Western Cape Disaster Management Sponsors Launch of Braille Material

Western Cape Disaster Management, under the Department of Local Government, will hand over R15 000 to Eden District Municipality to launch braille material which provides fire awareness and preparedness information to people who are visually impaired. This initiative supports the United Nations Annual International Disaster Risk Reduction Day and commemorates the 2013 theme, Living with Disability and Disasters.

The funds will be used to print and distribute braille information to the various NGOs and also falls in line with Eden’s District Disability Plan. To maximise the impact of the campaign, further training initiatives to the visually impaired will be conducted by the municipality in order to make this project sustainable.

Persons living with disabilities are among the most excluded in society and their plight is magnified when a disaster strikes. The question always needs to be raised on how we can reduce disaster risk for people living with disabilities. Not only are they less likely to receive the aid they need during a humanitarian crisis, they are also less likely to recover in the long-term. More often than not, their unique contribution to helping communities prepare for and respond to disasters is also often overlooked.

On Monday 14 October, a half-day event at the district municipality in George will take place which seeks to highlight that investment in disaster risk reduction must provide for the needs of persons living with disabilities. The funds will be ceremoniously handed over and include a keynote address from the executive mayor, Councillor Wessie van der Westhuizen.

Date: Monday 14 October 2013

Venue: Eden Fire Station, George

Time: 13:00 -14:00

All media are invited to attend.