Southern Africa Federation of the Disabled (SAFOD)
Federation of Organization of Disabled People in Zimbabwe(FODPZ)
Zambia Federation of Disability Organizations (ZAFOD)
Federation of Disability organizations in Malawi (FEDOMA)
Adventist Development and Relief Agency - ADRA
Churches Action in Relief and Development - CARD
Regional Pyschosocial support Initiative -REPSSI
Malawi Council for disability Affairs -MACODA
SAFOD is currently implementing a 3 year project in South-Eastern Africa, on Disability Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction (DiDRR) in collaboration with Christian Blind Mission (CBM), an international Christian development organization, committed to improving the quality of life of persons with disabilities in the poorest communities of the world. The project is implemented with seven local partners, Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) and Zambia Federation of the disability organisations, (ZAFOD) in Zambia, Regional Psychosocial Support Initiative (REPSSI) and Federation of Organisations of disabled people in Zimbabwe (FODPZ) in Zimbabwe, Churches Action in Relief and Development (CARD), and Federation of Disability Organisation in Malawi (FEDOMA) and Malawi Council for Disability Affairs (MACODA) in Malawi. The three countries were selected primarily because of their similar vulnerability profiles to extreme weather events (drought, floods, cyclones) and the long-term consequences of climate change.
The objective of the project is to contribute to reducing the increased risk of persons with disabilities in climate change-related disasters by strengthening inclusive disaster risk reduction processes and climate change adaptation processes.
The greatest global challenge of the 21st century is adapting to the consequences of climate change and associated extreme weather events. In particular, the region of south-eastern Africa is increasingly affected by extreme weather events such as prolonged droughts, heavy rainfall, floods, and cyclones, each of which is increasing in intensity and frequency, due to the intensifying El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon. In addition, these countries are in a tense economic and socio-political situation, which in turn exacerbates food and income insecurity (up to recurring hunger crises) for the population in the region, whose livelihoods are largely dependent on subsistence agriculture. At the same time, this weakens the
ability of individuals and society to adapt to crises.
Against this backdrop, the establishment of inclusive disaster risk reduction systems and inclusive climate change adaptation strategies is essential – even more so for people with disabilities, who have been proven to be at disproportionately higher risk of death in disasters. The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015), the Paris Agreement (2016) and other internationally recognised guidelines and guidance (see IASC, ECHO) highlight the importance of the inclusion of persons with disabilities in humanitarian aid, disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation. However, there is often a lack of appropriate translation into national guidelines and national action plans as well as their practical implementation. In addition, persons with disabilities and their representative organisations are often not included in the corresponding policy processes at national level and thus do not have the opportunity to adequately address and introduce their concerns. The main objective of the programme is therefore to contribute to reducing the increased risk of persons with disabilities in climate change-related disasters by strengthening inclusive disaster risk reduction processes and climate change adaptation processes.
