1) Allocation of counterpart personnel (Project Director, Project Manager, Working Group members, Project Personnel from national and the selected study sites etc.)

2) Facility & equipment

• Project office in national DSD: office and parking space including desks, chairs, computers, telephone lines, internet for experts, and meeting rooms
• Project office in district DSD: office and parking space including desks, chairs, telephone lines and internet for project team, and meeting rooms

3) Local costs

(Necessary expenses for DSD officials including remuneration, travel costs etc.)