Many members come to US GDRA through their work on the ground to empower women as leaders for social justice, environmental sustainability and disaster risk reduction, or through professional networks and associations engaged in the practice of disaster management. Others come through the global Gender and Disaster Network formed in 1997 at the University of Colorado Natural Hazards Workshop. Each summer at this leading US conference, several dozen women and men participate in a Gender and Disaster Roundtable for networking, information exchange and, in 2009, for action planning. This new US GDRA is one outcome.

We are a virtual network committed to transparency, an inclusive approach valuing difference, shared leadership, and a social justice approach to disaster reduction. Our primary areas of activity are knowledge exchange, community organizing, and concrete practical steps by, with and for grassroots women to address underlying causes of disaster risk and enable community-driven and women-led approaches to disaster management. .

We share the mission and spirit of the global GDN and seek to support it as regional hubs develop in future. Please visit the GDN website and become a member.

Then let your friends and colleagues know about the new US-based gender network working collectively toward more just and sustainable ways of living. We invite your ideas and energy! Send your thoughts to: usgdra@gmail.com.