Introduction
The year 2025 marked a
defining turning point for the Inclusive Family Alliance. What began as the Special
Mothers Project evolved into a fully registered organisation with a clear
mandate: to amplify the voices of parents and caregivers of children with
disabilities, with a special focus on cerebral palsy, and to advocate for
policies that recognise and support their lived realities.
This report highlights
the milestones, advocacy efforts, collaborations, and impact achieved during
this transformational year.
From Project to
Organisation
At the beginning of
2025, the Inclusive Family Alliance operated as a project focused on broad
advocacy for children with cerebral palsy and their families, often
collaborating with like-minded organisations to advance inclusion.
In April 2025,
with the support of the Ghana Federation of Disability Organisations (GFD),
the project secured funding to formalise its governance structure. A Board was
constituted, bringing together individuals committed to guiding the
organisation’s vision and growth.
At this inaugural
board meeting, a landmark decision was taken:
the transition of the Special Mothers Project into the Inclusive Family
Alliance as a formal organisation dedicated to advancing the inclusion of
parents and caregivers of children with disabilities.
All statutory
documentation was completed, and the Inclusive Family Alliance is now registered
as an organisation limited by guarantee, operating as a social enterprise.
Our Mission
To advocate for the
inclusion of parents and caregivers of children with cerebral palsy in policy
formulation processes and to push for policies that recognise unpaid care work
and address the needs of families of persons with disabilities.
Governance
The Inclusive Family Alliance is overseen by a Board of Directors responsible
for strategic direction, oversight, and accountability.
Strengthening
Institutional Capacity
Throughout 2025, the
Inclusive Family Alliance remained an affiliated member of the Ghana
Federation of Disability Organisations (GFD). Through this affiliation, the
organisation actively participated in several capacity-building programmes
aimed at strengthening disability-focused advocacy in Ghana.
- Mobilisation and data collection
- Effective advocacy strategies
- Leadership and organisational development
These engagements
enhanced the Alliance’s ability to operate strategically and contribute
meaningfully to national disability discourse.
In recognition of its
leadership, the Executive Director of the Inclusive Family Alliance,
together with other parents of children with special needs, was tasked by the
GFD to spearhead the formation of a National Association of Parents and
Caregivers of Persons with Disabilities—a critical step toward unified
national advocacy.
Advocacy on Unpaid
Care Work
Advocacy for the
recognition of unpaid care work emerged as a major focus area in 2025.
The Inclusive Family
Alliance was nominated by the GFD to participate in a workshop organised by NETRIGHT
Ghana on unpaid care work. This engagement led to participation in three
additional follow-up workshops, all aimed at influencing policy discussions
and promoting recognition of the economic and social value of care work
performed largely by parents especially mothers of children with disabilities.
Further advocacy
engagements included:
- Participation in a policy dialogue
organised by the Centre for Learning and Childhood Development
- Representation and speaking engagement at
a continental webinar organised by the Caregivers Empowerment
Network Africa (CENet Africa), where caregivers across Africa shared
lived experiences to push for research-driven policies at the African
Union level
In a significant
milestone, CENet Africa appointed the Inclusive Family Alliance Lead, Mrs.
Hannah Awadzi, to its Board. CENet Africa will lead a review of existing
unpaid care work policies across Africa and propose new frameworks informed by
research and lived experiences.
Media Engagement
and Capacity Building
Recognising the media
as a powerful tool for social change, the Inclusive Family Alliance prioritised
media engagement in 2025.
In collaboration with
the Empowering Better Life Foundation (EBLF), the Alliance trained approximately
20 media professionals on ethical and effective reporting on issues
affecting children with disabilities and their families.
To deepen impact, the Alliance also conducted one-on-one mentorship sessions with selected journalists who demonstrated strong interest in disability reporting. These journalists were supported to develop compelling, accurate, and human-centred stories that challenge stigma and influence public perception.
Throughout 2025, the
Inclusive Family Alliance actively engaged in public speaking as a core advocacy
strategy. Parents and caregivers, including the organisation’s leadership,
shared their lived experiences at forums, workshops, dialogues, and webinars.
These engagements created spaces where personal narratives highlighted the
daily realities of caregiving, exposed systemic gaps in service delivery, and
challenged prevailing misconceptions about disability and care work.
By centring lived
experience in public discourse, the Alliance strengthened calls for systemic
and policy-level change. These speaking engagements moved conversations beyond
theory, grounding advocacy in real-life evidence that resonated with
policymakers, civil society actors, development partners, and the media. Public
speaking thus became a powerful tool for influencing attitudes, shaping
narratives, and reinforcing the urgency of inclusive, care-sensitive policies
that respond to the needs of families of persons with disabilities.
Office Space
The Inclusive Family Alliance benefitted from a shared office space provided by the GFD for four of its member organizations.
The Inclusive Family
Alliance continues to leverage traditional and digital media as a strategic
advocacy tool. Through interviews, features, and storytelling, the organisation
amplifies the voices of parents and caregivers and pushes for systemic and
policy-level change that supports families of persons with disabilities.
In 2025, the Inclusive
Family Alliance received individual donations that provided critical
support to families in urgent need.
These funds were used
to:
- Assist parents with hospital bills
- Provide emergency food support to
families facing acute hardship
Additionally, in
collaboration with the GFD and the Association of Parents and
Caregivers of Persons with Disabilities, the Alliance donated food items
and sanitary supplies to the Dodowa Association of Parents and
Caregivers, reinforcing solidarity and mutual support within the disability
community.
As the Inclusive
Family Alliance moves forward, it remains committed to:
- Advocating for the meaningful inclusion
of parents and caregivers in policy design and implementation
- Pushing for care-sensitive policies
that recognise unpaid care work
With adequate
resources, the organisation plans to:
- Organise media training workshops
for journalists in Accra, Kumasi, Bono, and the Northern Regions
- Empower parents and caregivers to become effective
advocates for themselves and their children
- Collaborate with the Association of
Parents and Caregivers of Persons with Disabilities to mobilise
parents nationwide and conduct advocacy and leadership workshops
In 2025, the advocacy
work of the Inclusive Family Alliance received notable external recognition.
The organisation’s Lead Mrs Hannah Awadzi was honoured by the Ghana Federation
of Disability Organisations (GFD) with a Child Rights Activism Award,
acknowledging sustained advocacy for the rights and inclusion of children with
disabilities and their families.
In the same year, she was also recognised as
the Most Outstanding Female Journalist at the Ghana Women’s Awards. These
reflect the growing visibility and credibility of lived-experience-led advocacy
and have further strengthened the Alliance’s capacity to influence public
discourse, media narratives, and policy conversations at national and regional
levels.
Note of Gratitude
The Inclusive Family
Alliance extends its heartfelt appreciation to all individuals, partners, and
organisations who supported our work throughout 2025.
Your generosity
provided relief to families in crisis, strengthened our advocacy efforts, and
helped lay the foundation for a stronger, more inclusive movement. We are
equally grateful to the media professionals who partnered with us to elevate
the voices of parents and caregivers of children with disabilities.
Together, we are
building a future where no caregiver is invisible and no family is left behind.
