The Centre for Human Rights coordinates a project aimed at promoting disability rights awareness, education and scholarship in Africa.

In addition to the CHR, the following are the partner institutions involved in the project: Midlands State University, Zimbabwe; University of Zambia; Chancellor College Malawi; Eduardo Mondlane, Mozambique; University of Namibia; University of Botswana; University of Dodoma, Tanzania; University of Nairobi, Kenya and Makerere University, Uganda.

The project is funded by Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA) and Open Society Foundations (OSF).

The Disability Rights and Law Schools Project in Africa supports but is not limited to the following activities of the Disability Rights Unit:

• Advanced Human Rights Course: Disability Rights in an African context
  
• Annual Conference on Disability Rights in Africa
  
• African Disability Rights Yearbook

Project Goals

The overall goal of the project is to advance disability rights through higher education. Our objectives are:

To promote knowledge production on and deepen understanding of disability rights through action-oriented and locally relevant research, and through strengthening a network of law faculties on the continent engaged in disability rights curriculum development and clinical legal education;
To promote the education of future disability rights advocates in a manner that equips them with practical skills and inspires them to work on disability rights issues;
To promote policy changes and advocate for the ratification and implementation of legal instruments protecting the rights of persons with disabilities through supporting disability rights advocacy efforts and promoting the inclusion of persons with disabilities within the partner universities;
To establish a close link between the partner universities, their communities and the disability movement through community outreach activities, joint workshops and other partnerships.

Project Teams

Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria

Prof Frans Viljoen – Director, Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria
Prof Charles Ngwena –Professor of Law, Centre for Human Rights; Disability rights teaching, research and supervision
Dr IIze Grobbelaar-du Plessis - Senior Lecturer, Department of Public Law, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria
Mr Jehoshaphat Njau – Disability Rights Project Coordinator
Ms Thuto Hlalele – Special Projects Coordinator, Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria
Ms Innocentia Mgijima-Konopi – Project Coordinator: Disability Rights and Law Schools Programme

Contact person:
Ms Innocentia Mgijima-Konopi
innocentia.mgijima@up.ac.za
Midlands State University, Zimbabwe

Mr Gift Manyatera - Executive Dean and responsible for the overall project implementation
Mr Esau Mandipa – Lecturer, responsible for teaching disability rights curriculum
Mr Batanai T Chokuda– Lecturer, responsible for disability rights clinical legal education
Ms Rosalie Kumbirai Katsande - Lecturer, and Deputy Project Coordinator

Contact person: 
Mr Esau Mandipa
mandipae@msu.ac.zw
University of Zambia

Dr Lungowe Matakala – Assistant Dean Post Graduate; responsible for the overall project implementation
Mr Landilani Banda – Lecturer, responsible for teaching disability rights and for disability rights co-teacher of clinical legal education
Mrs Chipo Mushota Nkhata - Law Clinic Coordinator and co-teacher of clinical legal education

Contact person:
Dr Lungowe Matakala
lungowe.matakala@unza.zm
Chancellor College Malawi

Dr Ngeyi Kanyongolo - Dean, Faculty of Law,responsible for the overall project implementation
Mr P Amuli - Head, Practical Legal Studies Department, Supervisor for the Clinic Coordinator
Mr Chikosa Banda - Head, Foundational Law Department, Supervisor for Disability teaching and research
Mr Timothy Chirwa - Legal Aid Clinic Coordinator
Dr Enoch Chilemba - Lecturer, Disability Law
Ms Hilda Nicole Kaluwa - Disability Rights Clinic Supervisorand responsible for disability rights clinical legal education
Ms Teresa Chome - Clinical Legal Education Course Lecturer
Ms Bernadette Malunga - Lecturer, Curriculum Review and Module Development
Mr Mwiza Nkhata - Associate Professor, Former Dean, overall implementation of the project

Contact person:
Dr. Ngeyi Kanyongolo
ngeyiruthk@yahoo.co.uk
Eduardo Mondlane, Mozambique

