Dili, 29 august, 2022 (TATOLI) – CARE and the organization of disability in Timor-Leste, Ra’es Hadomi Timor Oan (RHTO) today signed a partnership agreement for the second phase of the Australian Humanitarian Partnership (AHP) funded, Disaster READY Project (DRP).
The DRP is a key component of the AHP program, implemented by consortium members: CARE, Oxfam, Caritas Australia (CAN DO), World Vision, Plan International, and the disabled person organization RHTO. DRP’s second phase is a four and half year’s project starting from July 2022 to December 2026 in partnership with the Secretariat of State for Civil Protection, Ministry of Interior.
CARE’s involvement in the project has a specific focus on increasing gender equality and reducing gender-based violence by ensuring the active participation of women and vulnerable groups, including persons with disabilities, in Disaster Risk Reduction and preparedness efforts.
The partnership agreement with RHTO is crucial to ensuring effective disability inclusion in all AHP agencies’ operational areas to achieve the project goal and objectives. To achieve this, RHTO will build the capacity of DRP staff in disability inclusion in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), ensuring effective participation of persons living with disability in Suco Disaster Management committees (SDMC) activities and Facilitate training on disability inclusion in DRR at the community level.
The Country Director of CARE International in Timor-Leste, Peter Goodfellow noted that “Ra’es Hadomi Timor Oan and Australian Humanitarian Partners share a common commitment to prioritizing the needs of disabled people in the disaster management cycle, and we are therefore excited at the opportunity to further develop our collaboration.”
As the Executive Director of RHTO noted through this partnership, “CARE as the lead organization for the Australian Humanitarian Partnership (AHP) consortium for the Disaster READY Project, has shown its commitment to promote disability inclusion by directly involving persons with disabilities as part of reflection to the Disability Slogan “Nothing About Us Without Us” and to prioritizing the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 principle “Leave no one behind”.
This is visible in the work in Disaster READY Project implementation for the second phase to working partner directly with AHP agencies, NGOs and government.”
The effective date of this Partnership Contract is the 1st of July 2022 and the estimated completion date is the 30th of June 2023. #End Notes to Editor: About CARE International CARE works around the globe to save lives, defeat poverty and achieve social justice.
CARE puts women and girls in the center because we know that we cannot overcome poverty until all people have equal rights and opportunities. CARE has been working in Timor-Leste since 1994 and the long-term sustainable development projects focus on areas of disaster risk reduction, education, community health, and nutrition, sexual reproductive and maternal health, women’s participation, and gender equality.
About Ra’es Hadomi Timor Oan (RHTO) RHTO is the national organization of people with disability (OPD/DPO) established in 2006. RHTO works across 13 municipalities which has a constituency of over 1,000 members who live with different types of disabilities and directly and indirectly benefit from RHTO programs.
As an OPD/DPO, the organization focuses on Disability Inclusion, Disability Inclusive on Disaster Risk Reduction Disability Awareness Rising and Socialization, Water Sanitation and Hygiene, Accessibility, Education, Health, Social Protection, Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion, and Economical sustainability.
About the Australian Humanitarian Partnership program, This project has been funded through the Australian Humanitarian Partnership (AHP) mechanism, which is funded by the Australian Government and implemented by a consortium of NGOs, including CARE International in Timor-Leste, Caritas Australia, Oxfam Timor-Leste, PLAN International Timor-Leste, and World Vision Timor-Leste, National Disabled People’s Organization Ra’es Hadomi Timor Oan (RHTO), and other local partners.
About Disaster READY Project The Disaster READY Project is a key component of the Australian Humanitarian Partnerships Program funded by the Australian Government and implemented by Australian NGOs and their in-country partners across the Pacific and Timor-Leste.
In Timor-Leste, the DRP is implemented by a consortium comprising CARE International in Timor-Leste, Caritas Australia, OXFAM Timor-Leste, PLAN International Timor-Leste, and World Vision Timor-Leste together with their local partners.
The overall objective of DRP is to strengthen local humanitarian capability and preparedness in the Pacific and Timor-Leste so that communities are better able to prepare for, respond to and recover from rapid- and slow-onset disasters.
TATOLI
