Ashar Namatovu is a self-advocate and the founder of Naffe Tusobola, a disability rights group in Kampala, Uganda. As a business leader with a disability, Ashar is a champion for self-advocacy and promoting inclusive employment, especially in the private sector.

Ashar has an impressive track record of promoting inclusive hiring and accessibility at her previous company and is keenly aware of how private businesses can improve their own output and public attitudes by being more inclusive toward people with disabilities She is highly skilled and experienced at managing finances in difficult conditions, promoting business ventures through social media, and training talented emerging leaders whose potential may be unappreciated elsewhere. She has also helped connect the Ugandan disability community during the COVID-19 pandemic, having coordinated many webinars and live remote national events that bring self-advocates, doctors, educators, policymakers, and other specialists together to raise awareness about people with disabilities’ exclusion and needs for health, education, and employment.

Project Idea

Ashar took part in the 2020 Virtual Fellowship and designed a campaign to promote soft skills job training and inclusive employment advocacy for persons with disabilities. In 2021, she created a grassroots initiative to share vital information about COVID-19 for and with Ugandans with disabilities, and helped many people stay connected and aware of how to advocate for themselves and access essential resources during lockdowns and exclusion from government response programs. After completing her Fellowship, she received a prestigious grant from the Open Society Initiative for Eastern Africa (OSIEA) to lead an initiative that will promote inclusive employment to the Ugandan Parliament, private sector businesses, and the public through social media, public advocacy, and direct meetings.