Inclusive Humanitarian Assistance and Emergency Response

In post-conflict situations, during a crisis or natural disasters, persons with disabilities are disproportionately affected. Ethiopia has the second-largest refugee population in Africa with some 900,000 individuals and 2,400,000 internally displaced persons. In the Dollo Ado and Bokolmayo districts of the Somali Region, there are more than 175,000 Somali refugees living in five main camps.

According to the International Rescue Committee (IRC), Ethiopia is ranked among the top ten countries in the 2019 IRC Emergency Watch List. Persons with disabilities face numerous barriers to accessing humanitarian aid. According to a survey conducted by Humanity and Inclusion (HI), at least 15% of any disaster-affected population will be persons living with disabilities and 75% of the persons with disabilities surveyed believe that they have insufficient access to essential humanitarian services such as water supplies, food distributions, health services, and shelter. The study also revealed a high level of physical, sexual, and psychological violence, with 27% of respondents stating that they have been the victim of such violence. Disability inclusion in all phases of emergency response and preparedness is crucial and required – from disaster risk reduction, preparedness, prevention, and mitigation to disaster relief, rehabilitation, and recovery.

Program  Focus Areas

INCLUSIVE SOCIAL INTEGRATION PROGRAMS

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE: Increased number of IDPs with disabilities benefiting from inclusive social integration programs provided by mainstream development organizations by 2023