Making Noise Stories Africa
What Makes
Stories Matter
Building narratives that power real world participation.
01 / The Challenge
It started with a question.
How can storytelling challenge
disability stigma through sport?
We began by exploring how narratives could influence perceptions, strengthen participation and support more inclusive sporting ecosystem.
02 / The Beginning
We started telling stories.
From Paralympic broadcasts to community campaigns and regional Games, we explored new ways of creating and sharing stories. These stories reached audiences, elevated voices and opened conversations about inclusion.
- Storytelling
- Sport
- Disability Inclusion
- Assistive Technology
03 / Discovery
Then we discovered something.
Visibility wasn't the destination. Participation was.
Stories shifted perceptions, but awareness alone didn’t remove the barriers that kept people from participating.
We uncovered barriers beyond visibility:
- Limited access and infrastructure
- Lack of assistive technology
- Stigma and social attitudes
- Policy and systems gaps
- Limited local leadership
We learned that meaningful change depends on who tells the story, how it is created, and the systems that enable people to take part.
87%
of people with disabilities in some regions still lack access to assistive products they need.
1
story can reach millions But reach doesn’t equal opportunity.
Thousands
watch para sport stories Yet participation pipelines remain limited.
04 / Making Noise
So we started "Making Noise."
Because stories shouldn't end when they're told.
Making Noise” is more than a campaign. It is an evolving storytelling process that works alongside athletes, creators, broadcasters and communities to co-create, test and learn from narratives that challenge stigma, strengthen participation and shape more inclusive sport systems.
Locally led
of people with disabilities in some regions still lack access to assistive products they need.
Co-created
Working alongside athletes, creators and community partners never about, always with
Iterative & adaptive
Producing meaningful content and circulating it through the channels that move policy and practice.
Reflection as an outcome
Feeding insights back into participation systems so each story strengthens the next.
Learning alongside visibility
Feeding insights back into participation systems so each story strengthens the next.
05 / Story Lab
Welcome to Story Lab
The next chapter in our journey.
StoryLab is an audience development infrastructure built around three strategic assets: stories, audiences and data. Together, they transform storytelling from visibility into lasting participation, value and systems change.
