Organization
Disability Inclusion Sierra Leone(DI-SL)
Formerly known as Disability Rights and Inclusion Matters (DRIM), DI-SL is a registered Sierra Leonean NGO founded in 2007 that advocates for youth with sensory, intellectual, mental, and physical disabilities in impoverished rural communities. It delivers life-skills mentoring, safe-space groups, and inclusion advocacy across five regions.
About
Disability Inclusion Sierra Leone (DI-SL), formerly known as Disability Rights and Inclusion Matters (DRIM) – Sierra Leone, is a registered local human rights and development organisation established in November 2007 as a social movement before evolving into a structured NGO. Its work is grounded in the belief that persons with disabilities in rural Sierra Leone have been systematically excluded from development opportunities.
What They Do
DI-SL runs life-skills mentoring sessions in designated safe-space groups for youth with disabilities aged 18–35 across five communities: Bo, Gerihun, Kenema, Gondoma, and Moyamba. The organisation advocates for accessibility and equity in rural areas, delivers personal development programmes, and supports independent living for participants with sensory, intellectual, mental, and physical disabilities.
Who They Serve
DI-SL primarily serves youth with disabilities in impoverished rural and peri-urban communities in Sierra Leone's southern and eastern regions, with a focus on those who face compound marginalisation due to poverty, gender, and disability.
Related Organizations
National Disability Rights Network(NDRN)
FeaturedWashington, DCNationalNDRN is the membership association for the federally mandated Protection & Advocacy (P&A) and Client Assistance Program (CAP) organisations in every US state and territory. P&A organisations provide free legal advocacy and representation to people with disabilities — with a combined budget of over $150 million, they are the largest provider of legal services to people with disabilities in the US.
Mixed LeadershipCross-DisabilityLegal AdvocacyFédération Sénégalaise des Associations de Personnes Handicapées(FSAPH)
Dakar, SNNationalNational umbrella federation founded in 1997 that unites Senegalese disability associations to advocate for the rights and social inclusion of persons with disabilities. FSAPH coordinates member organisations spanning physical, visual, hearing, intellectual, and other disability communities, engaging government on inclusive policy reform.
Disabled-LedCross-DisabilityAdvocacyAmerican Association of People with Disabilities(AAPD)
Washington, DCNationalAAPD is a national disability membership organisation focused on increasing the political and economic power of people with disabilities, with a particular emphasis on civic engagement, voting rights, and economic advancement.
Disabled-LedCross-DisabilityAdvocacy