Disability economic empowerment: the SA-DEEP programme
SA-DEEP rests on a simple belief. Given the right tools and connections, persons with disabilities can build enterprises that sustain them and tell their own story.
Disability economic empowerment is vital in Southern Africa, where persons with disabilities face some of the highest poverty rates. Discrimination shuts them out of formal jobs. Inaccessible workplaces, limited skills training, and no access to credit or markets make self-employment just as hard. For women and youth with disabilities, the barriers are sharper still.
SA-DEEP is one of our programmes. It works with our national affiliates across the SADC region.
Programme focus on disability economic empowerment
- Skills training.
- Enterprise development.
- Market access.
- Women and youth inclusion.
Flagship project
Arts and crafts project: Kgatleng District, Botswana
We run this project with Loughborough University. It works with 13 craftspeople with disabilities through the Kgatleng Disabled People's Association (KDPA) in Mochudi. It began as a five-month pilot and has grown into a lasting initiative.
A key output is a multi-purpose hall in Mochudi that enhances disability economic empowerment for persons with disabilities. It is a hub where craftspeople can work, train, share knowledge and grow their businesses. We also commissioned a needs assessment on what the 13 craftspeople need to grow their enterprises. It covers their aspirations, challenges and opportunities.
Digital platform for disability enterprises
Itirele
Itirele is an e-commerce platform that markets handmade artefacts to international buyers. Itirele means "make it yourself" in Setswana.
Related work to disability economic empowerment
SA-DEEP is not just about income. It is about dignity, independence, and the right of persons with disabilities to take full part in economic life.