Seven Years of Partnership: Expanding Disability Inclusion with World Relief

For the past seven years, Kupenda has partnered with World Relief, a leading international Christian humanitarian organization that works in more than a dozen countries to serve millions of vulnerable people each year. Together, we are ensuring that people with disabilities—too often excluded from education, healthcare, and community life—are welcomed and empowered through church and community programs in six countries.

This partnership began in Malawi in 2019, when Kupenda conducted a gap analysis of World Relief’s Church Empowerment Zones (CEZ) program, which informed key improvements to make the model more inclusive of people with disabilities. Following this, Kupenda delivered specialized disability trainings for World Relief staff, pastors, and parents, equipping them to advocate for children with disabilities in their churches and communities. World Relief was so encouraged by the results that they expanded both components—the strengthened CEZ model and Kupenda’s disability trainings—across Malawi, Rwanda, Kenya, Benin, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), reaching more than 2,000 World Relief staff and community leaders.

Kupenda’s role has been clear and practical:

• Training leaders and pastors to challenge harmful beliefs about disability, such as the idea that disability is caused by curses.
• Providing practical guides and assessments to help World Relief adapt existing programs, church curricula, and community outreach so that they are accessible to people of all abilities.
• Equipping families with knowledge and tools to care for and advocate for their children.

These efforts have sparked visible change. In Malawi, Kupenda helped church leaders and community memebers identify children with disabilities who had been hidden away, connect them to schools, and ensure they received medical care. One pastor shared,

“Before the training, I believed disability was a punishment from God. Now I preach that every child is loved by God and created with purpose. Families in my church are no longer hiding their children—they are bringing them into the community and seeking the support they need.”

The impact of our partnership has also been far-reaching. By integrating disability inclusion into World Relief’s CEZ model—which already serves millions of vulnerable people—Kupenda has helped transform systems from within. World Relief estimates that last year their programs reached over 3.3 million people. Applying global disability prevalence estimates, this means hundreds of thousands of people with disabilities and their families are now benefiting from programs that are more inclusive, supportive, and affirming.

This work demonstrates the power of partnership. Instead of creating parallel programs, Kupenda strengthens existing ones—equipping global organizations like World Relief with tools and training to ensure that children with disabilities are no longer left behind. Together, we are proving that inclusion is not an add-on but an essential part of development and of ensuring every child can thrive with dignity.

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