Honouring Women Humanitarians – ActionAid India
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Honouring Women Humanitarians

Published on: Wednesday, 25th September 2019

Author: Priyanka Khullar

On the occasion of World Humanitarian Day, Young India and ActionAid Association felicitated 32 humanitarians – 26 women and 6 men – from Ganjam, Jagatsinghpur, Kandhamal, Puri and Bhubaneswar at an event organized in Konark, Odisha. Held on August 19, this meeting was an opportunity for people from across Odisha to come together and share their wide-ranging experiences related to community contingency plans; school safety audits; women’s leadership-building on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR); transparency and accountability in emergency response; and timely assistance to disaster-affected communities through relief material and housing.

Mr. Tusharkanti Behera, Honourable Minister of Electronics, Information Technology, Sports and Youth Services, Government of Odisha, inaugurated the programme. While addressing the gathering, he congratulated ActionAid Association and Young India, and appreciated their response during disasters and long-term efforts towards DRR and women’s leadership-building. Ms. Rojina Das, Tehsildar, Kakatpur, Puri, participated in the programme too and commended the support extended by women from the community as well as the civil society organizations in responding to the emergencies effectively. Nearly 100 people, including leaders from the communities, joined the meeting. Read more here.

In order to reduce disaster-related risks, disaster preparedness is very essential and so is the mapping of the most vulnerable groups such as women, children, persons with disability and the elderly. Besides, needs-assessment immediately following the disaster plays a very important role in ensuring that the required humanitarian support reaches the worst-affected communities on time,” shared Rojalin Pradhan, a woman leader felicitated on the occasion. Through the agency of community radio, Rojalin, while braving Cyclone Fani herself, also continued to stand with the communities tirelessly. Read more about her heroic efforts here.