Disability is still, far too often, a taboo subject. Yet it is not a disease but a condition and so it must be considered by the most. Sometimes, all it takes is awareness. Awareness to break myths, to fight stigma, to unlock doors.<\/p>\n
In recent years, the global conversation on disability has grown louder. In 2018, the United Nations adopted the \u201cDisability Inclusion Strategy\u201d<\/strong> aimed at ensuring the rights of persons with disabilities and eliminating the inequalities and discrimination they face\u2014especially in accessing healthcare.<\/strong><\/p>\n While these challenges are widely known in Europe, their scale in LICs contexts remains too often unnoticed.<\/p>\n As a med resident in Mozambique, I am beyond thrilled to be part of a team working on a project that perfectly fits in my personal and professional life. Inclu.de 2 \u2013 Inclusion for Development: Breaking Barriers in Healthcare <\/strong>is an initiative funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) that exemplifies CUAMM\u2019s commitment to improving the lives of the most vulnerable groups.<\/p>\n This project, grounded in a human rights approach, focuses on providing inclusive, quality rehabilitation services for people with disabilities. Across Africa, persons who live with disabilities face daily barriers: inaccessible roads and buildings, lack of transportation, limited access to education and healthcare, and deeply rooted cultural stigma.<\/p>\n A significant milestone was reached in June 2024, when Mozambique approved a law known as Lei 10\/2024<\/strong>, aligned with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the African Union Disability Protocol. Despite the adoption of this new law, implementing the legislation is to date the main challenge.<\/p>\n Article 22 of the law guarantees the right to healthcare for persons with disabilities, prioritizing access to medical services and rehabilitation. Yet, many health centers lack proper equipment and trained staff to offer these services. Inclu.de 2 is working to change that.<\/strong><\/p>\n Since August 2024, CUAMM and local partners have been conducting field assessments across Maputo province to identify gaps and begin targeted interventions.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the past months, I had the privilege of joining a donor field visit to two healthcare centers\u2014Moamba<\/strong> and Sabie<\/strong>\u2014where some of these barriers were painfully evident. \u2013 said Marise Sabato. –<\/p>\n The road to Moamba was barely passable, riddled with potholes, completely unsuitable for wheelchair users. Not to mention the impossibility for people with mobility impairments to access public transport\u201d.<\/p>\n Every month, some 400 patients seek rehabilitation services in this facilities, but equipment is outdated, and structural barriers\u2014like narrow doorways\u2014limit access. Sabie, on the other hand, lacks a rehabilitation space entirely, forcing patients to travel to Moamba.<\/p>\n \u201cDespite the challenges, I was encouraged by the strong collaboration with local stakeholders who recognize the urgency of inclusion and the opportunity this new law presents\u201d said Marise Sabato.<\/p>\n Difficulties in accessing care jeopardize the impact of rehabilitation services, as counted by Salita who has been attending physiotherapy in Moamba healthcentre for more than a year.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWhen it rains, there is no transport which means that in no way can a person living with disability like me reach the healthcentre for the therapy session. In addition, equipment is scarse. I keep going despite the difficulties but I need a bike for my rehab, and there isn\u2019t one.\u201d<\/p>\n Still, she praised the dedication of the health staff, noting how they reach out when she misses a session.<\/p>\n \u201cThey do their best. I\u2019ve seen people come here unable to walk and now they can. They even call to check on me if I don\u2019t show up.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n These are the stories that drive our work.<\/p>\n CUAMM has been present in Mozambique since 1978, serving \u201cthe last mile,\u201d where health services are hardest to reach. Through Inclu.de 2, CUAMM is not just delivering services\u2014but building capacity. <\/strong>Training health workers and community activists in how to communicate and care for people with disabilities is a key part of our strategy.<\/p>\n Whether it\u2019s teaching health workers how to interact respectfully with patients who are deaf\u2014using sign language apps\u2014or equipping community leaders to combat stigma and raise awareness, our aim is to dismantle not just physical but social and cultural barriers<\/strong>.<\/p>\n And this is where inclusion begins: with understanding<\/strong>.<\/p>\n \u201cFor me, this is a personal mission. I live with a disability myself, which makes me even more attuned to the daily challenges faced by people here. This project has allowed me to grow not only as a public health professional, but as a person.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Working on Inclu.de 2 from its early stages, I\u2019ve gained invaluable experience in project planning, leadership, advocacy, and local partnership building. I\u2019ve learned that effective collaboration is key to sustainability\u2014and that while implementing a project is never easy, especially in resource-limited settings, every small win counts. Mozambique is teaching me so much\u2014about resilience, about equity, and about how change happens. Slowly, and together\u201d.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" From margins to center: rethinking disability and inclusion in public health \u2013 a resident\u2019s experience in Mozambique<\/p>","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":89706,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1172,2493],"tags":[2605,2923],"argomenti":[2604],"protagonisti":[],"luoghi":[2513,2518],"class_list":["post-70288","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-homenews","tag-disability","tag-inclusion","argomenti-disability","luoghi-mozambique","luoghi-maputo"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/doctorswithafrica.org\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70288","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/doctorswithafrica.org\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/doctorswithafrica.org\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/doctorswithafrica.org\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/doctorswithafrica.org\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=70288"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/doctorswithafrica.org\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70288\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/doctorswithafrica.org\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/89706"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/doctorswithafrica.org\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70288"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/doctorswithafrica.org\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70288"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/doctorswithafrica.org\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70288"},{"taxonomy":"argomenti","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/doctorswithafrica.org\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/argomenti?post=70288"},{"taxonomy":"protagonisti","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/doctorswithafrica.org\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/protagonisti?post=70288"},{"taxonomy":"luoghi","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/doctorswithafrica.org\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/luoghi?post=70288"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nWith good planning and a committed team, deadlines become milestones, and challenges turn into achievements.<\/p>\n