United Nations Civil Society Participation – Activities

Welcome to the United Nations. It's your world.

English
French

NGO Branch
About us
Contact us
ECOSOC Status
Introduction
Applying for Status
Committee on NGOs
NGO Response System
NGO Participation
UN Grounds Pass
Functional Commissions
High Level Segment
Calendar of Events
Conference Registration
Quadrennial Reports

Quadrennial Reports
Quadrennial report due? Read more on our updated page. Click here »

Youth with Disabilities Empowerment Platform

View Activities

Areas of expertise & Fields of activity:	Social Development: Disabled persons Employment Youth Sustainable Development: Agriculture Education Information for decision-making and participation International law
Geographic scope:	Regional Africa
Country of activity:	Mauritius
Millennium Development Goals:	Achieve universal primary education Promote gender equality and empower women
Mission statement:	The Youth with Disabilities Empowerment Platform ('YWDEP') in a non-profit and fully inclusive NGO based in Mauritius, which advocates for the rights and effective inclusion of persons with disabilities. The YWDEP is based on the human rights model of disability, as opposed to the majority of NGOs in Mauritius, which still follow the medical approach to disability. Our mission is to improve the quality of lives of children, youngsters and adults with disabilities in Mauritius and to promote their inherent right to be accepted and included as valued and equal members of their communities. We also aim at providing persons with disabilities with the necessary support and empowerment in view of providing them with employment opportunities and to promote their right to live independently. To achieve our goals we: 1) Provide training classes and courses to our members in order to empower them to become small entrepreneurs. Our classes include entrepreneurship trainings, baking and cooking classes, handicraft classes, and trainings in agriculture. 2) Organize regular empowerments trainings, workshops and social events based on the rights of persons with disabilities; 3) Regularly raise awareness on the situation of persons with disabilities and their rights; 4) Provide information, support and resources to Youth with Disabilities, their families and carers; 5) Support, empower and provide free advice to parents of children with disabilities; 6) Promote the rights of persons with disabilities, through the provision of health services and social participation, education, employment and justice; 7) Help Persons with Disabilities reach their full potential by coaching and guiding them to become self-advocates and leaders; 8) Encourage parents in their fight for the right to an inclusive education for their children. In 2021, we opened a training centre which seeks to provide employment opportunities to our members , as well as to train and empower them to become small entrepreneurs. We believe that in Mauritius, persons with disabilities are not provided with opportunities to reach their full potential. This is because the majority of them still attend special education needs schools, where they are excluded from society, the moreso because they are required to leave school at the age of 20. They are then left to fend for themselves, under the responsibility of their parents. Having not been taught basic reading, writing and numeracy skills in special education needs schools, they cannot look for work or live independently. The YWDEP seeks to change this paradigm by empowering its members to develop other skills which can provide them with new opportunities.
Year established:	2018
Year of registration:	2018
Organizational structure:	1) Managing Committee consisting of a President, Vice President, Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer, Secretary, Assistant Secretary and one Executive Member. 2) Auditor 3) Director, appointed by the Managing Committee 4) Project Manager, appointed by the Managing Committee 5) Public Relations Officer, appointed by the Managing Committee. 6) Such other officer, as may be appointed by the Managing Committee 7) Members and beneficiaries.
Number and type of members:	Total = 100 Type: Persons with disabilities, together with their parents. Include persons with physical disabilities, person with intellectual disabilities, persons on the autism spectrum, persons with Down syndrome, persons with psychosocial disabilities, the deaf, persons with visual impairments, amongst others.
Affiliation with NGO networks:	Commonwealth Disabled People's Forum; African Disability Forum; Inclusion Africa; Commonwealth Children and Youth Disability Network (CCYDN); Eco Sud (Mauritius); National Children's Council of Mauritius; MOL Charitable Trust.
Funding structure:	Membership fees or dues Funds from other Non-Governmental Organizations Donations and grants from domestic sources Fundraising campaigns

Previous

Next

Contact NGO Branch
Questions on applications, reports, or other inquiries Click here »

Online Application
Applying for ECOSOC Consultative Status? Click here »

UN Grounds Pass
Obtaining a UN Grounds Pass Click here »

Conference Registration
Registering for a UN Conference? Click here »