5.4 Identify relevant stakeholders

How do you set about finding these like-minded individuals, groups and organisations? Working in partnership with others is more likely to succeed than the effort of any individual or organisation on their own, but first there is a need to identify the relevant stakeholders and potential partner organisations.

In Ethiopia there are six registered (DPOs) that belong to the Federation of Ethiopian National Association of Persons with Disabilities (FENAPD). FENAPD is an umbrella organisation that aims to improve coordination and collaboration between DPOs. FENAPD’s mission statement is to help persons with disabilities to avert disabilityrelated problems and improve their lives (FENAPD, n.d.).The six DPOs in FENAPD are:

  • Ethiopian National Association on Intellectual Disabilities (ENAID)
  • Ethiopian National Association of Persons Affected by Leprosy (ENAPAL)
  • Ethiopian National Association of the Deaf (ENAD)
  • Ethiopian National Association of the Deaf-Blind (ENADB)
  • Ethiopian Women with Disabilities National Association (EWDNA)
  • Ethiopian National Development Association of Persons with Physical Disabilities (ENDAPPD).

These DPOs also operate at regional level and, in addition, there are many CSOs and NGOs active in the regions and at other levels that have programmes and activities to support people with disabilities. One of these is the Ethiopian Center for Disability and Development (ECDD) which works in partnership with other organisations to promote disability mainstreaming in all aspects of life. The main areas of ECDD activities are shown in Figure 5.5.

Figure 5.5 The ECDD supports people with disabilities and promotes disability inclusion in several areas.

There are also national organisations promoting women’s rights and the empowerment of women. For example, the Organization for Women in Self-Employment (WISE), based in Addis Ababa, provides training, advice, access to micro-finance and other support to help women set up cooperatives and become successful entrepreneurs (WISE, n.d.).

5.3.2 Strategies for changing attitudes

5.5 Sustaining inclusive WASH