One billion people (15 percent of the world’s population) experience some form of disability – a figure that is proportionally higher in developing countries. Persons with disabilities often experience adverse socioeconomic outcomes such as lower levels of employment, less education, poorer health, and higher poverty rates, and are more likely to fall into and stay in poverty due to lack of employment and education opportunities, lower wages, and the increased costs of living that often come with a disability. Poverty itself can increase rates of disability through malnutrition, unsafe working conditions, inadequate access to health care, a polluted environment, and lack of access to safe water and sanitation.

Upholding the rights of people with disabilities is not only a moral imperative; it is a practical necessity if humankind is to overcome the many existential challenges it faces. Cognizant of the fact achieving the Sustainable Development Goals will require everyone’s active participation in developing and implementing innovative solutions, Saint Ann Foundation is implementing interventions with the aim of supporting People With Disabilities to fulfill their intellectual and creative potential at par with everyone else in society, so we can all work together to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people everywhere have equal participation in the development of their respective communities, in search for global peace and prosperity.