Inclusive Peacebuilding: Disabled Leaders as Changemakers

Goal: Enhance the capacity of individuals and communities to transform conflict and build peace.

Objectives:

  1. Provide Inclusive Peacebuilding Leadership training to 8 international leaders with disabilities, the majority representing conflict-affected countries.

  2. Utilize a training-of-trainer (TOT) model to conduct similar leadership trainings with members of the disability community in 8 international sites.

  3. Support the building of partnerships among leaders from the disability community with local organizations, humanitarian agencies, and peacebuilding networks in 8 international sites.

Project summary
Eight leaders with disabilities, the majority representing conflict-affected countries, will participate in the Inclusive Peacebuilding Leadership training in Eugene, Oregon, from October 3-13, 2026. Supported through Rotary’s Vocational Training Team (VTT) model, this intensive Training-of-Trainers (ToT) program will equip participants with practical tools, strategies, and global networks to advance inclusive peacebuilding efforts and peace leadership in their home communities.  The individuals with disabilities selected for this VTT are particularly well suited for this training given their high-level positions as respected community leaders and prior experience in disability-inclusive peacebuilding initiatives.

During the training program, participants will engage with leading experts in peacebuilding, conflict prevention/resolution, disability-inclusive policy development, and leadership development. They will receive state-of-the-art curriculum materials and collaborate on developing new resources for the field, including a short documentary and communications tools tailored for educators, Rotary Peace Centers, humanitarian and development practitioners, government officials, Disabled People’s Organizations (DPOs), and community leaders.

The project is designed not only to train individual leaders, but also to create long-term community impact. After returning home, participants will receive ongoing mentorship and support from MIUSA, Rotary and other community partners to conduct grassroots Inclusive Peacebuilding Leadership trainings for other people with disabilities in their home country.

Following this training, the 8 leaders with disabilities will implement practical action plans to address local peacebuilding challenges and opportunities and work to build partnerships with local organizations, humanitarian agencies, and peacebuilding networks. These collaborations will strengthen local capacity for inclusive peacebuilding and promote sustainable, community-driven change.

With Rotary’s support, the Inclusive Peacebuilding training will become a new component of Mobility International USA (MIUSA)’s Global Disability Leadership Lab. Serving as Rotary Club of Eugene’s “Cooperating Agency”, Mobility International USA (MIUSA) has a proven track record of successfully training and empowering disabled leaders worldwide through peer-based, rights-focused leadership models that create lasting social change. By investing in people with disabilities as leaders, trainers, and changemakers, this initiative will help build more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable peacebuilding efforts globally.