The United States Government, through USAID Haiti’s Democracy, Human Rights and Governance Office, has promised nearly one million USD to the humanitarian organization enpaK to help support persons with disabilities.
Around 15 percent of the Haitian population lives with a disability, based on the World Health Organization’s estimates. USAID’s funding will promote their inclusion within their communities and contribute to furthering advocacy efforts to enforce their legal protections in Haiti.
enpaK is a Haitian-based organization with ten years of experience in community development. The organization’s newest initiative aims to provide persons with disabilities with equal opportunity and access to all public buildings, including hospitals and social services. It will work with USAID-backed programs across Haiti and engage civil society partner organizations to join the movement.
As part of this program, enpaK will identify the root causes of the lack of housing for people with disabilities and address the limited availability of research on the topic, in collaboration with Notre Dame University.
enpaK will also launch a communication campaign to sensitize the communes on the benefits of including persons with disabilities in every aspect of public life. The research findings will help determine necessary actions that can help increase inclusion and prevent mistreatment and rejection of people with disabilities.
For more information about USAID’s programs, visit: USAID.gov
