Empowerment of caregivers = empowerment of children with impairments

Libumba Self Help Group project

Over 90% of families participating in the Libumba programme are reliant on incomes that place them below the poverty line.
The resource constraints of these families are further compounded by the unique challenges of raising a child with a disability in a low resource setting.
Breaking the cycle of poverty and disability is made nearly impossible due to the lack of awareness, societal stigma and cultural beliefs surrounding disabilities which further isolates these families.
The majority of the caregivers in the Libumba programme have low educational levels and lack the knowledge and skills necessary to understand disability and care for their child. These three core problems of poverty, discrimination and lack of knowledge leave caregivers disempowered and disenfranchised. Unfortunately, the resulting isolation further causes caregivers to internalise dis-empowering self-beliefs.
CWI who grow up in this environment have little to no chance at reaching their full potential. These children face exclusion from most of the normal daily activities of a child – starting with exclusion (and often extreme neglect and abuse) in the home environment, to exclusion from school, social activities and health care and rehabilitative services. Most of the children who do manage to attend school, face bullying and discrimination in the school environment from both teachers and peers alike.
Community stakeholders, such as teachers, church leaders, service providers and rural council leaders very often lack knowledge and awareness of the causes of disability (often attributing it to curses or blaming the mother) and are not well informed of the rights of those with disabilities. In a poverty stricken country like Eswatini, disability is usually low on the political agenda and therefore changes in disability policies are slow to be enforced.
While the last project The Hidden Children focused on the children and their disabilities, the new project phase focuses on their caregivers: self-help groups shall help the caregivers combat isolation, poverty and disempowerment in order to better support their children.

SHGs will provide a platform for Libumba to address the above-described problems in the following ways:
1. SHGs can break the isolation of caregivers by offering the psycho-social support that they need. The opportunity to share experiences with others who face similar challenges is a service that the Libumba team themselves cannot offer caregivers, but which is key to breaking feelings of isolation and overcoming the crippling effects of stigma.
2. SHGs will provide caregivers with access to financial resources to start and grow their own businesses. This is key to breaking the cycle of poverty and disability. SHGs will provide a platform for resource pooling, with a focus on saving collective capital for business start-up and growth.
3. SHGs will provide Libumba with a platform for empowering caregivers to grow in their knowledge and skills through attendance of workshops on various topics of interest.
4. Libumba aims to support the SHGs to develop into groups of caregivers who have the power to advocate for change and address issues of exclusion which affect their daily lives.

By offering a sense of community, facilitating economic empowerment, sharing practical knowledge and advocating for change, SHGs empower families to overcome challenges and provide their children with the best possible opportunities for growth and development. Through the facilitation of SHGs, Libumba hopes to build a more resilient, informed, and inclusive community in Matsanjeni North.

Project site

Maphungwane, Tikhuba, Mambane and Maphiveni communities (Lubombo region) (Map)

Beneficiaries

Women: 91direct
Men: 30 direct
Children under age 16: 91 indirect

Project costs and assistance by sahee

The entire project costs are CHF 130’000.–, whereas sahee takes over CHF 63’500.–.

sahee is in regular contact with the project leaders, reviews the activities and visits the project once a year on site.

Duration of assistance

1st of March 2024 to 28th of February 2027

Local counterpart

Libumba Inclusion Initiative