Southern Africa Federation of the Disabled (SAFOD)
The problem
Prior to the UNICEF-funded #IYV project, SAFOD had trained young people with disabilities to use digital tools, mainly website blogging using WordPress. The Project had been funded by the Norwegian Federation of Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (FFO) and the training workshops were implemented in partnership with South Africa-based THISABILITY Newspaper.
However, the training programme did not work well. Trained youths and their organisations lacked money, devices and skills to keep using what they had learned.
Before designing the new #IYV project, SAFOD needed to understand this gap. It needed to know how young people with disabilities and their organisations already used social media, and what stopped them using it well.
The solution
SAFOD launched #IYV with UNICEF, piloted in five countries: Botswana, Namibia, Mozambique, Zambia and Malawi. The project gives children and young people with disabilities a platform to use social media and other online tools, so they can advocate for disability rights within youth and children’s policies across the region.
Before any training took place, SAFOD ran an assessment built around two methods.
- One-on-one interviews with 100 young people with disabilities, 20 each from Botswana, Malawi, Zambia and Namibia.
- Focus group discussions with organisations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) in all five countries, including Mozambique.
What my team and I achieved
Survey design and consent
Built a survey tool covering disability type, social media use, time spent online, followers, engagement, and training needs. Got informed consent from every participant before each interview.
Data collection
Ran one-on-one interviews and focus group discussions across the five countries, working with national federations including BOFOD, NFPDN, FAMOD, FEDOMA and ZAFOD.
Data analysis
Analysed the data. Found that over half of participants used Facebook more than any other platform, with WhatsApp, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok making up the rest. Most OPDs measured their own success by counting likes, comments and shares, rather than tracking it in any formal way.
Report and recommendations
Wrote up the findings into a report with 14 recommendations. These covered training on other platforms, growing followers safely, and giving OPDs better access to devices, data and IT skills.
