We use the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) as a framework and therefore views ‘children’ as those under the age of 18. While we feel our focus on children with disabilities is unique and fills a gap, we also believe that supporting children with disabilities in their transition into adulthood is an essential part of our strategy. This is an acknowledgment that children with disabilities are often denied opportunities early in life and may need more time to achieve independence owing to their impairment.

We use the UN definition of 'youth', which views young people as those between the ages of 15 and 24 years. However, many of the countries we work in have broader definitions of ‘youth’ with some partner countries identifying those as old as 35 years as young people and with ‘youth’ usually starting at 18 years.

We also acknowledge that strict definitions of ‘youth’ are not always appropriate when working with people with disabilities who in later life often encounter the same challenges younger people would experience due to the barriers they face as a result of their disability. As such, our work with ‘youth’ will broadly focus on those between 18 and 24 years whilst understanding that in some cases our work with ‘youth’ must include a broader and older set of young people.

We recognise the complexities and ongoing debate surrounding terminology regarding disability. As an as an organisation in the UK we understand the UK disability movement’s stated preference of using the terms ‘disabled person’ or ‘disabled child’ in recognition of the social model’s primary tenet that an individual is disabled by societal barriers.

However, as an international organisation, and one driven by African-led development, we have chosen to adopt the person-first terminology (person/children with disabilities) strongly preferred by our partners in Africa and accepted internationally in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).

Historically, the partners we worked with were chosen through open or targeted calls, followed by due diligence checks and in country visits. With our new network model, network members are chosen by the network members themselves. The network is looking for the leading organisations working specifically with children and young people with disabilities across the continent.

We look for like-minded organisations who share the network's vision and values and who seek to improve the life chances of children with disabilities as the core aspect of their work. An application will start with an initial expression of interest.

No. We feel that many of the challenge’s children with disabilities face cut across the particular impairment of the child. Poverty, stigma and inaccessible services are barriers that all children with disabilities can encounter, no matter their impairment type. We believe that our child-centred and rights-based approach to combating the obstacles to inclusion can improve the lives of all children with disabilities.

Nonetheless, we understand that each child is unique and that their particular impairment or condition will almost certainly impact upon the specific support they need and where needed, we call upon the expertise of individuals or organisations in a particular impairment. As such, our work seeks to address the specific barriers encountered by children with specific impairments whilst acknowledging that much of the work we do breaking down environmental, institutional and attitudinal barriers will improve the lives of children with a range of disabilities.

No, but as a rights based organisation we take particular account of thematic areas where the rights enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child overlap – including important issues such as education, health and social inclusion. We are aware that the most disadvantaged children and families, and those living in poverty, often have complex needs and that meaningfully addressing these needs may cut across multiple thematic areas.

Part of our mission is to facilitate the inclusion of children with disabilities and their families in all aspects of daily life; as such we are open to supporting projects which address any of the numerous barriers to this across Africa. We do not require our partners to focus on particular thematic areas, choosing instead to focus on organisations that use the social model of disability when planning their interventions.

During our last strategic period we receive approximately 60% of our funding through grant making bodies including trusts, foundations and institutional donors. The remaining 40% comes from companies, events and individual donors. An up to date list of current donors is always available on our Annual Reports which are on our website: https://www.ablechild.org.uk/our-organisation/how-we-work/financial-and-annual-reports/

As a smaller organisation we know all too well the value of every penny. With limited capacity we are extremely careful when selecting projects to invest our time and resources in. Similarly, by working as part of a network with established African organisations, we are able to ensure that the majority of money goes to where it is needed the most.

We also work with the network members to identify and support their organisational development needs, often strengthening their financial management systems and efficiency. We carefully consider the value for money of our advocacy and training work schemes and believe these have the potential for very high impact with low levels of investment. We aim to leverage both our collective voices and the resources of larger mainstream organisations to reach higher numbers of children with disabilities than we ever could alone.