Wings of change: Promoting Human Rights and Social Inclusion of People with Intellectual and/or Psychosocial Disabilities in 10 Regions of Lithuania

Implementation period:

November 2020  – January 2023

Financing body:

The project is financed by the Actice Citizens Fund as part of  the EEA and Norwegian Financial Mechanism

Project goals

The „Wings of Change” aims to respond to complex and systemic problems related to human rights abuses and discriminatory attitudes towards people with intellectual and/or psychosocial disabilities.

The Ministry of Social Security and Labour of Lithuania have been carrying out a reform aimed at deinstitutionalization since 2014. However, there has been a lack of investments into awareness raising activities about the right of people with disabilities to live in the community (UNCRPD, Art.19). Societal attitudes need to become more open, inclusive and respectful of diversity.

This project aims to foster the change in the following ways:

• Through awareness raising campaigns and mental health literacy trainings for leaders of regional communities.
• Through raising competencies of professionals at social care services, e.g., at Group Living Homes. This would be done systematically, using the WHO ‘QualityRights’ toolkit: an evaluation of human rights standards and quality of care, comprehensive analysis and development of recommendations, as well as trainings and supervision of staff.
• Decision makers would be made aware of problems identified and offered potential solutions for improvement on the municipal and national level.
• The media would also be empowered to inform the public about related topics in an ethical way, in line with human rights standards.

Whilst working in parallel with all of these groups, the rights of people with intellectual and/or psychosocial disabilities would be better protected. It would increase the quality of their lives and of services they receive, thus, stimulating the broader development of society and its support for human rights.

A special emphasis on the regional action would strengthen Lithuanian civil society; at the same time the project would provide an opportunity for sharing good international practice examples, whilst collaborating with Norwegian partners.

Project coordinator: Mental Health Perspectives

Project partners: Center of Family Ideas (District of Anykščiai) and Drug Free Treatment Unit at the University Hospital of North Norway (Tromso, Norway)

Reference number: K1-O3-PK-D-021

Project budget: 155 886,36 Eur