SOME evacuation centres in villages and communities could not be easily used by people with disabilities, while others faced difficulties using evacuation routes during disasters.
This was highlighted by Macuata’s provincial administrator Revoni Rakasalu while launching the Kiwa Pacific CIRCLE at the Ramada Hotel in Labasa.
“We see evacuation routes that cannot be used by a person with a mobility impairment. We see warning systems that do not reach a person who is deaf,” he said.
Mr Rakasalu said this showed why women, young women and people with disabilities needed to be included in disaster planning and climate change work.
He said problems often arose when inclusion was not considered from the beginning.
“We see relief queues that assume everyone can stand for two hours.”
He said important decisions about the future of villages were sometimes made without giving women a real opportunity to speak.
“This project aims to change this by placing women, young women and persons with disabilities at the centre of climate adaptation work.”
He said having the Fiji Disabled People’s Federation was significant because it was involved in carrying out the project.
“We can do better than that, and this project is designed to help us do better.”
He urged non-profit organisations and stakeholders to make inclusion a priority in their programs and planning.
