Maputo - 8 December, 2021: The “National Hackathon on Disability and Inclusion” launch event took place today at the Innovation Space of Eduardo Mondlane University (UEM), inviting young persons with disabilities together with programmers to develop innovations to improve accessibility for persons with disabilities. The Hackathon is organized by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), in partnership with the Italian Association Amici di Raoul Follereau (AIFO), and the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Action (MGCAS).
The Hackathon, to take place in Maputo from 25-28 January, is a contest in which young teams of programmers and designers will participate in a 72-hour programming marathon, to develop solutions to challenges for persons with disabilities.
“We are excited to support this initiative because it helps ensure basic human rights for persons with disabilities by improving their access to essential services and information in the areas of education, health and justice; employs user-centered design that takes into account their requirements, objectives, and feedback; and offers opportunities to young programmers to test and apply their skills to real societal challenges,” said Andrea M. Wojnar, UNFPA Mozambique Representative.
Young persons belonging to associations and groups of persons with disabilities are encouraged to partner up with developers to jointly develop their ideas around how to improve inclusion and access to education, health and justice services for persons with disabilities.
The Hackathon seeks participation of software, application and website developers and encourages inclusion of one or more members with disabilities in each team of up to four members. Three winning teams will each receive prizes of 100,000.00 meticais, in addition to further coaching and support to refine their ideas and bring projects to fruition. The Hackathon registration process opened for submissions on 3 December, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities; registration will close on 23 January 2022. It will be an in-person event in Maputo and offer an on-line option to facilitate participation of teams in other provinces.
The aim of the Hackathon is to solve challenges in the following thematic areas:
I) Access to essential services for young people, girls and women with disabilities in the areas of education, health and justice;
II) Inclusive humanitarian and emergency response;
III) Accessible information and technologies in healthcare (eHealth and mHealth).
"There is no doubt that the use of technological tools is the solution to various problems in society; information and communication specifically support inclusion and advocacy in favor of marginalized groups, and contribute to societal awareness. The Information Technology Center at UEM could not pass up this initiative, which will contribute to the reduction of inequalities caused by limitations that can be eliminated through information and communication technology. It is with the principles of inclusion and protection that we aim to support the rights of young people with disabilities in situations of risk and conflict,” said Dr. Luís Neves Cabral Domingos, Director of the Information Technology Center at UEM.
For more information about Hackathon, visit:
http://hackathons.uem.mz/hackability4moz, and click here to register a team.
It is estimated that more than one billion people worldwide, approximately 15% of the world’s population, live with a disability (WHO, 2018). In Mozambique, the 2017 National Census indicates that there are more than 700,000 persons with disabilities in the country. This estimate includes adolescents and young persons with disabilities, most of whom live in rural areas where poverty levels are higher, and health, education and other related services are scarce or even absent, rendering young persons with disabilities among the poorest and most vulnerable in society.
The Hackathon aims to further contribute and enhance strategies developed by governmental and social actors with the goal of promoting the participation and empowerment of persons with disabilities, including a focus on expanding inclusion, participation and input of young persons with disabilities.
ABOUT
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is the United Nations Agency for sexual and reproductive health. Our mission is to provide a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every birth is safe and the potential of every young person is fulfilled. Aiming to create a sustainable and inclusive world, with the aim to “leave no one behind” and continue global efforts to promote access and empowerment for people of all abilities. The UNFPA office in Mozambique joined forces with the Government of Mozambique and Organizations of Persons with Disabilities to jointly carry out this initiative.
