When disaster strikes, inclusion often does not

Disaster response systems in Bangladesh are not designed with children with disabilities in mind, writes Marja Rijerse, Advisor Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning at Liliane Fonds.

“What impacts do climate change and natural disasters have on children and youths with disabilities? To better understand this impact, a study was conducted recently in the cyclone-prone region of Sathkira in southern Bangladesh. During a visit, I focused on a concrete follow-up to this study, ultimately contributing to more effective disaster management strategies and support systems.”

“We visited a very isolated village, which we reached by boat. In the village, there was a cyclone shelter, which should be a place where people can go to when there is a cyclone. Many persons welcomed me: parents of children with disabilities, people with disabilities, local volunteers, and members of disaster committees. These interactions with children and youth with a disability and their parents proved to be some of the most valuable elements of this visit.”

“In conversations with parents, one theme kept coming back: disaster response systems are not designed with their children in mind. One mother told me:

‘I couldn’t bring my son to the cyclone shelter. There was no transport, and once there, no toilet he could use.’

Another parent added:

‘My child has a mental disability. He behaves differently, and people stare. I’d rather stay home.’

Bangladesh has a well-structured disaster management system. Each area has Disaster Management Committees (DMCs), Cyclone Preparedness Programme (CPP) volunteers, and Shelter Management Committees. But in practice, these committees often lack the training, equipment, and awareness to include children with disabilities. As one CPP member admitted:

‘We know where the vulnerable families live, but we don’t have stretchers, first aid kits, or the skills to help them.’

The challenges are present in every phase of disaster risk reduction:

• preparedness: Early warning systems often don’t reach families with CYWD
• response: Shelters are inaccessible, and transport is lacking
• recovery: Health services and livelihoods are hard to restore, especially for families who already face exclusion

What could be a next step? In the coming months Centre for Disability in Development (CDD), collaborating partner with Liliane Fonds and very experienced in Disability Inclusive DRR, will further develop a follow-up programme, focussed on how local disaster management committees can be trained and equipped to support Children and Youth with Disabilities.

In addition to this aim for structural change, the project will also do some more action research to gain more knowledge about the effectiveness of a (to be chosen) DI-DRR approaches. This will hopefully contribute to a preparedness, response and recovery since we believe that inclusion of Children and Youth with a disability should not be optional when a disaster strikes.”

CDD has already contributed towards disability inclusive DRR, for example by engaging youth with disabilities in disaster preparedness and response actions. Recently, together with Liliane Fonds, CDD had submitted a proposal to Munich Foundation, and while it had not been awarded, it had been featured among the top 10 (out of over 500) proposals. See the best proposals of 2025 at munichre-foundation.org.