The United States, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), announces a new program to provide information on climate change advocacy tools for persons with disabilities in Mozambique. The goal of this project is to make information about emergency preparedness and climate change systems accessible to those who are blind, deaf, or other forms of disability. The program is entitled Resilience and Empowerment for Climate-Change Action by Disabled-persons Organizations (RECADO) and is led by Associação TV SURDO in consortium with the Forum of Mozambican Associations of the Disabled (FAMOD), Association of the Blind and Partially Sighted of Mozambique (ACAMO), Association of the Disabled of Mozambique (ADEMO), government entities and other development agents.

Mozambique is one of the most vulnerable countries to the impacts of climate change, with increasingly frequent climatic events such as cyclones, droughts, and floods. According to UNICEF , persons with disabilities are usually left out of discussions about policies, plans, and programs that prepare communities for and respond to these climate events at the national and subnational level. RECADO advocates for integrating disability rights into the work of state entities and other key actors. It will increase access to inclusive information for persons with disabilities and promote community engagement to enhance their capacity to take preventive action against climate shocks. The program will conduct research and develop data collection systems to inform governments’ climate change interventions and improve techniques for identifying people with disabilities most vulnerable to climate change effects. RECADO will also invest in capacity-building activities to ensure government entities, disabled persons organizations, and other stakeholders acquire disability-inclusive climate action knowledge. Additionally, the program will build sustainable ties between them and persons with disabilities to actively include them in decision-making processes, thus living up to the expression, “nothing for us, without us.”

USAID Mission Director Helen Pataki said: “The United States is dedicated to helping all people with disabilities to participate actively in Mozambique’s public life. Inclusivity improves decision-making and strengthens communities.”

USAID is investing $1.1 million for this project over three years. Support for disability rights is a critical component of the broader U.S. Government assistance in Mozambique.  In close collaboration with the Government of the Republic of Mozambique and civil society, the U.S. Government provides more than $700 million in annual assistance to improve the quality of healthcare, education, to promote economic prosperity, and stability to support the overall development of the nation.