Blind Youth Association Nepal (BYAN) is a national, youth-led member organisation run by visually impaired young people. With a deep commitment to dignity and rights, BYAN works to empower children and young people with disabilities, particularly through inclusive education, with a strong focus on CSE.
With support from AmplifyChange, BYAN implemented the project ‘Empowering Young People with Disabilities through Comprehensive Sexuality Education.’ The initiative centres the SRHR of young people with a range of disabilities, including physical, hearing, visual, and intellectual, ensuring they are not excluded from vital conversations about bodies, relationships, and rights.
The project was led by peer educators who are themselves young people with disabilities. They facilitate accessible, community-based CSE sessions in schools and local spaces, tailoring their approach to the needs of different disability groups. Topics covered include understanding sexuality, consent, gender, menstruation, family planning, and SRHR.
Accessibility is at the core of the work. Sessions incorporate tactile anatomical models, pictorial learning aids, family planning boards, and sign language interpretation. For many participants, especially those who are visually impaired, this was the first time they had access to learning tools that made sexual and reproductive health feel tangible, real, and relevant.
Parents and caregivers of young people with intellectual disabilities were engaged through parallel sessions. These build supportive environments where young people can learn, ask questions, and advocate for themselves. Many families entered the programme with stigma or misinformation around disability and sexuality but emerged with new empathy and understanding.
The project also produced and disseminated an animated video on CSE and SRHR, designed to reach persons with diverse disabilities in an engaging and easy-to-understand format. This innovation expanded BYAN’s resource base of accessible communications materials and contributed to broader SRHR awareness in schools and communities.
The project also emphasised visibility through celebration of key events: International Youth Day (in partnership with youth networks and CSOs), Menstrual Hygiene Day in Kailali, and a Quiz Competition on Braille Day at the blind school in Kaski. These events promoted inclusion and demonstrated leadership by young persons with disabilities.
At the global level, BYAN actively participated in the Global Disability Summit (GDS) 2025, where it presented Nepal’s context, shared inclusive SRHR practices, contributed to the Youth Call to Action, and submitted a commitment to strengthening disability-inclusive SRHR. This engagement strengthened BYAN’s international networks, visibility, and reputation as a leading youth-led organisation led by persons with disabilities championing inclusive SRHR.
Overall, the project strengthened partnerships, improved coordination, and built strong ownership among chapters and stakeholders. Chapters strengthened their organisational capacity, especially in developing their annual work-plan, conducting regular advocacy with relevant agencies and leading community awareness initiatives. Due to BYAN’s advocacy, three local government partners allocated a combined total of NPR 1,410,000 (GBP 7,020) to support young people with disabilities in their annual budget, highlighting the sustainability of the project. BYAN now possesses enhanced institutional systems, trained human resources, and established relationships with government and civil-society partners.
