The WFD Secretariat is happy to announce that the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland has decided to release a grant to the WFD, earmarked for a two-year human rights training program in the Maghreb region, starting early 2016. 

The project will aim at strengthening the organisational capacity of the associations of the deaf in Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya and Mauritania as well as provide training on human rights. The project is a logical continuation to a preparatory mission conducted by WFD Vice-President Dr Joseph Murray and WFD Human Rights Officer Ms Eeva Tupi in the region in May 2014 to discuss the needs of the targeted deaf associations. Moreover, the project aims at reaching the local Deaf Communities via community seminars, and contacting authorities, officials and the UN agencies in the region to increase their knowledge of the challenges Deaf Communities face, not to forget the objective of building stronger partnership with other organisations of persons with disabilities. Special focus will be on gender equality and deaf youth.

President Allen expressed his excitement on behalf of the WFD Board to the positive news: “I was enthusiastic when I learnt that we had been successful with our project application: it was submitted almost a year ago so it has been a long process. I am grateful that we now have the opportunity to focus on these five project countries providing them with the much needed organisational capacity building as well as responding to their expressed need to increase their knowledge of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). We need to make sure that deaf people are aware of their rights and have the necessary tools to empower themselves to advocate for their rights.”

The WFD will soon start the recruitment process for a project officer responsible for coordinating the project and working as one of its trainers.

The earmarked grant will solely be used for this project’s activities during 2016 and 2017.