From Emergency Response to Risk Reduction: Lessons of Disability Inclusion in Cyclone Sidr

1. From Emergency Response to Risk Reduction:Lessons of Disability Inclusion in Cyclone Sidr Emergency Response: Rethinking Disability, Oslo, 30-31 May 2011 Mosharraf Hossain, Country Director, ADD International

2. Disability in emergencies • Disasters and wars are the most inhuman acts of nature and human beings. Persons with disabilities (PwDs) are often the worst affected as they have less coping capacity. • The disabled children and even adults with physical, learning and visual difficulties have great difficulty escaping during emergencies. They are often left behind when others have fled. • I can recall the liberation war of Bangladesh 40 years ago. My father always carried me to safety when Pakistani soldiers attacked our village. But not every one was so fortunate. • PwDs are abandoned, excluded and abused in the war and disaster.

3. PwDs in the 2004 Bangladesh flood

4. Recent hazards • Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, • Hurricane Katrina in US and earthquakes in Pakistan in 2005, • Cyclone Sidr 2007 in Bangladesh and Nargis in Myanmar in 2008, • Earthquake in Haiti and floods in Pakistan in 2010, • Recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan in 2011. • Social dimensions: - PwDs are often the worst affected but this is not addressed in the emergency response - they are most vulnerable because they have less coping capacity. • The disabled community seeks high level inclusive dialogue to redesign the emergency response, recovery and risk reduction approaches to make them inclusive.

5. Objective of the presentation • PwDs should not be denied any intervention including emergency response because of their disability. • Are the emergency programmes ready to include disabled people? • How can we develop mechanisms so that humanitarian assistance reaches PwDs affected by flood, cyclone, tsunami & earthquake? • In this presentation, I shall share: a. How DPO networks played a role to facilitate the process of inclusion from the demand side? PwDs are not only beneficiaries, they are also contributors. b. How ADD, a leading international disability organization, shifted from ‘no emergency response’ to an inclusive emergency programme, recovery and disaster risk reduction (DRR) led by PwDs.

6. ADD’s stance • ADD does not get involved in emergency response or relief. • However, we have a “responsibility” to influence government and other agencies providing emergency relief to meet the needs of PWDs. From responsibilities: • ADD had a dual focus programme in the floods of 2004 and 2007 • a. to create awareness, and b. to carry out advocacy. • DPOs ensured access of 2,100 PwDs in the emergency programmes operated by the government and the Red Crescent Society. • Both the government officials and members of local government came forward to support PwDs.

7. Emergency response - Sidr • Cyclone Sidr made landfall in Bangladesh on Nov 15, 2007. - 8.5 million Bangladeshis were affected, - 2.6 million required emergency assistance. • 40,000 people were injured and 5,000 were killed. • Barriers PwDs faced to get humanitarian assistance included: - Lack of co-ordination among service providers - Lack of capacity: staff not trained to reach PwDs - Crowds created catastrophe.

8. Disaster - Survival of the fittest Hundreds of hands trying to get a piece of food How can I compete?

9. Emergency response of PwDs Down but not out! Objective : • To support PwDs and their families to reduce vulnerability by providing basic humanitarian assistance. • Beneficiaries: 6,000 families with PwDs covering 30,000 people. • Implementing in partnership with - DPOs and - NGOs • working with PwDs in the cyclone affected areas.

10. “Please write my name in the list, do not cancel.” A blind man • Carrying out door-to-door survey of PwDs. • Facilitate formation of master rolls. • Beneficiary selection according to the criteria set forth. • Assessed situation and need of PwDs in affected area. • Networking and co-ordination with local administration. • Express ideas/provide strategic direction to disaster management team of ADD.

11. DPOs purchased, packed and distributed relief materials Packaging of Relief Distributing

12. Getting in touch with people who are hard to reach in the community

13. Post-emergency response by ADD… • Strategic partnership with the Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme (CDMP)/UNDP. • Member of National Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction – bringing a disability perspective to policy. • Implemented the Improved Livelihood Food Security (recovery) programme after Sidr. • Livelihood recovery and income support for Aila affected people. • Community managed DRR (CMDRR) programme.

14. Community managed DRR – Not hand-outs, but hands-on! • Emergency response should be followed by Disaster Risk Reduction so that PwDs build capacity to cope with the severe and frequent hazards. • ADD promotes community managed DRR (CMDRR) where PwDs mobilize the community people to identify hazards, assess risk and capacity, and take action to reduce risk. • There is a paradigm shift where the responsibility goes to the community and PwDs play vital roles.

15. Learning from the emergency response • Defining disability in the large group of marginalized population. If all the people want this then a plan can be developed for PwDs. • Initiative: Initially planned to work with 1,000 people with support of Cafod, then there was a flow of support from donors. We extended to 4,000 beneficiaries and finally reached 6,000. • Influencing UN agencies for disability inclusion. There was commitment but no extra care – they lack the 4th D, beyond the 3rd dimension. As a result, they cannot show how many PwDs were included. • DPOs engagement ensured participation of PwDs from planning to implementation of the emergency programme, networking and influencing - the process of empowerment. • NGO intervention only distributed relief materials to PwDs – no participation – they are just beneficiaries! • INGOs/humanitarian agencies did not discriminate PwDs but they could not reach them for lack of capacity at the implementation phase. Disability organizations did design programme.

16. Ensure inclusion in the programme • Leadership: Go beyond the boundaries - ADD strategic framework does not support emergency response but has learnt from individual action. Emergency response and DRR are now in strategic and operational plans of ADD International Bangladesh. • Legal/policy framework: Disability inclusion should be in development philosophy, policy, and in the programme. • Lesson learning: Increase participation and build capacity of PwDs – let them be actors/contributors – equal partners! • Litigation /mitigation: Non-discrimination promotes inclusion.

17. STRATEGIC RECOMMENDATIONS 7Cs and 3As for inclusion of PwDs in disaster management: • Commitment of donors: Inclusive approach and practice cannot be compromised! The humanitarian organizations receiving foreign aid should report that their support reached disabled and marginalized groups. • Counting disabled people: A list of PwDs is an essential tool for relief distribution. Inclusion of displaced PwDs in the emergency need assessment plan is vital. • Co-ordination of DPOs: Visibility of disability. Ensure participation of DPO representatives. And co-ordination of DPOs and emergency management agencies.

18. Capacity of NGOs: Training on disability and emergency response to humanitarian organizations and local NGOs to work on the basis of equal opportunities. • Consortium: Develop a consortium of donors, government, DPOs and humanitarian organizations to review the implementation of reaching marginalized groups.

19. Communication: Connectivity is productivity – develop two-way communication system. Give 3R info through media. • Community-based 3R: It has been proved that DPOs are good at identification, assessing needs, distributing relief and rehabilitation support at their close proximity. DPO involvement in emergency work will be promoted through providing skills, knowledge and grants.

20. The need for a holistic approach: 3As • Inclusion of disabled people in the emergency response will not be sustained unless the system and society is changed. Donor agencies should support the DPO campaign for social change: • Awarenesson specific difficulties faced by disabled people in disasters. • Advocacyfor disability inclusive disaster risk reduction policy as a legal framework. • Actionfor 5Rs: support DPOs for Rescue, Relief, Rehabilitation, Recovering livelihood and Risk reduction to reduce vulnerability in the disasters.

21. YES! WE CAN