Why are women with disabilities vulnerable to climate change impacts?

By Elias Hakizimana.

Women and girls with disabilities are among the most vulnerable people to climate change impacts, and this is due to their capacity to cope with the changes and, as result, they beg on the streets in order to survive.

The good news is that National Union of Disability Organizations of Rwanda (NUDOR) in partnership and Ecumenical Disability advocates network (EDAN) has initiated a project ‘Her Resilience’ with the impacts of climate change like droughts and floods, and they suffer from extreme hunger.

It has been communicated that women and girls with disabilities struggle to cope with the impacts of climate change like droughts and floods, and they suffer from extreme hunger.

Abias Maniragaba, a researcher who is among the consultants who presented the findings said that there is a need for joint efforts to find solutions to the challenges facing women and girls with disabilities due to climate change so that they live a safe life.

“Helping persons with disabilities is not a favor, but it is to help them to help themselves, and it is a fundamental human rights; and their capacity to come through the dilemmas is very low. These persons are also poor, pushing them to beg for survival, and it is a huge problem,” Maniragaba said.

“In case of droughts and floods, food scarcity becomes an issue and women and girls with disabilities are the most affected. People who have not disabilities try to go far and climb hillsides to look for means to buy food, but it is not possible for these vulnerable persons,” he added.

Maniragaba emphasized that the inclusive development must cater a lot for women and girls with disabilities as they constitute the vulnerable category of the citizens, who also need happiness to embrace sustainable development.

Dr Jean Damascene Nsengiyumva, Executive Secretary of NUDOR said: “when disasters appear, lives are much affected, schools are destroyed and children lose classes, so, this project is timely as we want to help women and girls with disabilities to improve the wellbeing and to help them cope with the impacts of climate change,”

Pastor Rukundo Christophe of Presbyterian church that partners with NUDOR to implement this project said that they will play a significant role in making this project a reality.

“We are encouraging PWDs to participate in all the church’s activities so that they benefit from our initiatives aiming to support them, these include healthcare, education and other supports to their saving and loans groups,” he said. 

Syovata Kilomza, the official from Ecumenical Disability advocates network (EDAN) said: “This program advocates for the inclusion of persons with disabilities in all aspects of the church in society in economic issues, political issues, spiritual welfare of the people, and all aspects which pertain human being, we want persons with disabilities to be included, not just in church, but also in the society,”

Rachel Tushabe, Director of Environment Advocacy in Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA) said that the government is glad to work with NUDOR to build resilience for persons with disabilities, not only women but also men under REMA’s support system.

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