Inclusive education (IE) has been defined in Nigeria as "the process of addressing all barriers and providing access to quality education to meet the diverse needs of all learners in the same learning environment.” This is a reflection of the broad understanding of inclusive education expressed in the UNCRPD and Sustainable Development Goal 4. There has been a paradigm shift from the previous method of separating children with disabilities in schools referred to as schools for the handicap towards universal education access and inclusive education, which strives to create an opportunity for learners with disabilities to learn alongside those without disability in the same classroom. Consequently, the inclusion of the needs of learners with disabilities in the overall mainstream schools has been recognised as being in line with good practice. It is as a result of this that the Federal Government initiated the National Policy on Special Education Needs in Nigeria. This existing policy provides a framework for ensuring that every child is able to go to school without any structural barriers. The policy also mandates routine screening of students in schools to detect the onset of disability for early intervention. 

As part of efforts to contribute to inclusive education in Osun state, Nigeria, Community Advancement Initiative for Self-Reliance (CAI4SR) with funding support from The Leprosy Mission Nigeria and Lillian Fond (TLMN/LF) commenced the implementation of a project that aims to increase enrolment and retention learners with disabilities in mainstream schools across primary, secondary and tertiary institutions in Osogbo and Olorunda Local Government Areas of the state. In order to achieve this, the organisation, working in collaboration with the state chapter of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD), Ministry of Education and the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) and other critical stakeholders is embarking on the provision of reasonable adjustment to the structures at Anthony Udofia Primary School, Saint Michael C&S Primary School, L.A Adenle Secondary School, Ife-Oluwa Secondary School as well as the University of Osun. The facilities to be put in place include ramps, restructuring of the toilet facilities and the provision of relevant audiovisual devices. The aim of  making the teaching and learning environment more inclusive is to encourage learners with disabilities to enrol in any of these mainstream schools. 

In view of the negative effective of stereotypes towards persons with disabilities, the project has supported the training of forty-five teachers on disability appreciation and early detection of disability through simple screening among the learners. The project has facilitated a good referral system between the trained teachers and health workers, and this has resulted in the detection, referral and treatment of some learners experiencing sensory disabilities. Similarly, the project has facilitated the training of fifty-two students out of 125 students to be trained on disability appreciation and sexual and reproductive health rights. The essence is to create an understanding among the learners that disability is not a disease and that children with disabilities have rights to their sexual and reproductive health right like every other child. 

Additionally, the project is supporting stakeholders through partnership building to advocate for the passage of the state disability bill. This has resulted in advocacy engagement with MDAs such as the Ministries of Justice and the State House of Assembly and other relevant agencies. The advocacy team is being led by the chairman of JONAPWD.

The wife of the Governor of Osun State, Alhaja Kafayat Oyetola commissions to the state Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) at the state general hospital Asubiaro on 22 November 2022.

The Governor's wife in her remarks before the commissioning said the establishment of the SARC was triggered by the epidemic rise of the rape cases.

The SARC will house the SGBV survivors and will reduce the rate of unwanted pregnancy, unsafe abortion, depression, traumatic stress, and death, she added.

Recall that CAI4SR unveiled a campaign hashtag on SGBV last month, the establishment of the SARC will boost the result of the campaign. 

The provision of the SARC will aid the smooth running of the SGBV project  being implemented by the SJN cluster in the SCALE project in Osun stat