Berhan Lehetsanat
Berhan Lehetsanat (BL) is an Ethiopian Residence Charity organization established in December 1997 and re-registered at Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Authority for Civil Society Organizations as an Ethiopia Residence Charity Organization with Certificate No. 0123 under the Proclamation No. 1113/2019.
Berhan Lehetsanat is Presently Working in one City Administration and Five Regional States; namely Addis Ababa City Administration (Lideta Sub city); Oromia regional state (Bishoftu and Ada’a woreda); Central Ethiopia (Hadya Woreda); Sidama regional State (Hawassa Town); Amhara Regional state (Chilga Woreda, Dessie and Haike towns) in addition to these BL has also engaged in EiE projects in 9 woredas of Amhara regional state and Afar Regional State. Currently BL is engaged in ad resining the interwoven problems of 5570 children with disabilities, families of children with disabilities through community Based Rehabilitation strategy.
BL is governed by board of directors with 13 members (9 Female and 4 Male) that oversees its works. Its day-to-day operations are run by a Secretariat headed by the Executive Director. The Secretariat consists of 73 (35 female and 38 male) staff members. Furthermore, the Organization has all the necessary organizational systems and procedures in place in order to manage its human, financial and material resources.
- BL aspires to see Children with Disabilities & Other Vulnerable Children are included & empowered.
- BL strives for the inclusion & empowerment of Children with Disabilities, other Vulnerable Children with a special focus on Girls & their Parents/Guardians through comprehensive prevention & rehabilitation community development interventions.
Thematic Focus of the Organization
- Prevention of Child disability and vulnerability
- Rehabilitation of children with disabilities and other VCs
- inclusive education
- Livelihood empowerment for parents of CwDs and youth with disabilities
- Safeguarding and protection
BL Promotes CBR as a strategy for rehabilitation, access to education, social inclusion, sustainability, etc for children with disabilities in collaboration with different stakeholders such as education sector offices, social affairs offices, heath offices (mainly with Health Extension Workers), hospitals, Project Support Committee (parents and prominent persons), OPDs and CSOs with similar nature. All the involved stakeholders owned the endeavor and its result to sustain.
BL has created and developed awareness aimed at avoiding discrimination among the society and encourages the community and local authorities to recognize that CwDs can learn the needs for and benefit of educating children with disabilities in the local schools and take the responsibility of promoting and supporting inclusion. The public awareness created, developed and encouraged parents to send their children to nearby schools. Made the community to better understand about disability and began supporting the inclusive education efforts.
BL also promotes the importance of access to education for CwDs. This was made through multiple trainings on Special Needs and Inclusive education for teachers, parents, school principals, school supervisors and education personnel to well understand the special needs and diversity of children with disabilities and the possible remedies so that the trainees would facilitate and realize inclusive education in the mainstream schools. In addition, parents of CwDs were trained to make the home environment supportive, encouraging and to have faith in their children. The current projects are supported by Lilianfonds/CSE, CRVPF, Interpedia, DDP, LFTW and ADA/UNICEF.