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Global organization that champions the rights and affairs of People Living With Disability (PWDs) Sightsavers International has partnered with the United States Agency for International Development to expand their program which helps PWD farmers find employment.
USAID has pumped ($6 million) Ksh 683,000,000 into the program that has also brought in two of Kenya’s largest employers. The Coca-Cola Beverages Africa company and East Africa Breweries Limited Plc are being used to ensure inclusion and labour rights are a key part of the companies’ supply and distribution chains.
“The two companies are thought to support the employment of 47,000 farmers, more than 9,000 distribution workers and about 65,000 retailers,” says Sightsavers.
This program will run for five years and is a continuation of the Global Labor Program-Inclusive Futures drive to create models for farmers with disability (particularly women) which companies can use to give opportunities to such people.
“Despite global improvements in labour rights legislation and policy, women, people with disabilities, and young people often face unequal treatment in work.
The Global Labor Program – Inclusive Futures aims to build the skills of jobseekers, workers, unions, employers and government to achieve inclusive and decent work opportunities in Kenya,” writes Inclusive Futures.
The expanded program, therefore, has brought in other stakeholders such as the Central Organisation of Trade Unions-Kenya (COTU), United Disabled Persons of Kenya, Kenya Female Advisory Organisation, Innovations for Poverty Action, Equal Rights Trust, Syngenta Foundation East Africa, Light for The World and LINC.
With this, they hope to improve levels of employment, particularly for people with disabilities, as well as the protection of their labour rights, by working with the suppliers and distributors along companies’ value chains – a full chain of a businesses’ activities to create a product or service.
Sightsavers International which is leading this whole project aims to prove that you can promote and protect the rights of workers whether disabled or not. As part of the implementation of the program, they have created one hub in Rangwe for farmers and they aim to create others in Kenya.
“A big part of the intervention will scale up a community based “farmers’ hub” model (see details below), which is happening in Rangwe sub-county. The intention is to replicate the network of hubs to an additional seven sub-counties in western Kenya (Suba south, Karachuonyo, Suba North, Nyatike, Kuria West, Kuria East, Nyakach). Later the intervention will be upscaled in certain parts of Eastern Kenya,” says Sightsavers.
