As part of its commitment to ensuring no one is left behind in humanitarian and development interventions, the Coordinating Unit of Associations of Persons with Disabilities (CUAPWD), under the Leave No One Behind Phase 4 (LNOB4) project, organized an intensive two-day capacity-building workshop for staff of Strategic Humanitarian Services (SHUMAS) in Bamenda.
The training equipped SHUMAS staff with practical knowledge and tools to design, implement, and monitor disability-inclusive programs. The sessions encompassed disability inclusion themes, the ongoing humanitarian transition and the shift to Area-Based Coordination (ABC) in Cameroon’s North West and South West regions.
Understanding Barriers and the Social Model of Disability
A central focus of the workshop was identifying and addressing barriers to inclusion. Facilitated by Chick Sama, General Coordinator of CUAPWD, participants explored how negative attitudes, inaccessible physical environments, communication barriers, and institutional gaps create disability when combined with impairment. The training emphasized the social model of disability — that disability results from the interaction between a person’s impairment and an unsupportive environment.
Participants were introduced to the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Guidelines on the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action, with particular attention to the four Must-Do Actions. These practical steps include considering persons with disabilities in all program phases, reserving specific slots for them, using inclusive language in job advertisements and calls for participation, and providing reasonable accommodations.
Key Tools and Commitments
A significant portion of the training focused on the Washington Group Short Set (WG-SS) questions, enabling staff to collect disability-disaggregated data respectfully and effectively.
The Director of SHUMAS, Billian Nyuykigham, acknowledged communication as one of the organization’s key challenges and welcomed the practical solutions shared during the workshop. CUAPWD committed to providing ongoing technical support to help SHUMAS implement its action points.
Concrete Outcomes and Action Plans
By the end of the workshop, SHUMAS teams developed clear commitments across departments, including:
- Adapting attendance registers, financial templates, and reporting systems to capture disability-disaggregated data.
- Incorporating accessibility features (ramps, wider doorways, accessible toilets, etc.) in future infrastructure projects.
- Making digital platforms — including Facebook, LinkedIn, and the organizational website — accessible to persons with vision and hearing impairments.
- Rolling out internal training to share learnings with colleagues who could not attend.
Global Context
These efforts are especially critical given that approximately 16% of the world’s population lives with a disability (World Health Organization & World Bank, 2011), with even higher prevalence in humanitarian contexts. Persons with disabilities often face disproportionate barriers in accessing aid, making targeted capacity strengthening of humanitarian partners like SHUMAS essential.
A Strengthening Partnership
This training strengthens the longstanding collaboration between CUAPWD and CBM, which continues to support local humanitarian actors in adopting inclusive practices. Through the LNOB4 project, both organizations are working together to shift disability inclusion from an afterthought to a core component of humanitarian programming.
SHUMAS is now better positioned to meaningfully engage persons with disabilities across all its interventions, contributing to a more equitable and inclusive humanitarian response in the region.
