Disabled voices matter: Speaking out for inclusion in development
Disabled voices matter: Speaking out for inclusion in development
Yassin, a masters student studying Mass Communication at the University of Dar Es Salaam, is a member of the Tanzania Albinism Society (TAS). During his spare time, he volunteers with Raleigh Tanzania as a SAY Campaign Coordinator, supporting young people to drive development within their home communities.
As someone with albinism, Yassin strongly believes that people living with disabilities can and should use their voices to raise awareness of issues that matter to them.
“I am happy with what I am doing as a young person, I think this is what every young person should do in the world regardless of their wellbeing or where they come from. I have led peer-to-peer educational events with Raleigh Tanzania as part of the campaign on the social accountability project. For me, this is a great opportunity to raise awareness and represent my fellow young people who are not able to represent themselves.”
“There is a lot I need to do as young person. The opportunity I have now will never come again. People living with disability shouldn’t feel unable to voice their opinions whenever they have a chance to. A voice can be a great weapon to change things. My plan after graduating with my masters degree is to utilise it by advocating towards inclusion and young people’s voices. I would like to see the voices of young people in rural Tanzania be heard and make positive change. That is what I am looking forward to.”
The SAY project aims to empower young people to be active citizens by placing them in leadership positions to monitor and evaluate development projects. Through their work, young people are at the heart of shaping development.
“In my opinion, any active citizen should be voicing their opinions and be heard. As part of the project I see a lot of change in the community I’m working in. To become active young people, youth need to be informed to participate and implement ideas to help build a strong community, a community that can thrive in the future. It is time for young people to unlock their potential – it’s now or never.”
The SAY project is being delivered by Raleigh Tanzania in partnership with Integrity Action and is funded by a four-year grant from UK Aid Direct. Do you want to learn more about Social Accountability and CIB approach that can help to be involved in project monitoring and establishing a Joint Working Group? Please download a free toolkit from Raleigh Tanzania.
