Inclusion
Mates works with people across different places, cultures, families, ages, abilities, languages and lived experiences. We use three simple ideas to guide how we work: diversity, equity and inclusion. For Mates, this is not just language. It shapes how project begin, who is listened to, how decisions are made, and how support is delivered.
Every community is made up of people with different experiences, responsibilities and needs. A village is not one voice. A school is not one voice. A family is not one voice. A disability community is not one voice. Good support has to notice difference rather than flatten it. That means listening to local leaders, families, students, elders, teachers, builders, volunteers, people with disability, and the people who understand how things actually work on the ground.
Fair does not always mean giving everyone the exact same thing. Some people face more barriers than others. That might be because of disability, distance, cost, gender, family responsibility, age, language, income, safety or access to services. Equity means asking what would make support genuinely useful, not just equal on paper. It means thinking about who can access something, who may need extra support, who is carrying the work, and who might be left out if we move too quickly.
Inclusion is more than being invited in. For Mates, inclusion means people have power, a voice and decision-making authority. That is why we try to work through local relationships and community leadership. Mates should not arrive with a finished answer and call that help. Support is better when people can shape it, question it, use it and maintain it.
Dignity
Mates shares photos, updates and stories because transparency matters. But people are not content.
Hardship should not be turned into marketing. Children, families and communities should not have their lives flattened into a neat before-and-after story. Where we share images or stories, we aim to do it carefully, with permission, context and respect.
If something is not working
If something about Mates feels inaccessible, unsafe, unclear or exclusionary, you can contact us.
Email: hello@matesfund.org
We cannot promise to fix everything instantly. We can promise to take it seriously and use it to improve how we work.
