Empower Kids with Disabilities: Join Our Inspiring Fundraising Campaign Today!
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Tejarat Bank have launched a groundbreaking campaign titled ‘Disability is part of me, not all of me’. This initiative aims to empower children with disabilities in Iran by raising awareness and fostering a more supportive environment. As the campaign kicks off, both organizations reaffirm their commitment to promoting inclusion, accessibility, and equal opportunities for children with disabilities across the nation.
In a press release dated January 30, UNICEF announced that this nationwide fundraising campaign is designed to enhance the lives of children with disabilities. The central messages of the campaign focus on empowerment, dignity, and inclusion, encouraging the public to support this important cause.
Here are some key aspects of the campaign:
- Co-branded Initiatives: The campaign will be visible across all Tejarat Bank branches, ATMs, customer clubs, and digital platforms, making it easy for citizens to contribute to UNICEF’s efforts.
- Collaborative Efforts: UNICEF is partnering with the Iranian government to deliver quality, inclusive education through various initiatives.
UNICEF’s initiatives include:
- Improving Teacher Capacity: Training pre-primary and primary teachers to provide timely interventions for children with disabilities in mainstream schools.
- Expanding Early Detection: Enhancing the coverage and quality of national screening systems for early disability detection and referral.
- Data Collection Methods: Promoting the adoption of disability-inclusive data collection methods at institutional levels.
- Assistive Technologies: Facilitating access to assistive technologies and developing a national assistive technology innovation cluster.
- Employability Skills: Strengthening the capacity of adolescents with disabilities to acquire relevant employability skills.
- Intersectoral Collaboration: Enhancing national collaboration on the rights of children with disabilities.
- Combating Stigma: Implementing social behavioral change initiatives to combat stigma and discrimination.
From 2018 to 2021, UNICEF Iran and Tejarat Bank collaborated on several impactful initiatives, such as:
- Procurement of lightweight nebulizers for children with Cystic Fibrosis (CF).
- Provision of essential water quality equipment for flood-affected populations in Golestan and Khuzestan provinces.
Building on their previous successes, both organizations renewed their partnership in August 2023, committing to enhancing children’s health, education, and well-being over the next three years.
By combining resources and expertise, UNICEF Iran and Tejarat Bank are dedicated to making a lasting, positive impact on the lives of children with disabilities, ensuring they receive the essential care, support, and opportunities they deserve.
In addition to the fundraising campaign, UNICEF has introduced a unique program called ‘Earthquake Preparedness Education for Children with Disabilities’. This program aims to equip various stakeholders, including parents, teachers, and policymakers, with crucial resources.
The program has produced three comprehensive books that focus on disaster management strategies tailored for children with disabilities, specifically those with:
- Hearing impairments
- Mobility impairments
- Autism spectrum disorder
These resources are developed in collaboration with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the International Institute of Earthquake Engineering and Seismology (IIEES). Furthermore, four consultative training workshops were held to provide teachers, social workers, and aid workers with strategies to support children with disabilities before, during, and after earthquakes.
Plans are underway to update these guidebooks to include guidelines for children with vision impairments, expanding the resources to address all types of disabilities. This initiative represents a substantial step towards inclusive earthquake preparedness, ensuring a safer and more resilient future for every child in Iran, regardless of their disabilities.
In September 2024, the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) conducted a training of trainers (TOT) workshop based on UNICEF’s training package on ‘Disability Inclusion for Frontline Workers’. This two-day pilot workshop, held in Tehran, was organized in cooperation with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and took place from September 8 to 9, 2024.
UNICEF’s Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy (DIPAS) for 2022-2030 is guided by the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), and the United Nations Disability Inclusion Strategy (UNDIS).
Through these initiatives and collaborations, UNICEF and Tejarat Bank are paving the way for a more inclusive and supportive environment for children with disabilities in Iran.
