The Kesho Trust has three specific priorities:
Throughout our work we are cognizant of some important opportunities that we as an organization can take up to enrich the work we undertake and to demonstrate effectiveness in our development activity.
Sharing experience:
The Kesho Trust – given our geographic scope on different continents, countries and regions – recognizes the immense value of cross-cultural sharing of information and experience. We actively promote experience sharing in ways that can contribute to this cross fertilization – either through media or personal engagement. We believe that collaboration of this sort can make a significant contribution to local people and their capacity to make a difference in their own communities.
Disability inclusiveness:
The Kesho Trust is aware that reaching those who are the most disadvantaged in society means working with disabled people. We are also cognizant of the responsibilities of nation states who are signatories to the 2006 UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities [which includes Canada and Tanzania], and by extension development NGOs like us, who committed to include disabled people in development programs. Thus we are making efforts to ensure our work is accessible to everyone. We have a commitment to work in an inclusive way, and are developing the skills and tools necessary to accomplish that.
We use a social/rights based approach to disability, focusing on the barriers within society that exclude persons with disabilities rather than on their individual impairments. Reducing barriers to information and services means focusing on such actions as:
We are also mindful of the need to work with people with disabilities, not on their behalf, which means developing a respectful and informed relationship with representative groups of people with disabilities – Disabled People’s Organization [DPO] – and their members. The most effective way to ensure any development activity is inclusive is to work directly with persons with disabilities.