ASB Indonesia and the Philippines has just completed two introductory trainings on disability-inclusive disaster risk reduction (DiDRR) in Kathmandu, Nepal. The trainings were conducted with ASB’s Nepal Office. The first training was for ASB colleagues from Nepal, Georgia and Latin America. This was followed by a training for ASB Nepal partners including civil society organisations (CSOs) and disabled people’s organisations (DPOs).
DiDRR is new to Nepal with very few organisations taking a disability-inclusive approach to disaster risk reduction (DRR). On the eve of the one year anniversary of the Nepal earthquake there are also few organisations that are taking disability perspectives into account in reconstruction and recovery efforts.
This was an important opportunity for ASB to share experiences and tools developed in Indonesia with the wider ASB family and also with Nepalese partners. The trainings were designed to provide participants with a more complete understanding of risk and how risk can be amplified for at-risk groups in emergencies and disasters. Participants were also introduced to disability etiquette and language; ASB’s Information-Action Model as a framework for working inclusively in DRR; alongside other practical tools, such as, the Washington Group’s Short Set of Questions on Disability (see resource page on this website).
The workshops provided lots of opportunity for interaction and controlled practice. On the final day participants, in groups, applied the tools to a range of DRR scenarios. All participants were able to identify key issues and plan suitable inclusive solutions. Participants appreciated the design of the workshops and felt confident they could now move towards improving disability-inclusion in their work. Relationships were also built between DPOs and CSOs. As participants with disabilities noted:
‘We have been invited to trainings before by international organisations. But this is the first time we have been included in trainings with persons without disabilities. This is new for us and very important.’
Feedback from participants was overwhelmingly positive. The methodology and delivery was particularly appreciated and participants noted how concepts were made clear and that they now felt confident putting these into practice. Others noted how their perceptions of disability had now changed.
ASB Indonesia and the Philippines would like to thank ASB Nepal and all the participants for making the workshops so productive. We hope we will be able to work more together in the future and, particularly, meet our new CSO and DPO friends in Nepal again soon.(Dr. Alex J. Robinson)
