Disability Rights Advocacy Center - DRAC

06/10/2026

From dialogue to action, SAFE built community capacity.

The SAFE Project worked with communities in Kuje Area Council, FCT, and Karu LGA, Nasarawa State, to address harmful traditional and religious practices that contribute to sexual and gender-based violence against women and girls with disabilities.

Over the course of implementation, the project brought together community leaders, traditional and religious leaders, government institutions, OPDs, CSOs and other stakeholders through capacity building, community dialogues, VCAT sessions, theatre performances, awareness activities and stakeholder engagement.

It also supported the development of community by-laws and accountability mechanisms.

At the Knowledge Exchange and Close-Out Meeting, stakeholders reflected on the progress made. They highlighted increased awareness of SGBV and harmful practices, stronger collaboration between community leaders and persons with disabilities, improved disability inclusion and greater engagement of traditional and religious leaders in creating safer communities.

These achievements demonstrate an important lesson: sustainable change requires more than awareness. It requires relationships, ownership, accountability and continued action.



From dialogue to action, SAFE built community capacity.

The SAFE Project worked with communities in Kuje Area Council, FCT, and Karu LGA, Nasarawa State, to address harmful traditional and religious practices that contribute to sexual and gender-based violence against women and girls with disabilities.

Over the course of implementation, the project brought together community leaders, traditional and religious leaders, government institutions, OPDs, CSOs and other stakeholders through capacity building, community dialogues, VCAT sessions, theatre performances, awareness activities and stakeholder engagement.

It also supported the development of community by-laws and accountability mechanisms.

At the Knowledge Exchange and Close-Out Meeting, stakeholders reflected on the progress made. They highlighted increased awareness of SGBV and harmful practices, stronger collaboration between communi

05/10/2026

The project may close. The work must continue.

On 23–24 September 2026, Disability Rights Advocacy Centre (DRAC), under the Strengthening Community Accountability for Gender Equality (SAFE) Project, convened a two-day Knowledge Exchange and Close-Out Meeting in Abuja.

The meeting brought together government institutions, traditional and religious leaders, community representatives, organisations of persons with disabilities, civil society organisations, security agencies, community champions and other stakeholders who contributed to the SAFE journey.

It was more than a closing ceremony. It was a space to reflect on what worked, examine the challenges encountered, share lessons from implementation and, importantly, determine how the gains of the project can be sustained.

At the heart of these conversations was a shared goal: strengthening community accountability, advancing gender equality and disability inclusion, and preventing SGBV and harmful practices against women and girls with disabilities.

Because meaningful change does not end when a project timeline does. It continues when knowledge becomes action, communities take ownership and stakeholders remain committed.



The project may close. The work must continue.

On 23–24 September 2026, Disability Rights Advocacy Centre (DRAC), under the Strengthening Community Accountability for Gender Equality (SAFE) Project, convened a two-day Knowledge Exchange and Close-Out Meeting in Abuja.

The meeting brought together government institutions, traditional and religious leaders, community representatives, organisations of persons with disabilities, civil society organisations, security agencies, community champions and other stakeholders who contributed to the SAFE journey.

It was more than a closing ceremony. It was a space to reflect on what worked, examine the challenges encountered, share lessons from implementation and, importantly, determine how the gains of the project can be sustained.

At the heart of these conversations was a shared goal: strengthening community accountability, advancing gender equality and disability inclusion, and preventing SGBV and

01/10/2026

28/09/2026

What if the biggest barrier isn't the person's disability, but the environment around them?
A staircase can prevent a wheelchair user from entering. An inaccessible website can exclude a blind person. A lack of sign language support can make communication difficult for a deaf person. An inaccessible recruitment process can shut out a qualified candidate.

The disability hasn't changed. The environment has created the barrier.

That is why inclusion requires us to examine our buildings, communication, workplaces, schools, policies and services and ask who might be excluded.

Look around you today. What barrier could be removed to make participation possible for someone else?



What if the biggest barrier isn't the person's disability, but the environment around them?
A staircase can prevent a wheelchair user from entering. An inaccessible website can exclude a blind person. A lack of sign language support can make communication difficult for a deaf person. An inaccessible recruitment process can shut out a qualified candidate.

The disability hasn't changed. The environment has created the barrier.

That is why inclusion requires us to examine our buildings, communication, workplaces, schools, policies and services and ask who might be excluded.

Look around you today. What barrier could be removed to make participation possible for someone else?



What if the biggest barrier isn't the person's disability, but the environment around them?
A staircase can prevent a wheelchair user from entering. An inaccessible website can exclude a blind person. A lack of sign language support can make communication difficult for a deaf person. An inaccessible recruitment process can shut out a qualified candidate.

The disability hasn't changed. The environment has created the barrier.

That is why inclusion requires us to examine our buildings, communication, workplaces, schools, policies and services and ask who might be excluded.

Look around you today. What barrier could be removed to make participation possible for someone else?

17/09/2026

There's a difference between being present and having influence.

A person with a disability can sit in a room where decisions are being made and still be excluded if their views are ignored or their participation is merely symbolic.

Meaningful inclusion asks a bigger question:
Did the people most affected have a real opportunity to shape the outcome?

That is what participation should look like.


Image Description
A background image of women with disabilities in a roundtable discussion, with a sign in the background that says "Accessibility Now!".

On the image is a caption saying "Nothing about us without us means more than being invited to the meeting. It means having a voice in the decisions made, the priorities chosen, and the solutions developed."