Shuchona Foundation as a Co-organizer for an Online Event titled “Survey on Persons with Disabilities and Disasters, 2023”
Center for Disability in Development (CDD), Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief (MoDMR), and Shuchona Foundation, co-organized a virtual workshop titled "Survey on Persons with Disabilities and Disasters, 2023", held on 15 February 2023. The meeting was a follow-up to the one which was conducted in 2013 to ascertain the needs of persons living with disabilities and disasters. The purpose of the survey was to review whether the one billion people who live with disabilities and disaster risk today are more involved in planning and decision-making processes to reduce risk or build resilience than they were in 2015 when the Sendai Framework was adopted. In 2013, a considerable number of responses were received from Bangladesh, which was facilitated by CDD, in collaboration with several disability-specific organizations including, Outpatient Departments (OPDs) and Self-Help Groups (SHGs). Considering the importance of the survey, this time CDD invited Shuchona Foundation to join them as one of the organizers for the workshop to disseminate and promote the survey in Bangladesh and also support persons with disabilities and their caregivers, as many of them might have limited access to technology. SF coming on-board ensured that local organizations and centers working with PwNDDs were reached.
Shuchona Foundation disseminated the survey link through our networks and social media platforms for a wider reach. The findings from this survey will be used to influence the remaining 7 years of the Sendai Framework’s implementation until 2030. In particular, it will help to inform a Mid-Term Review, which is being conducted by countries, regional organizations, and the United Nations. The workshop was designed to take participants through the survey and help answer any questions, so that they can later fill in their own surveys. The interactive workshop was conducted followed by the opening. The survey was for persons with disabilities and / or caregivers only, and was also available in Bangla to help with receiving more responses.
More than 600 participants including organization representatives, self-help groups, persons with disabilities, and caregiver group members from all over Bangladesh, joined the workshop. Executive Director of CDD A. H. M. Noman Khan, Chief Operating Officer of Shuchona Foundation Dr. Saqui Khandoker, Stephanie D. Di-Palma, External Relations Officer & UN Strategy for PwD Focal Point in UNDRR spoke during the opening of the workshop, where Secretary of MoDMR, Md. Kamrul Hassan NDC was the Chief Guest.
