My personal pledge to disability-inclusive disaster risk reduction
UN Volunteer Reika Horio (Japan) joined the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Nepal as a Programme Officer in Disaster Risk Reduction in April 2019. She developed and managed the Improved Comprehensive School Safety programme for 7,132 schools in districts affected by the 2015 April Earthquake. Reika's assignment was initially fully-funded by the Government of Japan. She was then extended by UNICEF as an Education Officer. Reika shares her personal connection to disaster risk reduction and preparedness and her experience on the ground.
The Comprehensive School Safety (CSS) programme is an extension of the Government of Nepal’s School Sector Development Plan, and as such, provides a detailed roadmap on how to ensure a child’s right to access quality education in safe learning environments. My key duties in the capacity of a DRR Programme Officer were to monitor programme progress and provide technical support in a timely manner.