LWF Nepal hosts Disability Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction Training
The Lutheran World Federation, Nepal (LWF) hosted Disability Inclusive Disaster Management Training for Asian Zonal Emergency Environment Network (AZEECON) Member Countries and CANDO Nepal Partners from 13th- 15th August 2019. The main objective of the regional training is to enhance the capacity of the network staff to ensure DRR disability inclusive through mainstreaming, specific support, advocacy and organizational inclusivity. The training has been supported by Australian Lutheran World Service (ALWS), Church of Sweden (CoS) and Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
The training has been facilitated by LWF Nepal in collaboration with CBM Nepal. During the opening session Dr Prabin Manandhar, Country Director of LWF Nepal said, “Inclusion of excluded is important for sustainable development. Amongst the excluded, persons with disabilities (PwDs) are at greater disaster risk due to physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments. These factors may limit the ability of a person with disabilities to access information and to act on that information for preparedness and response”. He emphasized that we need to change our attitudes and approaches to persons with disabilities. They are not the objects of charity or treatment or protection, but they are the subjects with dignity and rights.
Milan Poudel, Programme Manager of CBM Nepal highlighted the need to address differing barriers for disability inclusion. Facilitating the session CBM Nepal Bimal Paudel, Gender and Social Inclusion Coordinator stated that disability is not the weaknesses found in the human body/mind, rather it is the condition that results through the interaction between long-terms impairments and various external barriers i.e attitudinal, environmental, institutional and communication relate”.
The participants are from Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Lao PDR and Nepal. Participating organization are RDRS Bangladesh, LWD Cambodia, CDRM&CDS Indonesia, LWF Myanmar, LWF Lao PDR, LWF Nepal, ADRA Nepal CARITAS Nepal, INF Nepal, UMN and NELC.
