Disability and Development: A South African Story

Judy Heumann was in Durban to represent the Bank and address the Rehabilitation International Conference. More importantly, she wanted to visit organizations and people in the areas of Kwazulu/Natal who are dealing, on a daily basis, with disabled people and disability issues.

Part of Heumann's objective was to listen and learn as much as possible about the local situation to have a better understanding of the similarities and differences she has experienced in other parts of the world. Heumann said this would help prepare her to work more effectively with staff on projects in the Africa Region. She added that her focus is to learn about the effect that such projects are having on poverty reduction for disabled people.

Africa remains a prime focus for Heumann’s work at the Bank. The United Nations estimates the number of disabled people in developing countries could be as high as 10 percent of the population. That translates into as many as 80 million people living with disabilities on the African continent. Conflict is a leading cause.

The growing incidence of HIV/AIDS within disabled communities, however, was one of the issues that came up repeatedly in discussions with various groups and personalities. Heumann urges almost everyone she speaks with to look at ways and means of reaching the disabled community with education and training on the disease and its prevention. She says the figures for HIV/AIDS are staggering in these communities, especially among children and women, the most vulnerable groups. To get some certainty on the issue, she said, the Bank has commissioned a study from Yale University.

Refuge for Orphaned Children

During the course of her week in the region, Heumann visited God’s Golden Acre, “Khayelihle”, in the Cato Ridge area. This is a care center for a growing number of orphaned children, 90 at the moment, run by 72 staff, including trained caregivers, and 32 international volunteers. The center also has an outreach project supporting 4,500 children in seven valleys in the area.

The director, Heather Reynolds, is passionate about a holistic approach to the children – any who are disabled, orphaned, HIV-positive, or living with AIDS, are cared for in this program. She sees children being orphaned in increasing and alarming numbers and hopes to build a network of similar community centers, supported by resource centers, throughout South Africa. “I do get tired, disgruntled and I want to run away”, said Reynolds. Then, she said, she gets a shock and thinks “but who will look after the children?”

Further up the road in Pietermaritzburg, the Midlands Women’s Group had gathered to meet the Bank vistors and discuss its Gender-Based Violence Project. Both Heumann and Baingana are interested in how the Group is using workshops and other communications methods to help women understand their legal rights, enabling them to challenge the government on issues that affect them, such as arranged traditional marriages.

The Midlands Group deals with disabled women, HIV/AIDS women, and all women who need help in understanding how to work with government in a way that gives them dignity. Heumann told the women that the Bank wants to help focus attention on people with disabilities and build awareness that gender is a critical issue, particularly as disabled women and girl children are so vulnerable in society.

Disabled Children in Rural Areas

Another morning, Heumann visited the Valley Trust in the Valley of a Thousand Hills, a primary healthcare center with some 60 contracted and community-based volunteer health workers. Its outreach rehabilitation work looks after some 80,000 people in the area. There, she learned that the story is particularly bleak for disabled children in rural areas. Transport is the issue—there just isn’t any, as regular school buses are not equipped to handle disabled children. Even if a disabled child gets to school, she or he is usually marginalized by other children or by teachers who are not trained or equipped to handle children with disabilities. Eventually, according to Valley Trust staff, the children remain at home, with little educational opportunities.

During the visit in Durban, Heumann hosted a working dinner to gauge support for a project near to her heart – a Bank initiative to spearhead a Global Partnership on Disability and Development. The goal of the partnership is to become a worldwide network of disability organizations that would be able to encourage developing country governments and international cooperation agencies, such as the Bank, to integrate disabled people into their poverty alleviation efforts.

This partnership could be an independent, international not-for-profit organization whose members would include multilateral organizations, development banks, UN agencies, governments, NGOs and university disability programs. The consensus of those attending the dinner was that the time has come for such a partnership–and that everyone needs to work together to achieve visibility, recognition and raise awareness.