Good Neighbors International Philippines (GNIP) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) recently sealed its partnership for a project dubbed Inclusive Child-centred Disaster Risk Reduction. This project is pivoted to address the needs of vulnerable children, including children with disabilities and indigenous children, and capacitate them on disaster response and preparedness.

The geographical coverage of the project is centered in Angeles City, Pampanga. It targets to reach out and support 9 schools, 4, 500 students, 675 caregivers/parents. 180 teachers and school personnel, 180 Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Committee members.

Within any crisis-affected community, children are among the most marginalized. Children with disabilities are often excluded in the disaster risk reduction (DRR) planning and decision-making process. Similarly, indigenous children can be excessively affected by disasters due to their remoteness. Their indigenous identity, cultural heritage, and intrinsic connection to their lands can be threatened when faced with natural disasters and socio-political upheavals. It is on these premises that there’s a need for ardent intervention such as the inclusive child-centered DRR.

This partnership with UNICEF will bring us closer to our goal of improving the lives of marginalized Filipino children by providing them an inclusive environment and adequate tools and resources on disaster and emergency preparedness.

Moreover, the GNIP-UNICEF partnership will also contribute and attain the sustainable development goal 11 that aims to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, and resilient, and sustainable, as DRR is an integral part of social and economic development.