Our vision:
To serve as the preferred civil society organization on disability rights and development in Africa.
Our mission:
To promote disability rights and development through research and documentation, advocacy and campaign, training and empowerment program, and legal aid in collaboration with state and non-state actors.
About Centre for Citizens with Disabilities
The Centre for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) is a not-for-profit making and foremost human rights organization of, and for persons with disabilities that works to promote inclusion, participation, access, and the mainstreaming of issues of critical concern of citizens with disabilities in the programmes and activities of state and non-state institutions. Also, it works to educate, support and empower persons with disabilities and their families to maximize their potential. It was established in 2002 in Lagos and incorporated with the Corporate Affairs Commission Abuja as a charity organization with registration number CAC/IT/23286.
The organisation was founded as a result of the founder’s harrowing experiences at the hands of the rebel warlords in war-torn Sierra Leone who tearfully amputated his two hands, thereby forcefully consigning him into physical disability.
CCD is recognized by Federal and State institutions as a credible NGO working on disability matters. We have over the past fourteen years sought a redefinition of society’s perception of the plight of persons with disabilities.
CCD is managed by a Board of Trustees (BoTs) and Professional Staff (PS) complements that are gender sensitive as a deliberate corporate policy.
Mandate and Objectives
CCD’s mandate and objectives includes:
- To protect, promote and safeguard the rights of persons with disabilities and promote public enlightenment in civic education, human rights and public policy;
- To initiate and implement programmes, policies and activities geared toward the promotion and enhancement of the welfare of persons with disabilities;
- To empower or assist in empowering persons with disabilities and regularly access the impact of public policy on human rights and report on same through publications seminars, workshops and lectures;
- To educate, sensitise, counsel and mobilize persons with disabilities in various areas critical to their survival and progress and support and advocate for respect for the rule of law and due process;
- To monitoring the formulation and implementation of policies that impact on or are of public interest as relevant to persons with disabilities and publish reports, newsletters, journals or policy papers on same;
- To organize seminars, symposia, conferences on cutting edges issues and trends in socio-political and economic development as they affect persons with disabilities.
CCD’s Funders
Within the context of the aforementioned mandates the CCD has variously implemented projects and, thus, acquired profound competences for project management. CCD’s current funders include:
- Netherlands Embassy in Nigeria Funded Project on Strengthening Persons with Disabilities Advocacy Capacity in Nigeria
- European Union Funded Project on Mapping the needs of Persons with Disabilities for the 2019 General Election
- Ford Foundation Funded Project on Promoting Disability Rights and Citizens with Disabilities Participation inthe Electoral Process in Lagos state
- OSIWA Funded Project on Breaking Barriers Against Nigerians with Disabilities
- RoLAC Funded Project on Development of IEC materials for the Nigeria Disability Act.
- Centre for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) Funded Project on Equal Voting Access (EVA)
- Disability Right Fund (DRF) Funded Project on Awareness Issues and Accessibility of Health Care Services by Persons with Disabilities in Ekiti state.
- Australian High Commission Funded Project on Access of Persons with Disabilities to the National Assembly in Nigeria.
- Action Aid Funded Project on Strengthening Citizens Resistance Against Prevalence of Corruption (SCRAP-C)
Our Projects
Current/Recent Projects/Activities;
Our recent activities include the following:
- Enhancing Access to Justice and Political Participation for Persons with Disabilities (Voice);
- Constituency Online and Radio Sensitizations on Behavioral change for Covid-19 (British Council);
- Support for Awareness Creation on the Provisions of the Special Peoples (Disability) Law (RoLAC);
- Equal Voting Access for Persons with Disabilities (EVA4PWDS – CCD);
- The promotion of Nigeria Disability Act and Lagos State Special Peoples Law Implementation (FORD Foundation);
- Access to Covid-19 Vaccine among Persons with Disabilities in Abuja and Lagos State (FORD Foundation);
- Access to Inclusive Education Among Citizens with Disabilities in Abia State (Disability Rights Fund);
- Assessment of Distribution of Covid-19 Vaccine among Persons with Disabilities in Nigeria (Disability Rights Fund);
- Assessment of level of participation of Persons with Disabilities in Public and Political life in Kwara State (Disability Rights Fund);
CCD’s Present Concern
Previous/Completed Projects/Activities:
Our previous activities include the following:
- Breaking Barriers Against Nigerians with Disabilities in Abuja (OSIWA)
- Enhancing Access To Justice for People Living With Disabilities (PWDs) in Lagos State;
- Baseline Survey on Access to Justice for Persons with Disabilities in Ikorodu, Surulere and Amuwo-Odofin LGAs of Lagos State (Justice for All Programme – DfID);
- Disability Awareness Week 2020;
- Advocacy for Nigeria disability law & Disability friendly constitution;
- Advocacy and Influencing of the passage and signing of Lagos State Special Peoples Law;
- Survey on access to banking hall and services;
- Establishment of a Disability Digital Library in Ikeja amongst others.
- Awareness on Disability Issues and Accessibility of Health Care Services by PWDs in Ekiti State (Disability Rights Fund);
- Promoting Disability Rights and Citizens with Disabilities participation in Electoral Process in Lagos (FORD Foundation).
- Mapping the needs of PWDs for the 2019 General Elections In Nigeria (European Union);
- Access to the National Assembly by Persons with Disabilities (Australian High Commission)
Awards:
- 2008 – CCD won Red Ribbon Special Recognition Award. The Red Ribbon Awards is organised annually by Journalists Against AIDS (JAAIDS) Nigeria with partners including the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the Ford Foundation Office for West Africa, ActionAIDS Nigeria and Strengthening Nigeria’s Response (SNR Project).Other partners of the awards include Hygeia Nigeria Limited, the Network of People living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria (NEPWHAN) and the Omololu Falobi Foundation.
- 2008 – Our Executive Director was elected as a member of the steering committee of Africa Campaign on Disability and HIV/AIDS in Kampala, Uganda.
- 2009 – Our Executive Director was awarded the Most Articulate Peer Educator for the Year 2009. The award was given to him by the Plantation Positive Youth Initiative, a Lagos based support group on HIV & AIDS in recognition of his commitment and campaign for accessible and Disability friendly National HIV & AIDS response in Nigeria.
- 2010 – Our Executive Director was appointed as a member of Rehabilitation International Commission on Policy and Services representing Nigeria
- 2014 – CCD was Awarded – Recognition Service Award by De Beautiful Beginning Schools in recognition of our service to citizens with disabilities.
Affiliations: CCD is a founding member of the following organizations:
- Campaign 2015+,
- Nigeria Disability Forum,
- Coalition of Disability Organisations, (CODO);
- Lagos State Civil Society Coalition, and International Campaign Against Impunity.
Also CCD is affiliated with the following groups:
- Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room;
- Development Watch Initiative;
- Transition Monitoring Group (TMG);
- Coalition on Issue-based Politics and Good Governance;
- Nigeria Coalition on International Criminal Court;
- African Campaign on Disability and HIV/AIDS,
- UN Coalition Against Corruption,
- Association for Women’s Rights in Development among others.
