Building the power, skills, and confidence of women and girls with disabilities lies at the heart of DIWA’s mission. Through our Capacity Development Program, we strengthen leadership, advocacy, and institutional capacity within national networks, member organizations, and grassroots movements of women with disabilities across Africa.

This program focuses on developing the next generation of inclusive leaders who can influence policy, drive social change, and ensure that women with disabilities are fully represented in decision-making spaces, from the community to the continental level.

Our capacity development work includes leadership and advocacy training, mentorship programs, organizational strengthening for women-led organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs), and peer learning exchanges across regions. Each initiative is designed to promote intergenerational leadership, inclusive governance, and sustainable movement-building.

Through this program, DIWA has trained and mentored hundreds of women leaders across 22 African countries, empowering them to take up leadership roles, participate in regional advocacy processes, and influence policies that promote equality and justice.

This program is implemented through collaboration with strategic partners, including the African Disability Forum (ADF), UN Trust Fund, COVAW, Sonke Gender Justice, and Inclusion Africa, ensuring that capacity development is context-driven, inclusive, and grounded in lived experience.