AUCD Announces New PFP-IDE Alumni International Small Grant Awardees

AUCD and PFP-IDE are excited to announce the recipients of the PFP-IDE Virtual Fellowship Small Grant Awards. The awards provide funding to 2020 alumni of the PFP-IDE Fellowship, who participated in the program virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic and developed inclusive development projects for their home countries with remote guidance and training from U.S. disability experts and previous PFP-IDE alumni. Read more about their award-winning projects below:

Sarah Wang’ombe (Kenya) 

  • Sarah Wang’ombe is a Program Officer at Sightsavers International in Nairobi, Kenya.
  • She will use her small grant award to train disability groups in Kenya on how to engage private businesses and incentivize employers to embrace inclusive employment in their companies.
  • Sarah’s work will help Kenya’s organizations for persons with disabilities become more effective in advancing inclusive employment, leading to increasing employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
  • Sarah will use knowledge from her PFP-IDE Fellowship virtual mentor, Dr. Peter Smith, who leads the Centre for Disability Employment Research and Practice in Melbourne, Australia.

Donald Omingo (Kenya)    

  • Donald Omingo is a Systems Strengthening and Sustainability Advisor at Catholic Relief Services in Migori, rural Kenya.
  • He will map disability services across Migori County, Kenya and create a public directory of resources for the disability community and government.
  • Donald will lead a coalition of government officials, social services providers, and disability organizations as he implements his project.
  • The information about disability services that he collects will increase public awareness about disability needs and resources in his home county.
  • Donald will use knowledge from his PFP-IDE Fellowship virtual mentor, Dr. Macdonald Metzger, of the University of Minnesota Institute for Community Integration.

Jane Kimani (Kenya)   

  • Jane Kimani is the CEO of Pointers Global Consultants Ltd. in Nairobi, Kenya.
  • Her small grant award will support disability mainstreaming of all initiatives at a civic Youth Hub that provides employment and mentorship programs to youth in Nyeri Province, Kenya.
  • The Youth Hub is run by the Archdiocese of Nyeri Catholic Church, 60 miles away from Nairobi. It is the only youth employment hub that serves its county.
  • Jane’s project will ensure that youth with disabilities at the hub have access to employment training, counseling, and guidance.
  • Jane will use knowledge from her PFP-IDE Fellowship virtual mentor, Dr. Peter Smith, who leads the Centre for Disability Employment Research and Practice in Melbourne, Australia.

Midudi Sephan (Tanzania) 

  • Midudi Sephan is a Project Coordinator at the Albinism Inclusion Project (ALINC) in Mwanza, Tanzania. He works in both Kenya and Tanzania.
  • His small grant award will fund a project will deliver soft skills training to youth with disabilities in Geita Region, Tanzania.
  • Midudi will integrate them into inclusive youth learning groups that help them create small savings accounts and achieve independent living.
  • Midudi will use knowledge from his PFP-IDE Fellowship virtual mentor Dr. Jerry Alliston, of the University of Southern Mississippi Institute on Disability Studies.

Aneth Gerana (Tanzania) 

Read about Aneth’s project impact here. 

  • Aneth Gerana is the founder and director of FUWAVITA, an organization that empowers women with disabilities and enables them to become skilled business owners.
  • Her small grant funding will fund an entrepreneurship training initiative for women with disabilities in Dodoma, Tanzania.
  • She will also train women with disabilities on general professional skills, including how to succeed in interviews and manage the finances of a small business.
  • Aneth will also help women with disabilities secure start-up loans from the Tanzanian government, building on her prior work as the leader of FUWAVITA.
  • Aneth has already recruited women with disabilities to participate in professional training initiatives that will enable them to become producers and vendors of diverse products, including food, soap, cosmetics, and others.
  • Aneth will use knowledge from her PFP-IDE Fellowship virtual mentor, Dr. Olivia Raynor, director of the UCLA Tarjan Center.