Unlock Independence

Supporting disabled women entrepreneurs in Cambodia.

Vannet leads the Women with Disabilities Group in Kampong Cham, Cambodia. The group meets regularly to offer support and advice to each other and share practical resources. Before Vannet established the group, its members were isolated, dependant on others and experiencing a lot of discrimination in their community. Through the group she has created a safe space for them to share their experiences and access support.

Although the group has achieved so much, many of its members have experienced discrimination when applying for jobs. This has meant they have no income of their own, leaving them dependent on others. But they have a plan.

I want women with disability to be more independent and able to earn their own money and decide about their own lives. When we are dependent on others we cannot live freely, we cannot be independent, and we experience a lot of discrimination.
Vannet.

Vannet and the disabled women in her group want to set up their own independent businesses, to earn an independent income and be free. Vannet has organised training for the group, to learn about running a business and managing finances. Now, they just need money to set up their businesses.

In the past, the group has managed to apply for small grants, but they always come with conditions. The funder tells the group which activities they should do, meaning they can’t use the money for what they need most. She told us:

While these activities can benefit people with disability in some ways, for example by raising awareness about our rights, it is not responding to the real needs of women with disability. What I can notice and observe is that they really need to generate income by themselves to live independently.
Vannet

When you donate to ADD, we let disability justice leaders like Vannet decide how money should be spent, according to what they know is most urgent, and what will make the most difference. Vannet has identified the urgent need for financial independence. She knows how to resolve this, and it’s up to her to say how the group will go about this.

Vannet has developed a strong group who support each other like a family. They have made real change in their community, tackling stigma and reducing the discrimination they face, but there is still a long way to go until they can participate fully in society, and thrive. Because they are excluded from employment, a big part of this is financial independence. They have a clear plan for how to set up small enterprises, and have been trained in how to run a
business, manage their finances and save money effectively.

But they need money to start up their initiatives.

Disability Justice Leaders take the lead.

In May we launched our Unlock Independence appeal, to support leaders like Vannet. ADD supporters responded generously, helping to raise £30,000 to support disability justice advocates in Cambodia to start their own businesses to earn an independent income. Excluded from mainstream employment, they had developed innovative business ideas to earn money but needed funding to make these a reality.

Since then, Vannet, together with other disability justice advocates have met
to decide how the funding should be spent, and how to fund the brilliant ideas of activists. Vannet told us:

“In the past, I used to receive some funding support that had requirements for the activities according to the donors. For this workshop, I am very happy as I designed the plan myself to respond to the challenges and needs of women
with disabilities in the community.”

I feel that this approach is really shifting the power to women with disabilities and has also enhanced my skills and new knowledge related to how to develop planning and implement the activities more effectively in the communities.
Vannet

We are excited to keep you updated as these plans develop.

BBC Radio 4.

We’re so pleased that our appeal to support disabled women entrepreneurs in Cambodia was broadcast on BBC Radio 4.

Our appeal broadcast was read by Shani Dhanda, a multi-award-winning changemaker who is passionate about supporting disability justice. Last year, she was voted the UK’s most influential disabled person.

What I really like about ADD International’s work is that they trust and support disabled people to find the solutions that they need and work for them.
Shani Dhanda