Handicap International (HI) started its activities in the DPRK in March 2001 on request of the Korean Federation for the Protection of the Disabled (KFPD) to improve health facilities. Since 2008, HI has been building the capacity of KFPD in the areas of project cycle management, organizational development and disability knowledge and management. HI works on the education system for children with disabilities, through the support of 6 special schools for sensory impaired.

Handicap International's overall objective is to strengthen the capacities of KFPD, to promote equal opportunities, protection of rights and the participation of people with disabilities, and the perception that they are contributing citizens of the DPRK.

Specific Project Objective: Strengthening ORR capacities among stakeholders, contributing to build the resilience of people with disabilities and their community in case of natural disasters in the area surrounding Pongsan School for the Deaf.

Direct beneficiaries are the senior staff from KFPD central and provincial branch office; the disability associations and people's committee in 4 provinces; the senior staff from SCDEM central and provincial offices and communities in 4 provinces. 125 students from Pongsan school for the deaf (52 of whom are girls), 32 teachers and 22 technical staff.

Indirect beneficiaries are 100 staff from KFPD central office, 36 staff from KFPD provincial branch offices and disability associations in 4 provinces and 600 family members of the children enrolled in Pongsan school for the deaf. 

1. The actors involved in the project have improved their knowledge and capacities in inclusive ORR.
2. The resilience of the targeted beneficiairies has increased, contributing to the introduction of a pilot SBDRR project in a special school for deaf children.

Risultati principali attesi:  

1. KFPD has gained a basic understanding on inclusive DRR at central and provincial levels and can accompany the implementation of a pilot SBDRR project.
2. The SCDEM has gained a basic understanding on disability and is able to apply key concepts to DRR.
3. A working group in charge of School-Based Disaster Risk Reduction is formed and trained in Pongsan community.
4. Pongsan school's premises are more resistant to disasters through infrastructure imporvement (to be defined with the community itself). 

Risultati fasi precedenti:  

This is an initial inception phaseand builds on the needs assessment and the exploratory mission led by HI's technical advisor in 2015, who's main recommendations were:

• To provide support to the State Committee for Emergency and Disaster Management (SCEDM) concerning disability and inclusion in ORR;
• To provide support to KFPD in increasing capacities inDRR;
• To start an action in areas directly affected by the floods of mid-2015, such as Pongsan school for the deaf, with the perspective of broadening the activities in the following years.

The project builds on the relationship established with 6 special schools located in 4 provinces of the DPRK through the EU funded grant DOI-NSAPVD/2012-03 (Access to quality education for children with sesory impairments in 4 provinces of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea), cofinanced by SIDA. The project allows regular access and assessments in the schools and the creation of a trust based relation with the principals and the involved people's committees. 

Fase 1 01.03.2016 - 28.02.2017   (Completed)