Our Life, Our Future: Participatory Grantmaking for Disability Justice

In Uganda, people with disabilities grow up facing cultural stigma, discrimination, and abuse. Children and youth with disabilities are frequently kept at home, away from school, their peers, and community life. Young people with disabilities are determined to change this—but without support, they struggle to turn their ideas into action.

In 2023, the Fund for Global Human Rights partnered with Show Abilities Uganda—an organization for and led by young people with disabilities—to launch a participatory grantmaking initiative to support youth-led disability justice in some of Uganda’s most under-served regions. The grant selection panel, composed entirely of young leaders with disabilities, named it the Amaani Fund—meaning “power”—to reflect their strength and ability.

Through the Amaani Fund, the panel selected eight of their peer organizations to receive funding from FGHR. Nearly three years later, these activists are opening new doors for themselves—and their communities.

To learn more about their inspiring journey, watch and share our latest video: Our Life, Our Future: Participatory Grantmaking for Disability Justice.