Rights to Human Security:

Emergency and Disaster Management Theme of ActionAid Nepal

 

Nepal is a disaster prone with the incidence of widespread disasters across the country and around the year. Nepal’s geography, geology, climate and lack of proper infrastructure planning make the country extremely vulnerable to various forms of disaster. These are evident by the exponential rise in the frequency as well as severity of natural and anthropogenic catastrophes hitting the nation and impeding the growth of economy. Major disasters in Nepal are flood, landslide, fire, earthquake, drought, epidemic and insurgency with increased sporadic problems of storm, hailstorm, avalanches and stampede.

 

Whenever hazards strike, they do not negotiate or listen or wait; they simply come, kill and/or destroy by causing irreparable losses. They do not discriminate or differentiate amongst men and women, poor or rich, young or old but they create more impact on women, children an aged and PWDs than adult men due to socio-economic and ethno-cultural barriers. When any hazard strikes, it is the communities who react first, irrespective of profession, status, caste, ethnicity or culture. Therefore, it is important to enhance the capacities of communities so that they can observe, understand, analyze and prepare themselves for the worst impact. Moreover, It is essential to allow transparency of actions of the nodal agencies working towards disaster risk reduction and to encourage communities to get involved, so that at the time of occurrence of disasters, communities need not to wait for primary help, and mobilize self-help before external rescue and relief reaches them.

 

People living in a hilly country like Nepal also cope with uncertain climatic changes, which are leading to slow and rapid onset of disasters every year. Villagers’ livelihood systems are designed with that threat in mind but their local knowledge of adaptation cannot cope with the rigorous climate changes happening all over the world. It is now beyond the conventional local adaptation knowledge. However, when they survive the hardships they rehabilitate their houses, terraces and natural resource base - a task that may continue for several years after the disaster. And who cannot cope, are forced to abandon their ancestral homes, migrate to either more hazardous areas or some extent to the towns and cities for surviving.

 

In spite of long advocacy, different development programmes and disaster preparedness projects showed very reactive approach towards managing disasters in Nepal. They try to respond to visible affects of disasters without acknowledging the underlying causes that create ideal conditions for the disaster in the first place. We should be careful to note that the cause and effect relationships are not linear and deductive and cannot be reduced to simple explanatory models. Rather these are governed by complex inter-relationships that are deeply embedded in the local context determined by existing paradigmatic base for the development. It determines the existing policies for disaster management, existing institutional management and socio-cultural beliefs and practices. The underlying causes are not simply root causes in that sense, since there is no single starting point (root) for disaster in Nepal. Additionally, in view of the complexities and diversities of disaster management in Nepal, a concrete, effective and practicable policy is needed for which political commitment and a pragmatic policy formulation is necessary in order to reduce the vulnerability and disasters faced by the people of Nepal.

 

Disaster vulnerability is one of the contributing factors to the aggravation and perpetuation of poverty in Nepal. Repeated disasters leave poor people with less assets and fewer choices that pushes them into a vicious circle of desperate poverty. In 2003 alone, an estimated 11,730 families of Nepal were directly affected by some kind of natural disaster, in which property worth 99 million rupees was destroyed.1 More than 10,000 people die annually and livelihood of many more people gets affected. Many government and non-government agencies have been actively involved in disaster management programme across the country, but this has been mainly in the form of rescue and relief work. AAN believes that poor people have the right to protection and security during disasters, and the right to access appropriate assistance in surviving and recovering from disasters. AAN will therefore work towards building appropriate capacity to ensure a more strategy and rapid response to disasters, before, during and after their occurrence.

 

Key Objectives

·         Addressing their immediate needs as a means to fulfillment of their rights to life with dignity and build their resilience to disasters.

·         To organize the disaster victims/survivors to become aware of their rights and to enable them to take measures for their security and protection fulfilling the human security needs.

·         To influence the civil society organization and donors for mainstreaming disaster risk management

·         To contribute to achieve MDGs and HFA 2005 - 2015 through sustainable disaster risk management focusing on Education, Health, Gender, Food security and Climate Change issues

·         To  develop effective knowledge base and discourse on Disaster Risk Management through education, mass media, publication and public debates by advocacy and campaign

 

Key Strategies

·         Building the understanding of AAN staff, partners, rights holder groups and other Nepali citizen about the link between poverty and disasters

·         Improving the ability of the vulnerable communities and key institutions (schools, health posts, local government, line agencies, police, fire service, networks etc) to cope with disasters through community-based disaster preparedness programmes

·         Establishing and building the capacity of alliances and networks for effective advocacy and campaign towards policy and practice changes on disaster 

·         Building the capacity of partners to conduct hazard mapping and vulnerability analysis of disaster prone areas, immediate response in the affected areas and advocating for necessary DRM plans and mitigation measures

