On May 19th, members of ENIL held a meeting with Asfandyar Khar, a disabled activist and founder of the NGO Nowshera Especial People Welfare Organization (NEPWO), based in the Nowshera Province of Pakistan. Founded in 2012, NEPWO focuses primarily on providing education and capacity-building opportunities to disabled individuals, primarily women and children, who often face severe social exclusion due to prejudice and the effects of effects of violence.
Asfandyar travelled all the way to Brussels, driven by his passion to support the emancipation of disabled people in his home country. Before meeting us, he took advantage of his time in Brussels to take part in the European Humanitarian Forum.
During the meeting, information was exchanged about the challenges disabled people face in Pakistan and avenues of collaboration between organizations were explored.
More specifically, Asfandyar sought guidance on:
• Establishing Independent Living Centers in his province
• Training young disability advocates in best practices in disability studies, independent living, and policy advocacy.
Such meetings with organizations outside the EU are of great significance, as ENIL is committed to promoting the human rights of disabled people both within and beyond Europe’s borders.
