Jenny Chinchilla, an alumna of Mobility International USA’s (MIUSA) Women’s Institute on Leadership and Disability (WILD), a program Channel has long supported, has released a new film promoting “a multi-cultural approach to strengthen inclusion in disaster risk reduction.”
As a wheelchair rider and survivor of the 2001, 7.6 magnitude, earthquake in El Salvador, Jenny Chinchilla advocates for people with disabilities and emphasizes that they are a vulnerable population in disasters. Her film, Derribando Barreras, Reduciendo Riesgos [Breaking Down Barriers, Reducing Risks], included below, serves as a “catalyst for calling the global community to action” in creating inclusive disaster response. The film was awarded 1st place in the Central American region by Ecc Acisam.
Afterwards, Chinchilla was invited to present the film at the United Nations VIII Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in the Americas and the Caribbean (UNDRR). The event provides an opportunity for key state figures to discuss experiences and decisions related to the Sendai Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction. At the event, Chinchilla was able to call upon “States parties to the Sendai Framework to ensure disability inclusion in risk and disaster management.” She emphasizes the importance of the experiences and thoughts of the disability community and the need to for them to be included in risk management plans.