Advocacy — Theory, Practice, Action Plan: NAPD Completed Its Training Camp in Yavoriv

The National Assembly of People with Disabilities of Ukraine (NAPD) held a training camp titled “Strengthening the Capacity of DPOs. Advocacy: Theoretical and Practical Aspects,” which took place on 1–5 December 2025 at the Western Rehabilitation and Sports Centre (Yavoriv, Lviv region).

The camp was carried out within the framework of the project “Together We Are Powerful: Capacity Building of Public Organizations of People with Disabilities,” implemented by NAPD in partnership with the humanitarian organization “People in Need” and with financial support from the people of the Czech Republic.

At a time when communities are simultaneously responding to the challenges of war and preparing for recovery, advocacy becomes a key tool that helps transform people’s needs into concrete solutions – in services, programmes and decision-making processes.

Leaders and activists of disability organisations from Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Lviv regions took part in the camp. The main focus was on strengthening organisational capacity, particularly in advocacy.

“We worked in a way that ensured each team returned home not only with an understanding of approaches, but with tools and a draft action plan for their community. Next will be work on the ground and mutual support through the NAPD network,” said Yurii Vasylchenko.

From Understanding Rights to Tools and Strategy

The programme combined work on core topics – the rights of persons with disabilities under the UN Convention, approaches to engagement and participation – with practical modules: “Advocacy in action,” its stages, the difference between advocacy and lobbying, and why this is critically important in humanitarian response and recovery.

Participants also explored advocacy methodologies and tools – from strategy selection to media advocacy, monitoring, and outcome assessment.

The final practical block focused on designing and implementing advocacy strategies and planning concrete advocacy activities in communities based on the logic: problem → goal → allies/resources → action plan → expected result.

During the practical sessions, teams drafted preliminary advocacy plans for their communities: they identified target audiences, key stakeholders, communication priorities, and criteria to assess impact.

After concluding the programme, participants completed questionnaires and received certificates.

Feedback from participants

Bohdan (Lviv region): “What I found most valuable was that we didn’t ‘talk in general terms’, but structured advocacy into a clear logic: goal, allies, resources, steps. I am going home with a roadmap, not just notes.”

Iryna (Mykolaiv region): “The most useful were the practical tools — media advocacy and monitoring. In our work it is important not only to raise an issue, but also to demonstrate results and impact through facts.”

Olha (Mykolaiv region): “There was a lot of real teamwork. When you analyse cases together, you see how to ‘ground’ rights and standards in solutions in a specific community.”

The next step for teams is to work within their communities and support each other in the NAPD network to promote changes that make environments and services more accessible for persons with disabilities, veterans and other persons with limited mobility.