gender-protection-assessment-underway

A cluster has been formed to target gender protection assessment in conjunction with the rapid assessment of the damage caused by Tropical Cyclones (TCs) Judy and Kevin.

James Hinge, a volunteer deployed to Aneityum, stated that the rapid assessment team sent to Aneityum will conduct the initial rapid assessment to gather information on how to respond to the immediate needs of affected communities.

“Conducting assessments in the most affected areas is crucial to actually see the damage that the cyclone has caused and understand what is happening in the communities. After the first assessment, there will be a long-term assessment to address the long-term needs of the people on the island of Aneityum,” he said.

Mr. Hinge explained that the cluster assessment was formed to target the needs of children and fulfill the objectives of gender equality, disability, and social inclusion.

“This is mainly to capture information on children and people living with disabilities. After a disaster, we tend to forget about children and those with disabilities, and we don’t ask for their opinions or what they need,” he said.

Hinge stressed that it is essential to assist children and those with disabilities as they have a voice in society.

“The main objective of this assessment is to identify people with disabilities as well as those under child protection and find ways to overcome disasters,” he added.

He also mentioned that in Aneityum, there are approximately 30 households with at least one or two people with disabilities, and the team is looking forward to working with them.

Gender protection is a cluster team partnered with government agencies, including Save the Children, UNICEF, the Department of Women’s Affairs, and the Ministry of Justice.

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