We can make things better for each other: Women and girls organize to reduce disasters in Central America

When considering disaster risk reduction, it is understandable that people focus on managing disasters and the hazards themselves. However, a focus on the development linkages is becoming increasingly common (UNDP 2004) and of particular value when considering the situation of women. Women are frequent contributors to community-based development projects and activities, encouraged in part by the insistence of donors that they should have an equal role. For example, Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) lists equality between women and men as oen of its priorities, identifies it as a global issue and a cross-cutting theme throughout Canada’s development cooperation programming. The donor expectation that gender equality issues will be mainstreamed throughout programmes and projects helps overcome any local resistance. While gender equality within global development initiatives has clearly gained recognition, it has not yet been universally realised. However, in the disaster management or risk reduction field, gender equality issues are even less visible, despite significant individual examples (Disaster Watch [www.disasterwatch.net]; Gender and Disaster Network [www.gdonline.org]; see UNISDR 2007).