Partners: Light for the World, Africa Disability Forum (ADF), Crosswise Works (CWW), Federation of Disability Organizations in Ghana, Nigeria, and Senegal
Period: 2023 – 2025
Country of Operation: Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal
Category: Youth Welfare
Project Snapshot
“We Can Work” is an eight-year flagship initiative led by Light for the World in partnership with key organizations including ADF and CWW, aimed at promoting inclusive development and economic empowerment for youth with disabilities in East and West Africa. The program targets 1,640 youth with disabilities across Ghana, Nigeria, and Senegal, focusing on capacity-building, skills development, and sustainable livelihood pathways.
Project Objectives
The main objectives of the project include:
- Promote inclusive economic empowerment for youth with disabilities.
- Provide demand-driven skills development and job readiness training.
- Build the capacity of stakeholders and institutions to support inclusive employment.
- Generate data and evidence to inform policy and practice on youth disability inclusion.
PDA’s Task
PDA is responsible for leading the baseline assessment of the program in West Africa (Ghana, Nigeria, and Senegal). This includes designing data collection tools, conducting surveys, facilitating stakeholder engagements, and producing analytical reports to guide the program’s implementation strategy and evaluate its impact.
How We Went About It
- Inception Phase: We collaborated with B&M Consult (leading in East Africa) to co-develop an inception report that aligned baseline activities across the program’s geographies.
- Tool Design: PDA developed tailored data collection tools and an analysis framework to capture relevant quantitative and qualitative data.
- Field Research: We conducted large-scale baseline surveys targeting over 1,600 young persons with disabilities across Ghana, Nigeria, and Senegal.
- Stakeholder Engagement: Validation workshops was organized by PDA, in Ghana and Nigeria with key partners, including representatives of national disability federations, to ensure accuracy, ownership, and contextual relevance.
- Data Analysis & Reporting: PDA analyzed the data to produce insights that will inform program adaptations, ongoing monitoring, and future impact assessments.