Make Disaster Planning Accessible to All, Authorities Urged
The organizations are partners in a three-year project called "Disability Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction" in Nsanje.
NSANJE, Malawi - Authorities in Malawi have been challenged to consider and contact persons with disabilities before planning all services for disasters to better serve that community, writes Cornelius Lupenga.
"Persons with disabilities are left out in terms of information which is given in an accessible format and some evacuation centers are too not accessible," said Ethel Kachala, program manager for the Federation of Disability Organization in Malawi (FEDOMA).
Kachala made the call Wednesday at Tengani Technical College in Nsanje during a training session hosted by FEDOMA, Churches Action in Relief and Development (CARD), and the Malawi Council for the Handicapped (MACOHA).
The organizations are partners in a three-year project called "Disability Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction" in Nsanje.
Kachala said Nsanje is prone to disasters, so persons with disabilities should be included in procedures and planning around disasters.
She said it's been found they are often left out, putting them in danger.
One participant, Misheck Martin, hailed the three organizations for the training, calling it an eye-opener he'd never considered before.
He agreed persons with disabilities lack access to understandable information.
The project covers the areas of Senior Chiefs Mlolo and Tengani in Nsanje.
"This training has been an eye opener in our lives which we never thought of before," said Martin.