Inclusive Communities

CBM’s work in Kenya & Zimbabwe

Inclusive Communities is CBM Ireland’s two-year programme (2021-2023) which seeks to increase access to rights and participation of people with disabilities in in Kenya and Zimbabwe. The programme aims to strengthen the grassroots voices of people with disabilities, including those with psychosocial disabilities, and that they will be active and equal participants in family, community and national life.

Inclusive Communities is implemented across two regions: Kilifi County in Kenya, and Chimanimani and Chipinge districts in Zimbabwe. The basic consideration underpinning the programme is that people with disabilities are also more vulnerable to mental health difficulties than people without a disability because of the stresses associated with having a disability in the first place. It is also the case that women and girls with disabilities are statistically the most vulnerable. Unfortunately, people with mental health and psycho-social disabilities are often further marginalised by the disability community itself.

This community-based inclusive development (CBID) programme will improve access for people with disabilities to education, health services and livelihood opportunities, and peer support, thus improving resilience to emergency situations such as floods, droughts or social unrest. The programme will create sustainable change in how disability is perceived by people, their communities and government institutions and will pay particular focus on perceptions, supports and systems around mental health, including those of the disability community.

The aims of the Inclusive Communities, through the Community-Based Inclusive Approach, developed by CBM, are to strengthen the voices of people with all kinds of disabilities and provide them with information to aid in accessing services and care, with the objective that this will greatly improve the quality of services for people with disabilities. It is our hope that, through the programme, people with disabilities will become active participants in the development, implementation and monitoring of disability and mental health inclusive laws, policies, and programmes.

But people with disabilities are not our only focus. One of the Inclusive Communities programme objectives is to ensure that the families of people with disabilities and their representative organisations are strengthened and effectively advocating on various issues, including access and provision of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Services in their communities.

Currently, Inclusive Communities brings in people with lived experience of mental health conditions and psychosocial disabilities to engage with the public to dispel myths and misconceptions around disability. People with disabilities, particularly mental health, and psychosocial disabilities are being strengthened to self-advocate, lobby, engage and hold local government officials accountable to guarantee that government bodies have inclusive structures and work collaboratively with people with disabilities to fulfil their disability mandate promoting greater levels of engagement.

Regional Psychosocial Support Initiative (REPSSI)

CBM Ireland works in close partnership with the Regional Psychosocial Support Initiative (REPSSI), which is a leading African psychosocial support organisation in Southern Africa, including Zimbabwe. We commenced our partnership with them in 2019 when we collaborated in providing emergency psychosocial support to poor people in the aftermath of Cyclone Idai which had caused the loss of many human lives, loss of livelihoods, and massive damage to infrastructure in Zimbabwe. REPSSI has been providing support to promote the psychosocial well-being of people in poor communities in Zimbabwe, especially children and youth, for over 15 years.

If you would like to learn more about this initiative and its impact you can download our Inclusive Communities newsletters here:

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