SPARK - Inclusive Rural Transformation
Light for the World has formed a consortium with the International Labour Organisation and Procasur to support IFAD on achieving Disability Inclusive Rural Transformation through the SPARK program.
Persons with disabilities - IFAD
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1.3 billion
persons with disabilities worldwide
persons with disabilities worldwide
40%
of IFAD project households include at least one person with a disability
of IFAD project households include at least one person with a disability
7
IFAD projects specifically targeting persons with disabilities
IFAD projects specifically targeting persons with disabilities
?IFAD/Andrew Esiebo
Removing structural barriers and guaranteeing equal opportunities empowers persons with disabilities to thrive and contribute invaluably to households, communities and economies.
Context
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One in six people lives with a significant disability – nearly 80 per cent of whom are in low- and middle-income countries. Despite being the world’s largest minority, persons with disabilities continue to face social and structural barriers that limit their ability to exercise their human rights and to access opportunities that would allow them to flourish.
A disability arises when an impairment – whether physical, mental, intellectual or sensory – interacts with external barriers that restrict participation in daily life. These barriers can be physical, such as inaccessible infrastructure, or societal, such as discrimination and a lack of supportive services. As a result, persons with disabilities often struggle to access inclusive education, employment, healthcare and social protection, preventing them from fully participating in society and the economy.
The severe discrimination that persons with disabilities face denies them their human rights and reinforces poverty, food insecurity, malnutrition, climate vulnerability and exposure to violence. Multiple intersecting forms of discrimination – based on gender, age, ethnicity and other factors – further exacerbate their marginalization. Those in rural areas face particular barriers, being less likely to attend school, receive health care or access employment and training opportunities.
Despite such enormous challenges, persons with disabilities are often overlooked in rural development strategies and programmes. Their exclusion from decision-making in households, communities, institutions and government perpetuates disparities and limits progress toward a more inclusive society.
Opportunities
When given equal opportunities, persons with disabilities can drive sustainable development, making invaluable contributions to their households and communities. We must remove the barriers that prevent them from fully participating and thriving.
To do this, persons with disabilities should be explicitly recognised as a distinct target group in rural development policies and programmes. Approaches should meet their specific needs, interests and rights. Collecting and analysing disaggregated data is crucial to understanding what these factors are, as well as ensuring more efficient and equitable planning and provision of support.
In fact, rural transformation can only reduce poverty and strengthen resilience while upholding human rights if it is inclusive. Without fully including persons with disabilities in all that we do, achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will not be possible.
By mainstreaming disability across development programs, we can support persons with disabilities as they work to build accessible and inclusive rural societies where everyone has the opportunity to contribute – and thrive.
What IFAD does
The Disability Inclusion Strategy 2022–2027 is IFAD's main guiding framework for promoting the rights and equitable participation of persons with disabilities across all aspects of IFAD’s work.
IFAD’s approach focuses on two primary outcomes:
- Increasing disability-inclusive programming in IFAD-supported projects.
- Establishing IFAD as an organization that values and promotes diversity and inclusion.
Between 2021 and 2024, the IFAD-funded Sparking Disability Inclusive Rural Transformation (SPARK) grant successfully embedded disability inclusion across IFAD-funded projects in Burkina Faso, India, Malawi and Mozambique, directly empowering over 7,000 persons with disabilities in rural economies. SPARK developed and tested innovative approaches to inclusive programming, while building the capacity of IFAD staff, organizations of persons with disabilities and government counterparts. Achievements include:
- 84 Disability Inclusion Facilitators (36 women and 48 men) trained, subsequently delivering 1,646 professional services to 65,821 stakeholders, including awareness sessions, accessibility audits, inclusive programming seminars, employability trainings and district authority meetings.
- 5 capacity-building Learning Routes implemented across four countries, driving attitudinal and behavioural change among project teams and stakeholders.
- 14 prototypes emerged from SPARK’s Social Innovation and AgriLab processes, including adapted agricultural tools for inclusive farming.
- The SPARK Helpdesk reached over 4,800 users, providing tailored expert information on disability inclusion in rural development to individuals and organizations across the world.
As of 2025, IFAD has seven ongoing projects specifically targeting persons with disabilities, and we are committed to designing at least five more before 2028.
IFAD is also creating a disability-inclusive working environment for all its staff in line with the UN Disability Strategy (UNDIS), which IFAD reports on annually. In 2024, IFAD met or exceeded 11 out of 15 UNDIS performance indicators, demonstrating strong commitment to advancing disability inclusion and enhanced performance over time. Mainstreaming disability inclusion is a shared responsibility for all IFAD staff, who learn the key steps to integrating disability considerations into project design through a dedicated online course.
Experts
Valentina Franchi
Senior Technical Specialist, Gender and Social Inclusion
[email protected]Keep exploring
