Year after year, we respond to disaster. And year after year, we know there’s more that can be done.
Well, now we’re doing it – with a project to strengthen communities before disaster strikes. We report back from the frontline of disaster prevention – in Bangladesh, Honduras and Malawi.
From Hurricane Mitch to El Nino, the Indian Ocean tsunami to the Kashmiri earthquake, we work to help people rebuild their homes and villages so they’re stronger before the next disaster hits .
We know this work helps rebuild lives. But we need to go further.
A new project, with £3 million generous funding from the UK’s Department for International Development, is helping us do just that, starting in Bangladesh, Honduras and Malawi and moving on later to El Salvador, Mozambique and the Philippines.
Over a period of five years, the project will help people protect themselves from natural hazards before they become disasters. In each country, our local partner will help them to:
figure out the risks they face, be it the threat of landslides, storms, droughts or floods
protect their homes, schools and towns from the disaster
find better, more flexible ways of making a living
come forward and claim their rights from government – for instance, early warning systems or cyclone shelters
contribute to the development of guidelines and policies that affect those exposed to natural hazards, such as building standards, social protection policies, and environmental regulations.
By the end of five years, the communities where we’re working should be able to see fewer fatalities, fewer destroyed homes, and a faster response when disaster strikes. They should be able to protect their own and their assets, enabling them to bounce back from disaster despite some losses
You will be able to follow the project’s progress through our regular updates. Here’s the picture in the three countries where we are launching.
Bangladesh
In Bangladesh ferocious cyclones and torrential rains not only kill and leave thousands homeless every year, but also wash away their crops and their sources of income.
The Christian Commission for Development in Bangladesh (CCDB) has many years’ experience in disaster preparedness and emergency response, and has been Christian Aid’s main partner during all the major disasters in the country.
Since the monsoon floods of 2004, CCDB has led a collective of seven Christian Aid partners that have combined their efforts to reduce future vulnerability to disasters in Bangladesh. CCDB will be working in the villages of Zafarangunj in the district of Manikgunj and Thakuryola in the district of Cox’s Bazar, both situated beside the Bay of Bengal, which, has a history of suffering from flooding and storm damage. The entire population of both villages (approximately 860 families) should benefit from these pre-emptive measures when activities get underway in 2007.
Honduras
In Honduras we work with communities located in some of the most vulnerable areas of the country, such as the Ulua river valley and the Puerto Cortes municipality in the north. Together with our partners, the Association of Non-governmental Organisations (ASONOG) and the Mennonite Social Action Commission (CASM), we support families who live in extremely isolated and precarious conditions.
As part of this project, ASONOG and CASM are helping farmers to develop new agricultural methods and invest in reforestation. In particular, farmers are being trained to cultivate alternative, hardier crops.
Local leaders and volunteers are being trained in disaster prevention and response, while primary school children are being taught how to protect themselves from natural disasters from a young age.
Meanwhile, we are working with our partners to encourage communities to lobby local and municipal authorities and work with governments. This makes sure the message reaches not only those directly affected, but also those responsible for their protection.
Malawi
In Malawi disasters take a different form. Here, climate change is leading to recurring droughts and food shortages.
Our main partner for this project, Churches Action in Relief and Development (CARD), has more than ten years’ experience in emergency response, disaster mitigation and advocacy work on food security. It is working in two regions helping people avoid having to rely on food aid every year as the ‘hungry season’ bites. Winter cropping, crop diversification and irrigation projects all aim to increase agricultural production.
CARD is part of a wider forum, ACT (Action by Churches Together), which aims to coordinate emergency response to disasters in Malawi.