·         National level advocacy for the formation of appropriate policies and implementation of national acts and international commitments by the government to ensure the rights of the disaster victims

 

Key Approach/tools

·         Safety-Nets Campaign

·         CBDP/CBDM

·         REFLECT - DAAC

·         DRRS - School Safety

·         Networking and Alliance

·         Mass Media Mobilization

·         Knowledge Management

·         Linkage and Coordination

·         Resource Mobilization for EMERGENCY RESPONSE

·         PVA

·         EARARM

·         RBA - SPHERE

 

 

 

 

 

AAN has been implementing a Disaster Risk Reduction through Schools (DRRS) Project since April 2006 for a core implementation period of three years. The first six month was preparatory phase of the project and the project has officially commenced from 1 October 2006. This project is funded by DFID and is a multi-country project of ActionAid International. The overall framing of this project is provided by the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA). The central focus of this project is on reducing risks and vulnerabilities to disasters through innovative work in the education sector. The HFA 2005-2015 seeks to ensure that disaster risk reduction is a national and local priority through using both national platforms and community participation. The framework is explicit about using ‘knowledge, innovation and education to build a culture of safety and resilience at all levels.’ It specifically refers to the inclusion of disaster risk reduction in education, but there are few examples for translating it effectively into practice. DRRS project will involve education coalitions to link local work on disaster risk reduction in schools to national processes for implementation of the HFA.

 

Context of DRRS Project in four districts

AAN has selected four districts namely Kathmandu, Banke, Makawanpur and Rasuwa for piloting the DRRS project based on the level of vulnerability and accessibility. The selection has considered different types of hazards, vulnerability and geographical regions from low land Terai (Banke), inner Terai (Makawanpur), valley (Kathmandu) and mountain (Rasuwa).  The project is being implemented in Kathmandu and Banke districts and will include the rest two districts from next year. The project will be implemented in two most vulnerable schools and its surrounding communities to disasters in each district. The main local outputs include making schools in high-risk disaster areas safer and organizing surrounding communities for disaster prevention, preparedness and mitigation. More widely an effective methodology will be developed that can be replicated in other schools district-wide influencing national level policy and practice replicable in other countries and sectors. ActionAid has developed a tool kit –Participatory Vulnerability Analysis (PVA) that will be comprehensively used to analyze people’s vulnerabilities, draw action plans, mobilize resources and enact appropriate policies, laws and strategies to reduce their vulnerabilities to disaster.

 

 

Goal

To reduce people’s vulnerability to natural disasters by contributing towards the implementation of the HFA.

 

Purpose

To make schools in high disaster risk areas safer, to enable them to act as a locus for disaster risk reduction, and to engage the education sector in the HFA.

 

Expected Results

 

• Schools are physically and structurally safer in high-risk disaster areas.
• Communities are organized around schools for disaster prevention, mitigation, preparedness and vulnerability reduction.
• An effective methodology is developed that introduces disaster awareness and promotes action for disaster risk reduction in local educational institutions (with children, staff, PTAs etc.)
• National level policy and practice are influenced based on local examples of excellence in disaster risk reduction through schools.
• An approach is developed that can easily be replicated in other countries (and other sectors).

 

Broad Activities

            Community Level

• Carrying out PVA with children, teachers, parents and school management committees
• Making schools safer
• Raising awareness of climate change and disaster reduction among children (essay, quiz competition)
• Tracking changes due to climate change
• Raising awareness of disaster reduction and improving disaster preparedness in communities (training in CBDP, street drama, child to child and child to parent training)
• Supporting community mobilization and advocacy (awareness campaign, rally, follow up training)

            District Level

• Carrying out PVA at district level, and district involvement in community PVA
• Supporting implementation of district-wide initiatives for disaster reduction
• Developing and distributing resource materials
• Providing training, mobilising and advocating at district level

            National Level

• Organizing training and sensitization programmes on HFA and on project plans and sharing experiences with education sector and government
• Advocating and mobilizing civil society (coordination and policy influencing workshop) Developing materials on disaster reduction for schools and civil society (teaching-learning material, awareness raising materials, audio-visual production, learning documents)
• Providing technical inputs to local implementing partners at district/schools/community levels

 

Coverage

Kathmandu Valley (Kathmandu and Lalitpur)

Banke

Makawanpur

Rasuwa

 

Rights holders/beneficiaries

The number of direct beneficiary will be 8 schools, 4500 children, 200 teachers, 100 parents and 200 community members of four districts where as the indirect beneficiary will be some 25,000 people.

 

Approach

Rights-based and partnership

Participatory (PVA led)

Piloting in two most vulnerable schools and surrounding communities

Child to child and child to parents approach

Advocacy and policy dialogue for DRRS

 

Partnership

There are two levels of partnership at local (district) and national levels. Local partners will be implementing the project at local level where as the national level partners will be involved in national level initiatives like HFA sensitization, lobbying and advocacy for policy influencing, production of DRR materials, DR curriculum development and mobilizing civil society and dissemination of information.

