Worldwide, there are 240 million children with disabilities, according to data from Unicef.

Children with disabilities are more than twice as likely to miss out on going to school than children without disabilities. This inequality is even greater for girls with disabilities, who may experience both disability and gender discrimination.

Many education systems struggle to reach out-of-school children and don’t have quality, inclusive curriculums. Currently, the education sector is making inadequate progress towards Goal 4: Quality education of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Prioritising inclusive education will help address inequality and get SDG 4 back on track, supporting all children to reach their potential.

Our programmes and in-house research prove that transformative change is possible when education systems are inclusive. Both children with and without disabilities benefit and thrive when they can learn and play together.

Across Africa and Asia, we work with schools, children, teachers, parents, communities, governments and organisations of people with disabilities to provide and promote inclusive education. And we collaborate with partners at a global level to ensure that inclusive policies are at the heart of every education system.

Watch the video below to see how we’re strengthening inclusive education for the future in Zambia through the Tusambilile Chapamo project.