Every day in Africa, many people are disabled by malnutrition and diseases, environmental hazards, natural disasters, traffic and industrial accidents, civil conflict and war. At minimum, people with disabilities comprise 10% of any population - in Africa therefore, the total would be at least 60 million people.

As a concomitant of improvements in child survival, the numbers of children surviving with disabilities are increasing.

As more Africans survive to older age, the numbers of elderly people with disabilities are rising.

The vast majority of Africans with disabilities are excluded from schools, opportunities to work and participate in poverty reduction programs, virtually guaranteeing that they will live out their lives as the poorest of the poor.

The social stigma associated with disability results in marginalization and isolation, often leading to begging as the sole means of survival.
A consequence of living in poverty with a disability is inadequate access to health services, resulting frequently in serious secondary conditions and general deterioration of the quality of life. Additional complications are caused by inaccessible health services and lack of knowledge about health implications of disabling conditions.