Employment
We work with local and national partners to support the inclusion of people with disabilities in economic empowerment programmes.
Disability and poverty are inextricably linked. Poverty limits people’s access to health, education and other services, and can push people into accepting more dangerous jobs.
This puts them at higher risk of accidents and disability.
People with disabilities are less likely to escape poverty, as their chances to earn a living are limited by stigma, discrimination and a lack of accessible workplaces. To break this cycle, it’s vital for people with disabilities to be empowered and financially independent.
Sightsavers helps people with disabilities to gain this independence by providing vocational training and skills. This opens up new opportunities for work and self-empowerment. We also work with private-sector employers to provide employment opportunities and training, and to change attitudes around disability.
Our goal is to show that people with disabilities can be valued, productive employees and to provide them with sustainable access to work.
Our employment programmes
Formal employment
This programme, part of the Inclusive Futures initiative funded by UK aid, focuses on training people with disabilities in Bangladesh, Nigeria, Kenya and Uganda, and helping them to find formal employment.
IT Bridge Academy
This innovative programme in Kenya offers young jobseekers with disabilities the chance to train and gain hands-on experience in the IT sector, so they can compete on equal terms in the jobs market.
Futuremakers
This global community initiative, in partnership with Standard Chartered, aims to tackle inequality and promote economic inclusion among young people with disabilities to enable them to find employment.
How employment opportunities can change lives
Charles’s story
Charles Ahumuza, who is partially sighted, reveals how Sightsavers’ inclusive employment programme in Uganda has helped him to fulfil his childhood dream of becoming an electrician. Read Charles’s story
Isaac’s story
Mechanic Isaac Bolingo has embraced the opportunity to train young people with disabilities: he has welcomed five interns at his business and is now championing the scheme to other employers. Read Isaac's story
View our employment reports and strategies
Employment resourcesMore about our employment work
We are… training young people with disabilities
We’re working with partners in Kenya to give young people the skills and practical experience they need to begin a career in IT.
Indira Rasoi: a kitchen with a difference
In Rajasthan in northern India, an initiative run by people with disabilities is providing fresh food for the community at low prices.
Why tackling disability discrimination is key to employment projects
As part of our Connecting the Dots project in Uganda, we tested a new way of boosting employment rates by influencing communities, families and businesses to act more positively toward people with disabilities.
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