In response to changing social and economic conditions in Lithuania, the Lithuanian Union of the Physically Disabled was created to better represent persons with disabilities. The aim of the Union is to unite people of all ages with various degrees of physical disabilities, integrate them into the community, and provide needed services. In order to support the development of the Union, Partners-Baltic provided critical skills through seminars for local branches of the organization.

Partners-Baltic implemented the project throughout 13 regions of Lithuania in which the Lithuanian Union of the Disabled has established branches. Each training involved 12 representatives of the Union and eight representatives from other local disability NGOs and the local municipality. The first day of the training was limited to members of the Union and involved a review of the Union’s goals and organizational structure. The second two days included Union members and the other participants. Topics included the role and function of NGOs and committees, and an introduction to strategic planning and co-operation among various sectors.

The second phase of the project focused on the selection of 12 persons with disabilities for the training of trainers program. The training program was conducted over a six-month period, and in the final phase Partners-Baltic worked with participants to develop a training program that could be implemented in the 13 regions where the organization has branches. Now, the Lithuanian Union of the Disabled has a permanent pool of its own trainers who can be called upon to provide training for its branches and other NGOs.

An important result of the second phase of the project was the increased confidence level of women who participated in the program. Many of the women participants found that after the program they had the confidence to do things such as public speaking and meeting with local officials that they never had before the program. These women are now role models for other women with disabilities. A future goal is to provide support so that these women can branch out to provide training not only for disability groups, but for a wider cross section of audiences.