Government, NGOs Now Recognise, Understand Our Needs Better Than Before
Jay Nasilasila says, there is now more concerted efforts by Government and non-government organisations to understand the needs of people living with disabilities during natural disasters.
Wednesday 29 June 2022 | 17:10
Community members from the Rewa province celebrating the International Day for Persons with Disabilities on December 4, 2021. Photo: Fiji Disabled People’s Federation
Jay Nasilasila says, there is now more concerted efforts by Government and non-government organisations to understand the needs of people living with disabilities during natural disasters.
Mr Nasilasila works as the disaster risk reduction officer for the Fiji Disabled People’s Federation (FDPF) for years.
He helps people with physical challenges like himself access the help they need.
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“One thing that stood out for me was inclusive engagement for our organisation and others in this area,” he said.
Jay Nasilasila.
She said they have noticed a drop in terms of complaints lodged from community members while seeking shelter at evacuation centres.
The organisation gets data from their Community Observation Reports they often conduct.
The organisation receives calls from stranded people requesting for help whenever a storm worsens.
Disaster preparedness in Fiji remains to be one of the priorities by the Government.
Recent events like Tropical Cyclone Winston in 2016 killed dozens of people and left many in disbelief and most of them traumatised.
The Minister of Disaster Management always highlights the tragic event whenever talking about disasters.
It shows people what mother nature can do at its worst.
He recently participated at the International Institute for Strategic Studies Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, stressing the need for disaster preparedness.
“Climate change is the single-most important security threat to our existence,” the minister said.
“We are not threatened by geo-political competition.
In our blue Pacific continent, machine guns, grey ships and green battalions are not our security concern,” he said.
He highlighted that climate change threatens Fiji’s dream of prosperity including persons living with disability.
“Waves are crashing at our doorsteps, winds are battering our homes, we are being assaulted by this enemy from many angles,” he said.
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- The Fiji Sun would like to thank FDPF, ABC International Development and the Australia Pacific Climate Partnership for their support for this story.
