Research on Capacity
Development of Pacific Disabled
People’s Organisations
Progress Report
May 2011
Pacific Disability Forum
Tavualevu
Branch of Fiji
Disabled
People’s
Organisation
Objectives of research
• Synthesise relevant existing research and reports
• Provide opportunities for learning and reflection
among DPOs
• Identify key issues affecting the capacity of DPOs
and their capacity development pathways
• Develop suggested principles and themes
• Identify range of preferred and appropriate
approaches and tools for development partners
to contribute
Research elements
• Literature Survey
• Meetings with Disabled People’s
Organisations (board, staff, members)
• Meetings with other stakeholders
• Workshops to discuss and confirm
findings and provide opportunities for
reflection, learning and planning
• Case studies
Suva
Workshop
Members of Fiji
Association of the
Deaf at workshop
Members of Fiji Disabled
People’s Association at
workshop
Fiji
Researcher
facilitating
group
discussion
Group discussion in
workshop
Fiji findings
• DPOs have made considerable achievements over 40 years
• History of exclusion, self-determination & strong
leadership
• They now have a solid foundation of capacity
• DPOs are motivated, have a healthy confidence and a
realistic understanding about the pathways ahead:
“our future development starts with ourselves and
depends on our own people. It is clear we have lots of
skills, resources, networks and potential.”
“we need the desire to develop ourselves and then we are
best able to get others to support us. Our partners are
willing to help but they want us to be the drivers.”
• Some outsiders focus largely on DPO “gaps” &
“weaknesses”
How DPOs would like support:
• Get to know us first: recognise that each DPO is different,
operates in a different context and has different priorities
• Link us up with like-minded/specialist organisations
• Include people with all types of impairment, both women
and men, and especially young people from urban and rural
settings etc. in all planning and activities
• Listen to us: “so we can explain our priorities and we are
not driven by others’ priorities”
• Be flexible: many factors change after funding has been
granted
• Recognise that many people in the disability sector are
volunteers: we need paid staff to undertake professional &
management roles
Examples of what DPOs would like:
• Funding for costs of running offices & employing
staff
• Placements of volunteers
• Funding for ongoing training in topics such as
leadership, proposal writing, advocacy, M&E
• Funding to enable DPOs to access resources (e.g.
mentors, consultants) to follow-up learning from
training courses
• Assistance with establishing employment services
• Funding for accessible transport
• Reliable funding for equipment (e.g. wheelchairs,
canes)
Cook
Islands
workshop
Research team in Cook Islands
Mataiti, Jade
and George
- Interested in
establishing a
new Disabled
People’s
Organisation in
Cook Islands
Yes, the research is being undertaken in Pacific Islands!!!
Next steps
•
•
•
•
Write up Cook Islands research report
Research team in Samoa this week
Papua New Guinea visit in July
Then Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Kiribati,
Tuvalu, Federated States of Micronesia, Palau,
and Tonga up to early 2012
• Reports about each country and whole
research will be available on Pacific Disability
Forum website and APIDS website
If you are interested:
Deborah Rhodes or Robyn James (APIDS)
49 Rubiton Ct, Gisborne, Vic 3437, Australia
apids2009@gmail.com
www.pacificdisability.org
www.apids.org