 

National Partners

National Society for Earthquake Technologies (NSET)

Disaster Preparedness Network (DP-NET)

Centre for Policy Research and Consultancy (CPReC)

Education Network (ED Net)

 

Local Partners

Bheri Environmental Excellence (BEE) Group, Banke

Lumanti, Kathmandu

Manekor Society Nepal, Rasuwa

Women and Child Development Forum, Makawanpur

 

 

Duration of the project

36 months

Date of implementation

October 2006 – September 2009

 

DIPECHO Project

 

SURKSHIT SAMUDAY: BUILDING SAFER COMMUNITY through Disaster Management Initiatives

From November 2007 onwards, ActionAid Nepal has been implementing a project titled Surakshit Samudaya, a DIPECHO project in five disaster prone districts of Nepal, towards building safer communities through disaster management. This project is funded by European Commission under its Humanitarian Aid department, as a part of the DIPECHO Action Plan for South Asia. Under DIPECHO III (2006-07), AAN had successfully implemented a disaster preparedness project in three districts of Nepal and the current project under DIPECHO IV will have a wider coverage and scope to address issues related to disaster vulnerability in the country.

 

Project Objective

To enable communities towards disaster management through awareness, empowerment and enhanced capacity of accountable stakeholders

 

Expected Results and Proposed Activities

 

Awareness, Capacity Building and Leadership

The community-based approach to disaster preparedness will be centred on REFLECT process, a highly effective participatory tool to mobilize the community and strengthen their collective leadership. Through participatory vulnerability analysis, awareness and capacity building measures, people will be motivated to build coping mechanisms and resilience to disasters.

 

Results 1: Raised awareness and enhanced capacity of communities and stakeholders to cope with disasters

·         Formation of community-based Disaster Management Committees

·         Participatory Vulnerability Analysis and Risk Mapping

·         Disaster Management Training for grassroots volunteers

·         Training in First Aid, Search, Rescue and Evacuation

·         Activate and sustain REFLECT centres in project area

·         Training in managing Fire Disasters

·         Masons’ Training for disaster proof buildings

·         Awareness through radio and street theatre

 

Grassroots Networking and Linkages

Collective action is key to community efforts to disaster preparedness. In this project, efforts will be made to link people’s grassroots initiatives with government and other stakeholders, effectively building up a network of people, institutions and government to ensure community resilience to disasters.

 

Result 2: Established functional network of disaster preparedness committees and stakeholders

·         Municipality level and VDC level networks formed

·         Active REFLECT/Disaster Management Committees in the project area

·         Linkages with government departments

·         Linkages with schools, fire control unit, youth organizations

·         Disaster Information Centres established in districts

·         Information sharing and action plan workshops for stakeholders

·         Disaster Relief fund to Disaster Management Committees

 

Small Scale Mitigation and Preparedness

In the vulnerable communities, small structural support and mitigation work can go a long way in reducing the impact of disasters. Under this project, model mitigation work like school retrofitting, emergency shelters, flood control structures and environmental management will be demonstrated as a part of disaster preparedness initiatives.

 

Result 3: Ensure protected sites through small scale mitigation for disaster preparedness 

·         Identification and marking safe exit in project area

·         Establishing traditional early warning system

·         Retrofitting school buildings to make it quake-proof

·         Emergency shelters to be constructed in disaster prone areas

·         Afforestation through plantation in flood catchment areas

 

Access to Resources and local participation

 

Result 4: Increased access to locally available resources through accountable and responsible stakeholders

·         Disaster Management plan to be developed by Disaster Management Committees (DMC)

·         Rescue and relief materials to be kept at bay with DMCs

·         Mobilising government resources to preparedness and mitigation

·         Improving linkages to access relief during disasters

 

 

AAN-DIPECHO Project

Strategic Approach to Disaster Preparedness

 

·         Make disaster preparedness a community-based approach, ensuring participation and ownership of the project

·         REFLECT to be used as the key participatory process and tool for local planning and implementation

·         Raising awareness and building capacities to complement community mobilization and leadership development to effectively respond to disasters

·         Developing and nurturing a pool of local resource persons in participatory disaster preparedness initiatives at the community level

·         Building partner capacity to facilitate disaster risk reduction process based on competence, transparency and accountability

·         Advocating rights of people affected or impacted by disasters or prone to disasters to lead a life with dignity

·         Collaboration and networking among various stakeholders at local and national level to be strengthened

·         Contribution to local and national efforts in building a disaster resilient Nepal

 

 

Local Implementing Partners

Friends Service Council Nepal; Nava Prabhat Samaj Sevi Pariwar, Prerana, Underprivileged Children’s Association; and Women and Child Development Forum

 

Districts: Makawanpur, Rupandehi, Sarlahi, Sunsari and Udayapur

 

Duration: 15 months, starting 1^st November 2007

 

For more information, visit www.dipechonepal.org

 

 

 

 

Thematic Interventions:

 

Main Objective:

 

Working on Risk reduction by addressing the issue of Vulnerability and Hazards and increasing Capacity of poor, marginalized and the vulnerable in collaboration with all appropriate institutions to influence the development actors to deal with disaster preparedness as a regular program. People continue to exercise their rights and maintain a sense of security during emergencies and Disaster situation too.

