Australian Red Cross Delegates Program

36Delegates Program Annual Report 2011-2012Disability and DiversityThe Australian Red Cross International Strategy 2009-2015 recognises theimportance of promoting disability-inclusive programming. The Delegates Programrecognises the priority of reducing barriers to participation for people withdisabilities and seeks to integrate the cross-cutting theme of disability into itsprogramming; developing approaches to better respond to the most vulnerable,including those with a disability, as well as working with national societies todevelop and support programs that are inclusive of people with disabilities.Australian Red Cross delegate David Curtis, coordinator of the Cambodia Initiativefor Disability Inclusion (CIDI) program, is a key actor contributing to change in thedisability sector in Cambodia.Through his work strengthening the knowledge and capacity of staff at CambodianRed Cross and partner organisations, David has been instrumental in promoting thedisability agenda at the individual, organisational and institutional levels. David hasobserved the development of a “really positive feeling in the disability network…[because] there has never been such a network or platform before. It feels like somegenuine learning has taken place [and] there is a real buzz around [CIDI’s] trainingand forums. As a result of their work, several organisations have changed theirpractices and have mainstreamed disability awareness in their organisation”.Australian Red Cross is currently working with David to share his knowledge,experience and learning from the Cambodia context with other national societies inthe Asia region. David has facilitated a number of workshops on disability inclusivedevelopment in collaboration with Red Cross national societies in the Philippinesand Vietnam. One Philippines Red Cross participant commented on what learning’sthey took away from the workshop:“I had increased knowledge about our bothers and sisters who have physicaldisabilities. It opened my eyes more on how to treat them – if not equally, thenbetter. The training has also helped the project staff of PRC itself to include or takealso into consideration the welfare of people in the community with disabilities”.Photo: Cambodia Red Cross and Australian Red Cross work together to respond to community health needsthroughout the country, like those experienced by Lay Lat. Photo: Cambodian Red Cross / Va Sopheak.