Current Project

Project 2025-26

OM Africa Disability Inclusive Ministry

1 Corinthians 12 v 12-14 and 22-26

“Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body — whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many […] On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honourable we treat with special honour. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honour to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honoured, every part rejoices with it.”

Did you know that 16% of the world's population has a disability? In developing countries, 80% of people with disabilities live in poverty, and only 5-10% have access to the gospel. This makes them one of the most marginalized and unreached groups in the world.

People with disabilities face many barriers daily. They often face environmental barriers as well as communication and economic barriers. They also face social barriers, including negative attitudes and exclusion from their families, their communities, and unfortunately sometimes even from the church. Limited access to education, healthcare, and appropriate assistive devices further excludes them from being a part of a community. Churches around the world often struggle to reach people with disabilities effectively, leaving them excluded from the body of Christ.

OM (Operation Mobilisation) is a worldwide mission movement with a vision to see vibrant communities of Jesus followers among the least reached, which includes people with disabilities.

The OM Africa Disability Inclusive Ministry is committed to enabling people with disabilities in Africa to have equal access to the gospel and active roles in the church. We strive to be a catalyst within communities as we train and equip those working in various ministries to effectively reach out to people with disabilities with the gospel, disciple them and ensure they invite them to become part of Vibrant Communities of Jesus Followers. We achieve this through:

Capacity Building – Disability inclusion training and coaching for ministry workers to raise the awareness of disability and focus on God’s heart for people with disabilities.

Partnership Building – Collaborating with churches and disability-focused organizations to facilitate not only access and participation but also a sense of belonging and value for people living with disability.

Resource Mobilization – Providing, or connecting people with providers of assistive devices, accessible materials, and other essential tools and training in the use of these resources and tools.

Disability Ambassadors – Empowering local leaders to advocate for disability inclusion and become confident in training others and working alongside churches and ministries to promote disability inclusion. 

We are working with OM teams and local churches considering what it means and what it looks like to be inclusive of people with disabilities: to be a place where the gospel can become accessible, where we consider not only physical access, but also how we communicate and how we show God’s unconditional love to all, regardless of ability. We want to see people with disabilities being valued and finding their identity and place of belonging in the body of Christ, and to become image bearers as they are equipped to make disciples.

We have trained missionaries and church leaders in a number of African countries including Ghana, Zambia, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Angola, Mozambique, The Gambia, Senegal, Burundi, Botswana. 

In 2025/2026 we plan to focus on developing disability inclusion within the OM team at Lake Tanganyika (Zambia), Tanzania, Mozambique and Zimbabwe as well as working to develop disability ambassadors in a number of other countries. We believe the local church is crucial, as a beacon within the community, in working towards changing the negative perceptions many people hold towards people with disability. In light of this, we will remain focussed on working alongside the local church.

For more information about specific projects for prayer or fundraising purposes, please contact disabilityministry.afr@om.org. Funding can be directed through OM in the UK Other Ministries & Funds | Operation Mobilisation. On the page, tick the box to say you would like to donate to an ‘alternative project’. This will open up a comment box, where you can type “8804 Disability Ministry Africa Area” and information about the specific project you would like to support.