IDDC

Play the Development Lottery Stand at the European Development Days

On 6 and 7 December 2010, IDDC and PHOS, one of its members organized a stand at the European Development Days in Brussels. The stand with the specific theme "Play the Development Lottery" attracted a lot of participants who came to learn about the work of PHOS, IDDC and its member organizations as well as tried their luck at the lottery.

The fifth edition of the European Development Days took place at the Square Brussels Meeting Centre. The general aim of the European Development Days is to strengthen the effectiveness of the European Union’s development assistance with a view to the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals and the European Consensus on Development. It aims also to enhance public awareness of development cooperation issues.

Taking part at the European Development Days and sharing the general aim, IDDC and PHOS's stand highlighted the disability work done by their different member organiztions and aimed to raise public awareness of disability issues. The Development Lottery highlighted the factor "fate" in life. A wheel of fortune designated every participant with a new identity, based purely on statistical chance. They must decide how that person would make it through life, keeping in mind their birthplace and abilities. The idea of organizing the Development Lottery was appreciated by many participants who visited the stand, among whom were representatives of the European Parliament and European Commission. They said it was an interactive way of raising people's awareness of disability issues.

Together with the Development Lottery, a lot of other activities also took place at the stand. Different presentations and films were shown on the sreen. Among them was "The voice of 650 million times one", a touching documentary about people with disabilities in developing countries who, despite their cultural and social stigma, keep fighting for a dignified life.

Others included "Nothing about us" documenting the touching encounter of young people with disabilities from total different social and cultural backgrounds, born in the Netherlands and in Ethiopia; "Young voices", a project that brings together groups of young people with disabilities from 18 different countries around the world.

IDDC and PHOS also invited some representatives of Southern organizations to share their experiences at the European Development Days. Ms. Tulgamaa Damdisuren and Mr. Enkhbuyant Lkhagvajav working for AIFO in Mongolia came to talk about the work of the local staff in the field of disabilities, including Community Based Rehabilitation.

Ms. Hellen Asamo, the Deputy Executive Director at the National Union of Disabled Persons of Uganda (NUDIPU) was also present at the stand. She is responsible for not only overseeing and coordinating NUDIPU programs but also representing NUDIPU at national and international levels. She came to the European Development Days to offer her experiences as a woman with disability working in disability advocacy.