"We are happy this year that the UN has seen fit to acknowledge contributions made by women, as unsung heroines continue to lead the way in disaster management in their communities. So we welcome the opportunity to honour their strides," said Mrs. Telca Wallace, NEMA’s Districts Coordinator for St. Kitts, as reported by SKNVibes. She was talking at the event where the date of this year’s observance of International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction was announced. The theme for this year is “Women and Girls – the inVisible Force of Resilience”.
Mrs Wallace added: "The theme does not imply that women and girls are invisible rather than their charity is often overlooked or undervalued for one reason or another. It is about drawing attention to the fact that our efforts to protect and rebuild our communities before and after disasters often are unrecognised." She believes that the reason for this lies in the socio-cultural construct.