Building Inclusive Localization Through OPD Agency in South Sudan

From 27th to 30th April 2026, the LNOB team conducted a four-day capacity strengthening training on Inclusive Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (iWASH) and Inclusive Humanitarian Coordination in Juba, for representatives of Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs). The training brought together 16 OPD leaders, drawn from eleven OPDs.

The training focused on equipping OPD leaders with practical understanding of inclusive WASH tool sets, as well as inclusive coordination, emphasizing the importance of meaningful participation of OPDs and their roles in humanitarian coordination mechanism to ensure inclusive humanitarian response.

Building Expertise in Disability-Inclusive WASH and Humanitarian Coordination

The training strengthened the capacity of OPDs to utilize and take full ownership of the tools to effectively advocate for and promote disability-inclusion within WASH and humanitarian programmes. Participants were not only introduced to key concepts of disability-inclusion, barriers faced by persons with disabilities in accessing WASH services, Must Do Actions and twin-track approach for ensuring accessible, safe, and dignified WASH interventions during humanitarian emergencies, but also inclusive humanitarian coordination, highlighting the roles and responsibilities of OPDs in coordination platforms, advocacy, resource mobilization, and engagement with humanitarian stakeholders. Participants gained practical skills on effective representation, evidence-based advocacy, and collaboration with humanitarian clusters and partners to ensure the voices of persons with disabilities are reflected in humanitarian decision-making processes.

Long-Term Impact

Continuous capacity-strengthening of OPDs on sector specific knowledge like inclusive WASH as well as inclusive coordination will ultimately result in meaningful participation of OPDs in humanitarian coordination and long-term disability-inclusive responses.

Speaking during the closing remarks, the representative from South Sudan Union of Persons with Disabilities (SSUPD) “We are really thrilled with this training and would like to appreciate HI for empowering the capacity of OPDs. I, therefore, request the participants to cascade this knowledge to their members, other OPDs and the humanitarian partners to ensure access to humanitarian services”

This initiative marks another important step toward building resilient and inclusive localization where persons with disabilities are empowered, and their rights to basic services are upheld, and able to meaningfully participate at all levels.

Text by: Obale Musa William, Project Manager, South Sudan