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.
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.
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.
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:
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:
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.
Senior Technical Specialist, Gender and Social Inclusion
[email protected]