Mauritius, EDYCS Epilepsy Group – The ARADI Project

The ARADI Project is a continental disability-oriented strategy that is funded by the EU and CBM to enable 13 PAN African Disability Federations and 14 Youth CSOs to promote the importance of disability rights using AU’s African disability protocol (ADP) and the Model Disability Law (MDL).

Edycs Epilepsy Group’s mission is to support research that will help to better understand the causes of epilepsy, improve care, treat its effects more effectively and develop any action that promotes the social integration of people with epilepsy in order to achieve a better quality of life. It aims to raise public awareness as well as the social partners on the issue of epilepsy, to work in close collaboration with the bodies concerned by the disease, to develop any joint action aimed at the social and medical integration of epileptics, to mobilize the necessary resources and expertise to better fight epilepsy locally and internationally.

Edycs objective is to support CSO’s increased participation and contribution to African continental decision, policy making and standard setting

The programme has been held as followed:

• First workshop – Discussed an overview of the proposed protocol.
• Engaged in consultations with African Embassies.
• The support of AGO including NHRC on ADA and Model Disability Law – High level Meetings.
• Several workshops of ADA targeting different sectors supported by the Ministry of Gender Equality, Child Development and Family Welfare and the PMO.
• The engagement of the Ministry of Youth and Sports – Youth Employment in line with the protocol – Business Mauritius, Public and Private sectors involvement
• Multi stakeholders workshop

In all, there are 297 beneficiaries and the allocated budget for the project is RS 2 million.

The results of the project are being measured through weekly and monthly PIC meeting, monthly report sent to the managing board of EDYCS, CBM and EU, regular communication lines established with ADA and daily monitoring.

Challenge 1: Many articles in the UN Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities do not suit Mauritius and in the African countries.

Challenge 2: Organizations in the African Continent have to lobby their governments and get the protocol endorsed

Challenge 3: It is considered as a challenging task to bring stakeholders around one table (Ministries, NGOs, Cross sectoral institutions).

EDYCS is getting the support from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Ministry of Justice and other Ministries towards Ratification of the Protocol. Once the protocol will be ratified or approved, Governments will work on a Model Disability Law and set up National Action Plan and Budget.