Empowering Individuals with Disabilities: Navigating Natural Disasters with Confidence

Stories | November 23, 2023

When you’ve got a disability, you don’t get a lot of information about what you should do during a natural disaster

Indonesia is extremely vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. If nothing is done to adapt to these impacts, a staggering 4.2 million people living along the coast or in areas close to rivers prone to overflow, could face permanent flooding by 2070 to 2100. For people with disabilities and their families who rely on subsistence farming, this is particularly concerning.

“There is not a lot of focus on preparing for disasters in villages around here, and certainly people with disabilities themselves are not involved at all,” says Yapas, a leader from a local Organisation of People with Disabilities in West Timor. “When you’ve got a disability, you don’t get a lot of information about what you should do during a natural disaster. Those with a disability are pretty much overlooked.”

To help ensure people with disabilities and their families living in poor subsistence farming communities are not overlooked, CBM is supporting a project that’s giving people access to training and skills so that they can adapt and be better prepared to cope in the face of climate change.

Read The Impact of Climate Change to learn more about how CBM is responding and contributing to inclusive climate action in other parts of the world.

 

 

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