In Nyamasheke, adolescents and women with disabilities faced numerous challenges accessing sexual and reproductive health services and information.
Throughout much of history, societies have often misconstrued and misrepresented deaf individuals, emphasizing their limitations rather than their capabilities. And this was worse in the Nyamasheke district, where some cultural beliefs still regarded the deaf as sexually inactive.
A lack of disability-inclusive policies further compounds the vulnerabilities of Young People with Disabilities (YPWD). The difficulties encountered by YPWD in accessing sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) services are frequently the result of societal neglect, inadequate legal protection, and insufficient community awareness and support. It is worth noting that these challenges are not necessarily a direct consequence of having a disability but rather the result of multiple intersecting disempowering factors.
Reports from UNFPA Rwanda show that YPWD often cannot obtain even the basic information about SRHR; they remain ignorant of the basic facts about their bodies and rights, limiting their choices in living healthy, empowered lives.
Statistics indicate that an estimated 10% of the world’s population, [About 650 million], live with a disability and that women and girls with disabilities account for almost one-fifth of the world’s population of two. They are just as likely to be sexually active as their peers without disabilities despite inaccurate stereotypical views to the contrary.
Rwanda National Association of Deaf Women [RNADW “umucyo”] consents that persons with disabilities have similar SRHR needs as other people but that they often face barriers to information and services. And they assert that the limited SRHR awareness and negative attitudes of society and some individuals, including healthcare providers, raise most of these barriers, not the disabilities themselves. YPWDs often could not obtain even the basic information about SRHR; they remained ignorant of the basic facts about their bodies and their rights, limiting their choices in living healthy, empowered lives.
In Nyamasheke, the YPWDs had limited experience relating to and negotiating with potential partners and were at an increased risk of unsafe sexual relations and forced marriages as a group; PWDs fitted the common pattern of structural risks for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections owing to higher poverty rates, illiteracy, limited access to health resources, and limited power to negotiate safer sex.
But today, the situation has changed after RNADW spearheaded education through comprehensive SRHR knowledge and economic empowerment, which has changed the Nyamasheke District Chapter. Through RNADW, existing services have been adapted easily to accommodate persons with disabilities; increasing awareness has been the first and biggest step, and much is likely to be accomplished through resourcefulness and involving PWDs in program design and monitoring. Through RNADW, there is now a universal realization that gender and disability-sensitive debates on autonomy, equality, and access to health care benefit all people.
To ensure that the needs of young people with disabilities are met in terms of sexual and reproductive health and rights, the generous support of the aid agency of the Republic of Korea, KOICA, has been instrumental in enabling UNFPA Rwanda to partner with Good Neighbors International and RNADW. Through this partnership, a comprehensive range of activities and resources have been made available to 80 Deaf Girls and young women. These activities provide YPWD with valuable information on SRHR, life skills, financial literacy, and business development skills to empower them to engage in individual and group income-generating activities.
According to RNADW, the project is being done to improve on YPWDs’ confidence to seek sexual reproductive health services, report GBV cases, and take control over their economic assets. And to achieve this, RNADW has identified the YPWD, in collaboration with the district National Council of Persons with Disabilities Coordinators, established a resource training Centre (as a modern goat farm) with the capacity to accommodate 100 goats, equipped the Centre with running water, electricity and green fodder for making goats feeds, through the support of the Nyamasheke District leadership. The project has provided 80 YPWD in Nyamasheke district with the necessary knowledge and information to access a comprehensive package of sexual and reproductive health and rights services, including psychosocial support, economic empowerment training and income generation support.
The RNADW project has had a positive impact in shifting the perspective on the deaf community. Rather than being perceived as a group at risk for maladaptive lifestyles, the emphasis is now on their ability to manage and navigate their lives successfully.
The project, the first of its kind in Rwanda, is addressing a persistent challenge faced by the local community; a lack of effective communication with YPWD, which had led to the exclusion of deaf females from various development projects implemented by district partners. We appreciate this laudable effort and extend our unwavering support towards its success.
To ensure sustainability and accountability, RNADW manages the Goat farm. A devoted team of five full-time employees, consisting of four highly skilled deaf young women and a male security guard, oversees the project. The community has shown great support for the initiative, providing both acceptance and in-kind assistance. Furthermore, YPWD is being offered ongoing training in Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs), as well as management and financial support, including bookkeeping for the cooperative. RNADW is fully committed to ensuring the project’s success and empowering the community through this initiative.
The Vice Mayor of Nyamasheke District, Ms MUKANKUSI Athanasie, on behalf of the district, recommended that to properly support RNADW to sustain the work of the resource Centre, there is a need to buy more land to cultivate various types of fodder grass, to construct a maternity paddock for breastfeeding mothers and a sick bay for sick goats. She added that the community of Nyamasheke is committed to the success of the resource Centre and, therefore, requested the establishment of a well-equipped station for sign language and SRHR training.
The NCPD Focal Person, Joseph UWABAKURIKIZA, asserts that RNADW is making great strides in promoting SRHR among Vulnerable Youth. RNADW’s efforts are truly commendable, and we must acknowledge their dedication to creating a safe and inclusive environment for all. Their work is a testament to the power of community-driven initiatives, and we can all learn from their example.
