Enabling Fridays Community Nepal

Overview

We believe that now is the time to examine where more localized product and service innovation could unlock more sustainable and resilient AT ecosystem infrastructure in Nepal. We believe there is an opportunity to create better connections between the AT community and local manufacturers, with both newer digital and traditional fabrication expertise to enable sustainable technology transfer and promote innovation.

The Enabling Fridays Community Nepal want to bring together local and global expertise working in the AT sector to identify routes that would unlock local innovation, and improve current gaps in service. We have convened our initial stakeholder group over 3 sessions to collectively define problem indicators and set an agenda for what the next steps should be.

The overarching challenge for AT provision in Nepal is that there is currently no visible pathway to appropriately meet people's needs throughout their lifetime. In fact, the actual need for AT provision is unknown. A clearer understanding of Nepal and its systems and services across all stakeholder groups is required so we can work collaboratively to appropriately meet the needs of people with disabilities within context.

While there are innovators working to develop local technologies, the ecosystem around them, both locally and globally, is restrictive. There are strong signals of action to improve this, and we look to enable the ecosystem with grassroots innovation leadership to tackle this national problem.

Mission Statement

The growing Enabling Friday Community (EFC) has convened on the mission of looking at the whole provision process, and identifying improvements and interventions that can be implemented as a priority for the local agenda.

Some guiding principles are to:

1. Build a sustainable community who will collaborate on approaches that address problems in service

2. Work together and led by PwDs to collectively own the vision for Nepal

3. Identify streams of the provision process where local actions should be foremost

4. Create and retain appropriate linkage between AT experts and wider support services more broadly

5. Focus on moving towards long term improvements in the overall services available to the local community rather than short term fixes

Full Vision Statement

Whilst AT2030 has helped to facilitate the conversations and connect Nepalese and global expertise, the thinking which is contained within this concept note is the result of multiple conversations from 16 partners representing 11 institutions including development sector, academia, private companies, hospital and clinics, and innovation centers who have given their valuable time freely between February to April 2022, with the aim to establish something which is sustainable in the long-term.

Please see below link for the Full Vision Statement: