Excerpt: Foreword
The core of our mission is to save and preserve lives. One of the ways to do so effectively is to empower people and communities as well as governments, when feasible, to be better prepared on how to respond and protect themselves in the face of crises. Preparedness for response is a critical element for resilience. And the earlier and the more local a response is, the more effectively it can save lives.
DG ECHO has supported capacity building in preparedness for response for over two decades through dedicated actions and funding. As the sample of so many different experiences in this compendium demonstrates, the variety of our work has been significant – from strengthening mechanisms to alert the population if a cyclone is approaching, to promoting people’s awareness on hygiene measures to prevent the spread of communicable diseases or strengthening the capacity of local authorities to assist people in displacement due to a disaster or conflict.
Through the years, our work has continuously adjusted to the evolving nature of the crises and the needs they generate, preparing to respond to natural hazards but also to violence stemming out of conflict or social tensions. Moreover, as climate change is increasing the severity and frequency of extreme weather events, DG ECHO is increasingly promoting ways of working that help anticipate these events – thus allowing to act earlier, before a disaster happens save more lives and increase resilience.
We have learned and achieved a lot in our long engagement in preparedness, since the start of the Disaster Preparedness (DIPECHO) programme in 1996 until now. We want to build on this experience to increase the coherence, effectiveness and timeliness of our work in preparedness. We want to better address emerging risks from climate, fragility and conflict and fully embed preparedness in our humanitarian mandate. It is in this spirit that DG ECHO is currently renewing its approach to preparedness that will consolidate in a new guidance as of 2021.
Let me conclude by saying that we could not save lives without our partners. Our gratitude goes to them for tirelessly working to put all this in practice and propose innovative solutions. We look forward to continuing our cooperation for a world that is better prepared and hence, more resilient.
Ms Paraskevi Michou
Director General
DG ECHO
The compendium features a relevant collection of stories of or relating to disaster preparedness programs and innovations. The Moving Urban Poor Communities Toward Resilience (MOVE UP) Philippines Project, a constant Resilience and Knowledge Exchange Series (RKES) collaborator and partner, was also highlighted in the compendium. Moreover, the document includes stories and cases from but not limited to Kenya, Mozambique, Niger, Yemen, and Bhutan.
Read and download the full document here.
Routinely cleaning and disinfecting our homes has become much more of a necessity nowadays as it helps keep ourselves and our families safe and healthy even when we spend most of our time at home.
Did you know that cleaning and disinfecting are two different things? What steps should be taken to make sure our homes stay clean even when we come from outside?
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Learn more about CARE Philippines and its initiatives for COVID-19 through:
In the Philippines, a disaster can strike almost anytime. With a higher risk brought by pandemic, go bags or survival kits come in handy. While the usual inclusions of a go-bag should be prepared, water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) materials and gender-inclusive items should also be considered to make sure no one gets left behind when a disaster hits your community.
Check out these social media cards produced during this year’s National Disaster Resilience Month which had the theme “Sama-samang Pagsulong Tungo sa Katatagan sa Gitna ng Bagong Normal“:
Increasing the Resilience to Natural Hazards (INCREASE) aims to increase the resilience of 45,000 women and men small-scale farmers and fishers, including 720 extremely poor female-headed households, to natural hazards and the effects of climate change. It is implemented by CARE with support from the Skala Initiative and Phineo, in partnership with ACCORD Incorporated, Cordillera Disaster Response and Development Services, Leyte Center for Development, Inc. , and Agri-Aqua Development Coalition (AADC).
This instructional video details the steps in preparing, conducting, and evaluating a community drill. This will serve as an important resource for vulnerable communities and their local government units preparing for disasters.
This video is based on the actual Community Flood Evacuation Drill held in June 2014 that was conducted by the Assistance and Cooperation for Community Resilience and Development (ACCORD) in partnership with the Barangay Portero Disaster Risk Reduction Committee and the Malabon City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office through the Partners for Resilience project.
The MOVE UP Philippines conducted a Community Risk Assessment in July 2019 which was designed to encourage the participation of vulnerable sectors such as women, children, and persons with disabilities, among others in partner areas B1rangay Apas and Barangay Basak Pardo in Cebu City.
The assessments were attended by barangay council members, barangay disaster risk reduction and management committee members, barangay emergency response teams, leaders from people’s organizations, health workers, and gender and development personnel among others.
Through the communities’ active participation in the assessment, appropriate and area-specific interventions are implemented by the project and barangay local governments.
Check out the video below to see the first vlog of the MOVE UP Philippines Vlog Series.
The Philippines holds valuable lessons in the merging, unique practice of Integrated Risk Management (IRM) in the urban context. The MANATUTI River Basin, which is one of the primary focuses of the Partners for Resilience (PfR) project, is located in the highly urbanized National Capital Region, specifically in Quezon City, Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, and Valenzuela (QC-CAMANAVA). The multiple jurisdictions governing the landscape and the complexity of intermingling factors present in the urban context provide a challenging arena for the practice.
The first four targets of the Sendai framework for action directly focus on the decrease of diaster mortality, affected people, economic loss, and damage to critical facilities and services. Meeting the targets is a huge task for highly-urbanized landscapes, where larger, more concentrated populations, investments, and critical facilities are exposed to higher risks. This makes all the more imperative to perfect the practice of urban IRM.
To read more about constructing IRM in urban ecosystems, click the link below to view and download the document.
Click here to view and download the complete IRM and its Complex Cities document.
View and download IEC material here.
Climate change affects women and men differently. Unequal access to resources, rights, and opportunities between women and men means that they also experience the impacts of climate change and disasters in different and unequal ways. To ignore these inequalities is to ignore a key factor in the success or failure of our work. Women play an essential role in tackling the climate change challenge. They are demonstrating innovative ways to adapt to the effects of climate change and build resilient societies. Women are taking action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by leading initiatives that put forward new solutions to dealing with climate change. If we can address and transform gender inequalities through climate change and disaster risk reduction initiatives, then we not only promote the equal rights of women but also multiply the sustainable impact of climate-related activities.
Produced by CARE International in Vietnam, UN Women in Viet Nam and GIZ, ‘Making It Count’ offers practical questions, actions, tools and resources for integrating gender into climate change and disaster risk reduction interventions. It is designed to be an easily accessible entry point for practitioners and was created through several consultations with multiple stakeholders, including members of Vietnam’s Climate Change Working Group, and other experts with experience in climate change and gender. Whilst it is Vietnam focused, most elements can also be useful for both government and non-government actors around the world.
View and download the material here.
Originally posted on https://careclimatechange.org/
View and download the material here.
CARE’s most popular practitioner tool: Climate Vulnerability and Capacity Analysis. A community-level tool that integrates climate change into a wider participatory vulnerability analysis.
By combining local knowledge with scientific data, the CVCA process builds people’s understanding about climate risks and adaptation strategies. It provides a framework for dialogue within communities, as well as between communities and other stakeholders (e.g. local and national government agencies). The results provide a solid foundation for the identification of practical strategies to facilitate community-based adaptation to climate change.
View and download the material here.
Originally posted on https://careclimatechange.org/