National Council of Disabled Women - NCDW

National Council of Disabled Women (NCDW) is national level network organization of 111 grassroots groups of women and girls with disabilities (DPOs) across 23 districts in Bangladesh. Supported by ADD International Bangladesh, NCDW has been formed in 2005 through electoral processes to create an inclusive society where all women with disabilities are free from all inequality and discrimination, challenge all kinds of violence and ensure their participation in every step of life to promote their rights. NCDW has been registered under NGO Affairs Bureau in 2016 (Regn#3008 date-29/02/2016). NCDW is coordinating DPOs, which consist of more than 6,692 active women members. They are actively involved in strengthening the grassroots level SHGs/DPOs, its network with other DPOs and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), advocating from local to national level with the policymakers and the service providers, corporate sectors, media professionals, GOs, (I) NGOs etc. to promote the social dignity of Women With Disabilities. NCDW comprises two councils- General (GC) and Executive (EC) comprising 9 members. GC meets twice and EC quarterly in every year. The councils help their members organizations not only to build their advocacy skills and legal assistance but also to build their leadership to influence amendment and implementation of the Disability Rights and Protection Act 2013and the UNCRPD to advance the disability movement from local to national. NCDW has also a national level advisory committee who oversee the governance issue and provide technical suggestions as and when necessary.

NCDW is coordinating the DPOs which contain over 10,000 active members and escalating the activities regarding the disability movement over the country. As a leading network of DPOs in the country, NCDW attributed many successes to having built good linkages with government, civil society organizations, NGOs and the media, which in turn contributed to the acceptance of disabled people within wider society.