TDOU works across five interconnected areas to advance the rights and inclusion of persons with disabilities in Tigray. Each area is grounded in the UNCRPD and implemented through coordination with member OPDs, partners, and government institutions.
Human Rights and Transitional Justice
TDOU supports the participation of persons with disabilities in human rights, peacebuilding, and transitional justice processes. This includes strengthening local CSOs and OPDs to engage in transitional justice and advocating for disability-disaggregated documentation of conflict-related violations and experiences.
As the Regional Co-Chair of the National CSO–Ethiopian Human Rights Commission Coordination Platform, TDOU plays a direct role in shaping how human rights are monitored and reported at the regional level.
- Training grassroots disability advocates and CSOs on transitional justice processes
- Advocating for disability-disaggregated documentation of conflict-related violations
- Representing OPDs at national EHRC coordination meetings
- Engaging government and civil society on disability-inclusive human rights
IDP Protection and Humanitarian Inclusion
Supported by the Disability Rights Fund (DRF), TDOU is currently executing a flagship project addressing the systemic exclusion of persons with disabilities within IDP centers across post-conflict Tigray. Following the conflict, disabled persons were frequently overlooked in emergency distributions and protection services. TDOU serves as the prime field-level monitoring agent — actively tracking and addressing the compounding socioeconomic crises of disabled persons enduring harsh conditions inside IDP centers.
- Field-level monitoring of conditions facing disabled persons in IDP centers
- Advocating for inclusion in emergency distributions and protection services
- Coordinating with humanitarian actors on disability-inclusive response
- Raising protection concerns with relevant agencies and coordination bodies
TDOU’s performance on the DRF project has been so impactful that DRF has nominated the Union as a Partner Candidate for the NORAD Global Fund — a recognition of TDOU’s institutional integrity, financial transparency, and capacity to manage large-scale, multi-year international grants.
OPD Capacity Building
TDOU’s backbone role is building the institutional capacity of its member organizations so they can firmly advocate for the rights of the persons they represent. With funding from DRF, TDOU conducted a full Organizational Capacity Assessment across all 15 member OPDs — establishing a baseline of organizational strength and identifying targeted areas for development across the network.
- Organizational Capacity Assessment completed for all 15 member OPDs
- Leadership and organizational management training
- UNCRPD awareness and rights-based programming support
- National electoral law and civic participation training
- Human rights and transitional justice capacity building
Our 15 Member OPDs
TDOU’s member organizations represent the full spectrum of disability across Tigray:
- Tigray Women with Disability Association (TWDA)
- New Horizon for Disability Development (NHDD)
- Leprosy Association
- Deaf Association
- Ethiopian National Association of the Blind — Mekelle Branch (ENAB)
- Physical Disability Association of Tigray
- Yes We Can
- Nabay Autism Center
- SEN Ethiopia
- Bright Future
- Senay Tegbar Mental Illness Association
- ROADW
- AKABE Intellectual Disability Association
- Bruh Tesfa for the Disability
- Egbet Intellectual Disability Association
Inclusive Livelihoods and Services
TDOU promotes disability inclusion in livelihood programs, vocational training, microfinance, education, health, psychosocial support, and community services.
- Promoting access to vocational skills training for persons with disabilities
- Supporting access to microfinance and savings groups
- Advancing disability inclusion in education and health service delivery
- Coordinating psychosocial support and community-based services
Strategic Partnerships
TDOU operates on the principle of “Nothing About Us Without Us.” Every partnership is built on this foundation — ensuring persons with disabilities are not objects of development but agents of it.
Disability Rights Fund & Disability Rights Advocacy Fund (DRF/DRAF)
DRF is TDOU’s primary international funder, supporting both the active IDP protection project and the Organizational Capacity Assessment conducted across all 15 member OPDs. DRF’s confidence in TDOU’s work has led to the Union being nominated as a Partner Candidate for the NORAD Global Fund — one of the most significant institutional endorsements TDOU has received.
Verify on DRF Grants Directory →
European Union Civil Society Fund Plus (EU CSF+) & Christian Aid
TDOU is a current implementing partner of the EU Civil Society Fund Plus, and serves as co-implementer alongside Christian Aid in delivering disability-inclusive civil society programming across Tigray. This is not a sub-grant relationship — TDOU is an equal partner in programme design and implementation.
Verify on IATI Datastore →Ethiopian Human Rights Commission — CSO Coordination Platform
TDOU has been elected as Regional Co-Chair of the National CSO–EHRC Coordination Platform, placing the Union at the centre of how human rights are monitored and reported across Tigray.
Ethiopian Center for Disability and Development (ECDD)
Through this partnership, TDOU advances disability mainstreaming in livelihoods, vocational training, and microfinance — moving persons with disabilities from humanitarian dependency toward economic self-reliance.
Work with TDOU
Partner with TDOU to advance disability rights, inclusive services, and meaningful participation across Tigray.