 

Specific Objective:

1. To ensure awareness, preparedness and availability of trained resources in its working areas to assist the local government and communities to response in the event of a major disaster, mobilizing them in the emergency and disaster situation when needed and upon the request of concerned stakeholders. Improving the ability of vulnerable communities to cope with disaster through community based disaster preparedness strategies.
2. To build a strong alliance and Networks of the NGO/CBO (PNGOs?) in order to alleviate and address the causes of Emergency and Disaster. Initiate collaborative works with the agencies working in E&DM issues pertaining to capacity building and influencing policy practices in favor of poor and marginalized. Establishing and capacity building of alliances and networks for effective disaster preparedness and response
3. To help the community to reduce the hazards that threaten poor people, build people’s resilience through Hazard assessment and vulnerability analysis of the disaster prone areas and advocating for necessary mitigation measures.
4. To generate pressure on governments, and institutions to uphold their responsibility to protect people in emergencies, work for policy and media advocacy for Peoples Rights during emergency and disaster situation through research, analysis and capacity building. Integrating Gender and Rights perspective in emergency and Disaster works Promoting rights of disaster victims on proper compensation and rehabilitation through advocacy for the formulation of appropriate policies by the Government
5. To assure poor people access to appropriate assistance and basic services in emergencies. Respond and support Vulnerable Community/Rights holders groups coping with Emergency and Disasters by relief, preparedness and mitigation works. Providing immediate relief and rehabilitation support to the neediest poor people in Disaster and post Disaster situation.

 

 

 

Safety-Net Campaign !!

 

·         Safety-Net Campaign is the initiatives under Emergency and Disaster Management Theme of ActionAid Nepal that carries the value of "Human Security" in the center with Rights Based Agenda to Disaster Management. Under this Campaign Awareness, Organization and Advocacy are the key interventions followed by capacity building and resource mobilization for Risk reduction efforts; and address the issues of vulnerability and hazards of poor, excluded and the vulnerable groups.

·         These initiatives are developed in collaboration with the local NGOs and stakeholders (all institutions at community, VDC, district, and national level) to influence the decision makers and development actors to come out with a development program to integrate  disaster risk reduction in favor of rights holders i.e. poor, women, boys and girls for building resilience to Disaster.

·         In addition, "Safety-Net Campaign" analyzes the underlying causes behind people’s vulnerability to Disaster Risk and enacts social security and protection measures to sustain their livelihoods - Right to Lives with dignity; before, during and after an emergency and disaster.

The "Safety-Net Campaign" is currently ongoing in Rupandehi, Chitwan, Makwanpur, Rautahat, Dhanusha and Udayapur districts with active involvement of Disaster-preparedness Activists and local NGO/Networks in the area. "Safety-Net Campaign" (SNC) is also running in collaboration with DiMaN members in Kanchanpur, Nawalparasi, Kathmandu and Lalitpur, Bara, Parsa, Mahottari, Sindhuli, Saptari and Sunsari Districts without DP activists.

Under the "Safety-Net Campaign" Partner NGO/Activist helped the vulnerable (poor, excluded and disaster victim/affected) people get the information on their RIGHTS, Rights to Information on Human Security, Protection, entitlements from the state and process to claim it. Similarly, vulnerable people also able to secure the quality/standard relief from the DNDRC, NRCS, DDC, VDC on time when emergency strike. People with strong threat of Natural Hazards are able to secure support/resources for Hazard Mitigation/Disaster Risk Reduction works from DNDRC/DWIDP/DDC/DSCO.

However, Struggle is ongoing for the Rehabilitation and resettlement of flood victims, compensation of disaster loss (land) or alternative livelihoods, Easy access to Micro Finance (PAF)/Institutions (ADB)  for Disaster Recovery, Provision of crop insurance and  Review over Relief Standards.

Besides, Safety Net Campaign, it promotes the integration of Disaster Preparedness with all ongoing Development intervention in the area as such are: Education and Awareness / REFLECT on DP, DP for Safer Motherhood and Health & Sanitation, Epidemic DP and DWS, Food security and Climate change, Natural Resource Management and Resource Conservation, Infrastructure and Disaster Risk Management/Building Safety etc.