Kisangani, Democratic Republic of Congo – The Kadiwaku Foundation is excited to announce the launch of Echo KiDRA, a new initiative by Kisangani Disability Rights Advocate (Kidra) network to allow people with disabilities (PWDs) and their families to speak up for themselves and to work together for social inclusion of their fellow people with disabilities in Kisangani region.
The Echo Kidra community conversations series and weekly talk show, organized by Kisangani Disability Rights Advocates and broadcast by Congolese national broadcaster Radio Télévision Nationale Congolaise (RTNC) and Radio Télévision Boyomaise (RTB), is dedicated to fostering conversations about disability rights. As part of the University of Minnesota’s Institute on Community Integration and Kadiwaku Foundation’s effort to boost the participation of individuals with disabilities in economic, political, and civic life in Kisangani, Echo Kidra will provide a platform to discuss with other organizations how disability inclusion advocacy led by people with disabilities generates better outcomes and a forum for people with disabilities to share advocacy lessons with other initiatives.
Echo Kidra is the best way to prove now that thanks to our advocacy initiatives, people with disabilities have capacities and abilities to do things. This new initiative will also strengthen our connection with other disability rights groups and government agencies at the regional level, exploring how the Kadiwaku Foundation may be more relevant and potentially able to support disability inclusion initiatives in the Kisangani region, said Didier Ntimansiemi, Country Director.
Following a series of advocacy and training activities in Kisangani for Disability Representation in the Media, Echo Kidra was one of the outcomes. Through intensive and in-person training workshops, Kadiwaku Foundation and its partners provided local radio station and tv channel heads with the necessary tools to support disability inclusion in the media and increase the number of journalists and reporters with disabilities.
We are inviting organizations and disability rights advocates to watch the recordings of these conversations at the KIDRA’s YouTube channel and/or join this conversation by contacting us at kidra@kadiwaku-drc.org or following us on social media channels.
About the Kisangani Disability Rights Advocates
The Kisangani Disability Rights Advocates (KiDRA) is a local self-advocacy group based in the city of Kisangani, Tshopo province, in Democratic Republic of Congo. KiDRA was established with United States Embassy in Kinshasa support and funding, and the Institute on Community Integration and the Kadiwaku Foundation are currently implementing it.
About the Institute for Community Integration
The Institute on Community Integration at the University of Minnesota, a designated University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, has engaged in research, training, and outreach to enhance community living and participation for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities since 1988. We work to improve policies and practices to ensure that all children, youth, and adults with disabilities, and those receiving educational support, are valued by and contribute to their communities of choice.
