Disability Rights Advocacy
Paro, Bhutan | Disability Rights Advocacy - Service with Care and Compassion (SCCI+) | 2025
Kuzuzangpo la!
We are the Service with Care and Compassion Initiative Plus (SCCI+), a youth-led movement dedicated to building a more inclusive and compassionate society. In 2025, we launched the Disability Rights Advocacy Campaign to help youth develop empathy, compassion, and respect toward people of all abilities and ages, while providing direct care and support to persons with disabilities and senior citizens.
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16 to 25 years old
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The Right-Sized Problem
There is a critical lack of awareness about the rights of persons with disabilities among young people in Paro. Many youth do not understand the challenges faced by people with disabilities or the importance of creating inclusive communities where everyone is valued equally.
What We Did
Over seven months, we combined powerful advocacy sessions with hands-on community outreach, reaching schools, colleges, monastic institutions, and vulnerable communities across Paro.
Offline Impact
Disability Rights Advocacy Sessions -- Conducted interactive learning sessions at Khangkhu Middle Secondary School, Norbuling Rigter College, Drugyel Central School, and with Y-PEER youth volunteers, educating 277 young people on disability rights, inclusion, and respect.
Learning Exchange with Sangchen Choekhor Buddhist College -- Facilitated a unique dialogue between youth and Buddhist monks, exploring the connection between human rights and Buddhist compassion toward people with disabilities.
Focus Group Discussion at Wangsel Institute for the Deaf -- Engaged students, parents, teachers, and caregivers to understand lived experiences of children and youth with disabilities, directly informing our advocacy materials.
Outreach Programs -- Conducted two rounds of community outreach, visiting 13 households to provide physical support and companionship to persons with disabilities and senior citizens.
Cloth Donation Drives -- Partnered with Red Cross Society Network and Scout Paro to collect and distribute clothing to 43 beneficiaries, promoting sustainable consumption and supporting vulnerable communities.
Online & Media Impact
Storytelling Campaign -- Documented and shared the voices of elderly persons with disabilities through video stories, giving them a respectful platform and fostering intergenerational connection.
Social Media Engagement -- Generated 841 positive reactions across Instagram and Facebook, amplifying awareness on disability rights and inclusion.
Explore Our Campaign Content
🔗 Disability Rights Advocacy at Khangkhu School
🔗 Storytelling Campaign Videos
🔗 Save the Children Feature
Campaign Impact
277 young people sensitized on disability rights and inclusive education.
13 households supported through outreach programs providing care and companionship.
43 individuals received clothing through donation drives.
Engaged 3 educational institutions and 1 monastic body, fostering inclusive mindsets.
Strengthened partnerships with Disabled Peoples Organization of Bhutan, Royal Society for Senior Citizens, Bhutan Red Cross Society, Gola-Gola Bhutan, Y-PEER PCE, and local educational institutions.
Generated 841 positive reactions on social media, spreading awareness digitally.
One of our greatest successes was witnessing the transformation in youth perspectives. After our advocacy sessions, students began challenging misconceptions about disability and committed to creating more inclusive spaces in their schools and communities. Through our outreach programs, we built lasting relationships based on trust, empathy, and mutual respect, showing that youth-led compassion can create powerful change.
Follow our journey:
📍 Facebook: SCCI+
📍 Instagram: @scci_plus
📍 TikTok: @scci_plus
This story was lovingly curated by the SHIFT team with the help of Claude (Anthropic) based on submitted source materials from our Fun Adults and Shifters.
