Strive to make relief inclusive

The same numerous environmental, institutional and attitudinal barriers that hinder persons with disabilities (PWDs) from accessing opportunities also limit them from receiving humanitarian aid in the event of a crisis. For persons with disabilities, humanitarian interventions are not fully inclusive. Which begs the question , if help is not for all, then is it truly help?

Since the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2008, approach to disability matters has progressively taken a human rights view, shifting the lens from charity and medical models of disability that had kept PWDs away from enjoying equal rights like everybody else. The Charter on Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action 2016 committed to eradicate barriers in accessing protection and recovery efforts, relief as well as promote active participation in the design and rollout of humanitarian activities.

The biggest humanitarian challenges of our time are due to climate change, which the World Health Organization predicts will result in about 250,000 deaths every year between 2030 and 2050. It blames heat stress, malnutrition and malaria.

And the burden of these catastrophes is felt in developing nations. Drought, a consequence of an unpredictable raining pattern, has struck many parts of the country, leading to the President declaring it a national disaster in September. The media is filled with sad footages of bare lands, once grazing fields, full of carcasses. In arid and semi-arid areas, the lack of pasture and water sparks inter-tribal conflicts, leading to loss of lives and some acquiring disability. In the event of rains, it floods.

Such events expose victims to hunger and poverty with PWDs twice as likely to be affected as the non-disabled. Picture this: A person with disability in the remotest part of the country waiting for humanitarian aid to reach them. Food aid or water, for instance, can be picked from the nearby market point, school or administration office. The person will have no choice but rely on a neighbour’s kindness. A mobility aid might not be as assistive as expected due to tough terrain or flooding.

Despite disability getting a place in the agenda menu of many discussions, PWDs continue to miss a seat at the table of some of the most crucial negotiations. Recently, Israeli Energy Minister Karine Elharrar, who has muscular dystrophy, was denied entry to the COP26 conference in Glasgow as it was inaccessible by wheelchair.

Among the various ways to make humanitarian interventions inclusive is for humanitarian agencies to partner with disabled persons organisations (DPOs) in rolling out assistance. DPOs have huge networks and understanding of the disability situation in their local areas and can, thus, easily track a given PWD. Secondly, adequate statistics of disability per household can be collected and used in shaping approaches of recovery and relief that uniquely address the disability needs of the victims. The unavailability of reliable, uncontested data on PWDs means they are invisible, out of sight and out of mind of policymakers. For example, the disability statistics as per the 2019 census has been challenged by many PWDs as not fully representing the real situation.

Technology has proven to be a great ally of PWDs as they can access services from the comfort of their home. Through the use of social apps, humanitarian agencies can ease access to information for PWDs. While this sounds too obvious in a tech-savvy world, it has proven to bring about change and save lives. An example is efforts by UN Women to reach out to women refugees in Syria caught up in the protracted civil war and Covid-19 lockdown.

The government, too, under the Ministry of Public Service, Gender, Senior Citizens Affairs and Special Programmes, has geared up to replace the traditional food distribution system with a cash transfer programme for hunger-stricken counties, bringing the help much closer to the people. A pledge by the ministry to work with communities in identifying the best way to intervene is commendable and in sync with the call of leaving no one behind.

Sometimes, the call for disability inclusion in all spheres of life can sound too demanding, if not disputatious.

However, I’m reminded of a story told by Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathai, which was echoed by Haula Amina, a small girl, at the just-concluded Devolution Conference in Makueni. It’s the story of a hummingbird, a little bird, in a huge forest that was on fire. Every other animal was in a state of despair. But the hummingbird resolved to ‘do something’, trying to put out the fire one drop at a time. When confronted about its lack of capacity to get the job done, it replied: “I am doing the best I can.”

Let’s endeavour to make our humanitarian interventions as inclusive as we can.

Mr Hassan is the chief executive officer of the National Council for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD). [email protected] | [email protected].

Kennedy Chesoli's column will resume after a fortnight.