The project Inclusion is Our Business is addressing the barriers that youth with disabilities face when trying to enter the job market and build a world of work that is more disability-inclusive. This is done through training employers and mainstream organisations to understand the concept of disability and support them in including persons with disabilities in their workplaces and programmes. This includes how to make reasonable adjustments in the workplace, to raise awareness on inclusion needs of persons with different types of impairments, as well as tips on communication, connecting youths with disabilities to internship opportunities to provide them with necessary exposure and increase their employment chances.

The project is designed and implemented by a small group of young persons with different types of impairments trained and equipped with knowledge and skills on disability inclusion, job coaching skills and inclusive programming through training of trainers. They reach out to young job seekers with disabilities, potential employers and livelihood organisation.

SHIVYAWATA imagines a society that empowers persons with disabilities (PWDs) by upholding human rights, a barrier-free environment and an inclusive society for all people of Tanzania.  Their project assisted in moving the needle closer to the Tanzania they envision by demonstrating that disability is not an inability.  

During the project launch event, 23 youth-led organisations and youth-related organisations participated. The event’s objective was to raise awareness about the project and bring attention to youth-led organisations of the existence of youth living with disabilities in the country and their representative organisations. The launch event also aimed to increase opportunities for youth with disabilities with youth-led organisations and youth-related organisations. As a result of the launch event, 200 youth with disabilities have participated in various events organised by the invited 23 organisations from the launch event. Action Aid invited 50 youth with disabilities to a leadership training session in Mbeya; The International Youth Foundation (IYF) hosted events in Dar es Salaam, Dodoma and Mtwara. IYF invited ten youth with disabilities from each region to participate. The Tanzania Youth Coalition conduct training for 30 youth with disabilities on participation political during the 2020 general.   Restless Development hired three young women with disabilities in Mbeya, Dodoma and Dar es Salaam and have supported SHIVYAWATA financially with TSH 16,400,000 to run an inclusive election campaign. The other organisations include Foundation for Civil Society, Her Ability, My Right Sweden, Comprehensive Community Based Rehabilitation in Tanzania (CCBRT), Baba na Watoto Foundation, to mention a few. 

SHIVYAWATA trained four mainstream organisations and one employer organisation on disability inclusion. As a result of the training, four of the organisations adopted inclusive workplace policies and are reformulating their policies to be inclusive of PWDs. Two organisations are interested in running an inclusive project in partnership with the SHIVYAWATA youth wing. In addition, two organisations have recruited two PWDs and ensured that they created a work environment that caters to their needs.  

The project also successfully trained four youth with disabilities (3 young male and 1 young female) have been trained to conduct inclusive awareness training, events and workshop. In addition, ten youth with disabilities were placed in internship positions in different organisations, including the government. A total of seven organisations hosted the interns. They provided the interns with valuable knowledge, and the seven organisations experience working with people with disabilities. 

The project has set the foundation for different organisations to reformulate their policies to be disability-inclusive such as Restless Development, Young and Alive and Tanzania Youth Coalition who are formulating a youth exchange program policy to accommodate people with disabilities. In the future, SHIVYAWATA will continue to work to ensure people with disability are considered by all organisations and companies, both from the private and public sectors.