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] [ ] [ ] One of the 7 priority areas in the Biwako Millennium Framework is SHO of persons with disabilities and, their related families and parental associations. In order to develop the rights of persons with disabilities, increase capacity-building and engage rural persons with disabilities, SHO/SHG of persons with disabilities can be empowered to gain their rights and collective power for a better quality of life in any sector of society. It is clearly stated that SHOs should develop programs for capacity-building to empower themselves, including youth and women with disabilities, to take consultative and leadership roles in the community at large as well as in their own organizations, to enable them to serve as trainers in the development of leadership and management skills of members of self-help organizations.
According to Mr. Yutaka Takamine, JICA short-term expert, the word "self-help" means:
"SHO of persons with disabilities" is an organization run by self-motivated disabled people to enable disabled peers in their community to become similarly self-motivated, and self-reliant. The organization may engage in efforts to provide community-based support services through mutual support mechanisms and advocacy for disabled persons to achieve their maximum potential, and assume responsibility for their own lives. In the Asia-Pacific Region, SHO represent Crossdisability organizations and Single-disability organizations.
(Reference: UNESCAP Publication on "Self-help Organizations of Disabled Persons")
Mr. Balakrishana Venkatesh, APCD Resource Person on SHG from India, expressed his point of view on the definition of self-help groups as follows:
"SHG of persons with disabilities" is a kind of social group with cross-disabilities in a small-scale, at the local level. It is usually not feasible to establish a group of persons with a single disability in a village or small town. SHG not only educate, empower and encourage persons with disabilities in the community to develop and be aware of their rights but also build a network among other social groups like women's groups, youth groups, group of elderly persons, and so on, to solve their problems and work for sustainable development in the community.
SHO/SHG of persons with disabilities are one of the most effective agents to empower persons with disabilities through activities, bringing their entire community rights-based and sustainable development toward a society for all. In order to achieve that objective, APCD effectively and efficiently implemented SHO and SHG training courses along with related expertise. Since 2002, APCD's SHO and SHG trainings focused on:
Capacity Building for SHO of Persons with Disabilities: to strengthen the foundation of SHO through philosophy/concepts of self-help and the cross-disability movement, managerial theories and skill techniques of social resource mobilization, as well as network and collaborative techniques.
Initiators for SHG of Persons with Disabilities towards Rights-based and Sustainable Community Development: managerial or/and concerned personnel of organizations which have a plan/practice to help initiate/strengthen SHG of persons with disabilities at the grass-root level.
Regional Training Seminar on Capacity Building of SHO of Persons with Disabilities (CBSHOD): to share up-to-date information among national cross-disability SHO or relevant organizations in their national disability movement.
Refresher Training on SHG of Persons with Disabilities: to develop/strengthen the grass-root SHG of persons with disabilities of ex-participants and their facilitator skills.
APCD promoted SHO and SHG training to develop the capacity of SHO and SHG of persons with disabilities and relevant NGOs, especially related to cross-disability at the national and grass-root levels for self-advocacy and sustainable development of persons with disabilities.
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