Mrs Orquídea Massarongo-Jona - responsible for the overall project implementation
Mr Luis Bitone Nahe- Teaching disability rights
Mrs Nadja Remane Gomes - Disability rights clinical legal education
Ms Lurdes Araújo - Disablity Rights Clinic Supervisor (Legal Aid Clinic)
Ms Celly-Neyda Vallá - Research and Outreach Activities

Contact person:
Mrs Orquídea Massarongo-Jona 
orquideamz@yahoo.com.br
University of Namibia

Prof John Baloro – Dean, Faculty of law, responsible for the overall project implementation
Ms Yvonne Dausab - Deputy Dean, Supervising Attorney Legal Aid Clinic and responsible for the overall project implementation
Dr Nuugwedha Kandali – Research activities (brings a multidisciplinary approach to the project)
Ms Ruusa Ntinda - responsible for teaching disability rights

Contact person:
Prof John Baloro
jbaloro@unam.na
University of Botswana

Mr Tshepiso Ndzinge-Makhamisa – Lecturer, responsible for teaching disability rights curriculum and for the overall project implementation
Mr Emmanuel Moswela - Assistant Coordinator, Manager, Disability Support Unit, teaching and clinical activities

Contact person:
Mr Tshepiso Ndzinge-Makhamisa
ndzinge_makhamisa@yahoo.co.uk
University of Dodoma, Tanzania

Mr Shughuru, Peter Josiah - Assistant Lecturer, responsible for teaching disability rights curriculum and for the overall project implementation
Mr Njiti, Lucius Batty - Assistant Lecturer, responsible for teaching disability rights curriculum
Dr Abdallah Possi – Lecturer, Disability rights research

Contact person:
Mr Shughuru, Peter Josiah
shughurupeter@yahoo.com
University of Nairobi, Kenya

Contact person: 
Ms Agnes Meroka
agi.meroka@gmail.com
Makerere University, Uganda

Dr Christopher Mbazira
Ms Patricia Odong’

Contact person:
Ms Patricia Odong’
patricia.odong@gmail.com

Disability Rights Clinics

Clinics at the partner institutions are in various stages of development.

Midlands State University, Zimbabwe

The Midlands State University clinic is a disability-specific clinic for which students volunteer in their fifth and final year of undergraduate education. The clinic works on a mix of individual advice and referral matters; currently, the clinic is handling a public interest matter before the Constitutional Court. The Clinic specifically targets matters on the right to legal capacity, access to justice, the right to independent living, the right to education and the right to political participation. An average of 10 cases are handled per semester.

Chancellor College, Malawi

The Clinic handles cases relating to violations of rights of persons with disabilities including the right to education; health and food, right to own property e.g. land, discrimination, access to basic essentials, the denial of legal personality to persons with disabilities amongst others. The clinic has also assisted women with disabilities to ensure that they return custody of their children. Since, its inception in 2012, the Disability rights clinic has offered legal advice to persons with disabilities on the said violation and a few cases have been taken to court. The Clinic has a drop-in community centre where meetings with clients take place every Fridays at 2 pm. In a semester, the Clinic assists about 100 people and case files can be accessed from the Clinic offices.

In 2014, the Clinic narrowed down its focus and worked on violations relating to the denial of the right to legal capacity.

Eduardo Mondlane, Mozambique

At Eduardo Mondlane, disability rights related cases are part of the law clinic’s case load. Students at the university can appear in court on behalf of clients.

University of Namibia

The University of Namibia legal aid clinic is part of the LLB final year curriculum. The disability component of the course was introduced in 2014 as part of the community engagement activity. There were approximately 97 students registered for the 2014 academic year. The students are divided into groups of between 10-15 students called firms. Each firm is allocated four hours a week to attend on clinical work which includes consultations with client, file management and the community impact project. During 2014 there were two groups that engaged the communities on disability rights related issues.