What is EFA-VI?

The Education for All Children with Visual Impairment (EFA-VI) is a Global Campaign and programme of the International Council for Education of People with Visual Impairment (ICEVI) acting in partnership with the World Blind Union (WBU) to ensure that all girls and boys with blindness and low vision enjoy the right to education.

ThThe Campaign, launched on July 16, 2006 is focusing on children in the developing world where currently it is estimated that less than ten-percent have access to education.

Highlights of the Campaign

• addresses three key Millennium Development Goals: -achieving universal primary education, -promoting gender equality and -developing global partnerships for development
• stresses the right to education as emphasised in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
• works within the framework of the general and special education systems.
• focuses on awareness and demand creation for education of children with visual impairment.
• Stresses on the provision of appropriate support in educational settings
• Capacity building of teachers and others, development of literature, production of assistive devices and operational research are important elements

How does it work?

Until 2010, a Global Task Force formulated policy decisions related to the EFA-Vi global campaign. The then GTF resolved that more micro level planning strategies had to be in place for the better implementation of the campaign and as a result four technical committees were formed. They are:

• Global Advocacy and Networking
• Media and Materials
• Programme Review
• Resource Mobilisation

A National Task Force (NTF) looks after the day-to-day implementation of the campaign

Indicators of success

• increased enrolment rates
• educed dropout rates
• improved access to support services and
• educational achievement for children with visual impairment, on par with non-disabled children.

The EFA-VI Campaign is supported by UNESCO and UNICEF