GRID advocates inclusion of women with disabilities in emergency

A disability advocate at the convening signing the charter of demand for disability inclusion

Grassroots Initiative for Gender and Development ( GRID), a non-governmental organization (NGO) has advocated for the inclusion of women and girls with disabilities in development programs, noting that they are usually excluded during response and recovery programs during emergencies.

The group made this disclosure yesterday at its convening of women with Disabilities in Patani Local Government Area of Delta State.

The event was attended by the Patani Local Government chairman Hon. Isaac Iguana, the vice-chairman, women with Disabilities, and other stakeholders to discuss the challenges women with disabilities in rural communities experience and to promote actions for their full inclusion in COVID-19 recovery programs.

In her remarks, GRID Executive Director, Isi Elebhose while presenting demands for inclusion expressed the urgent need for a community-based COVID-19 recovery plan that is reflective of the principle of “leave no one behind”. She tasked the Local Government Authority and other stakeholders to ensure that issues affecting women and girls with disabilities remain at the front burner during planning and implementation of humanitarian response and recovery as well as other social development programs.

Speaking at the event, the Patani Local Government chairman Hon. Isaac Iguana, committed to the full inclusion of women with disabilities in Patani Local Government and affirmed his administration’s readiness to work closely with them to remove barriers they face.

Elebhose also reaffirmed GRID’s commitment to providing humanitarian response and recovery services and improving access to socio-economic opportunities and healthcare services for women and girls with disabilities in Patani.

She also noted that the project supported by the Urgent Action Fund Africa is to ensure that women and girls with disabilities are captured in COVID-19 recovery programs in Patani community where they are also affected by the impact of recurrent incidents of displacement of persons by flooding.