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Asian Experiences in Disaster ManagementChallenges and Prospects for the Future

Edited by

Dr. Clarence DiasJarryd StokesM. Fikri Pido

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This publication is Funded by Toyota Foundation

ISBN : 978-616-90865-5-0 2013 by Asian Resource FoundationAll rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by means, electronic, mechannical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission in writing of the publisher.

Published in 2013 byAsian Resource Foundation1562/113 Soi 1/1, Moo Ban Pibul, Pracharaj Road, Bang Sue, Bangkok, Thailand

Printed and bound in Thailand by Active Interprint, Bangkok

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Table of ContentsIntroduction 1

Proceedings of the workshop 3

Papers Presented

I. SHARING PAST EXPERIENCES

An experience of Emergency Relief in Nepal 19Kiran Bohara, ARF Nepal The role of Dompet Dhuafa 23M. Sabeth Abilawa, Dompet Dhuafa, Indonesia

Sri Lanka - Batticaloa District Flood Disaster in 2011 29M.I. M.Iqbal, Sewalanka Foundation, Sri Lanka

Emergency Response Program in Indonesia 35Rubyanti Kholifah, AMAN Indonesia

Relocated Tsunami Village in Sri Lanka 39S. Mamangarajah, Sri Lanka North East Community Development

Fostering Program Sustainability through Inclusion of Disaster Preparedness Plan into VillageDevelopment Framework 43 Anastasia Maylinda, YAKKUM Emergency Unit, Indonesia

A case study on Post Disaster Rehabilitationand Resilience in Kashmir 57 Naseer Memon, Strengthening Participatory Organization (SPO), Pakistan

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II. THE CHALLENGES OF POLICY

Disaster Management in Bangladesh 63Professor Mohiuddin Ahmad, Bangladesh

Myanmar Experiences on Disaster Management and SocialReconstruction after Cyclone Nargis 77Htar Htar Ei, Network Activities Group, Myanmar

Experience in Helping Burmese MigrantWorker after Tsunami 2004 83Kokaew Wongphan, Freelance Researcher, Thailand

The Great East Japan Earthquake 87Professor Ohashi Masaaki, Keisen University, JANIC,Shapla Neer, Japan

III. WORKING TOGETHER

Volunteer Mobilisation, Yogyakarta’s Earthquake 2006 93 Andhika, Aksi Cepat Tanggap (ACT), Indonesia

Network and Resource Mobilisation 97Abdullah Al Mohiuddin, ANTAR, Bangladesh

Disaster Relief Program in the Philippines:“The Power of Networking and Partnership” 101Mary Girlie Glen M. Tupas – Local Community Organiser, Philippines

Collaborative initiatives with local organization,an experience in Rakhine conflict 107Lalliantawni- Methodist Church (Upper Myanmar)Yangon Society, Myanmar

Multi-Sectoral Quick Disaster-Response Team 111Sr. Lydia M. Collado, RSCJ, Philippines

Helping Hand for Relief and DevelopmentArif Khalil, Helping Hand 117

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Introduction

Mohammad Abdus SaburSecretary General, ARF/AMAN

This modest volume, titled Asian Experiences in Disaster Management, arises out of an Asian consultation held in April 2013 at the International Institute of Peace Studies, Nong Chok, Bangkok, Thailand. By disaster, we mean both natural and man–made disasters, since both have serious consequences on human lives. Natural disasters impact on lives and livelihood as well as infrastructure which is recoverable. Man–made disasters such as Fukushima, Chernobyl, Hiroshima, Nagasaki remain as witnesses of the policy madness of rulers over the ages. They exercise power and lust for prosperity at the cost of human lives and nature, making Mother Earth to cry for many years.

The prevention of such disastrous development policies requires soul-searching and understanding the meaning of creation and its relationship with the human being as faithful vice-regent of nature; with a sense of inter-generational responsibility and accountability.

Therefore, disaster prevention and management is not only a mere a question of technological expertise embracing modern science and technology. But it must be guided by profound ethical and moral concerns. It requires a deeper level of education, reflections which empower people spiritually to be compassionate and remain committed to the role of caretaker of humanity and the nature.

Traditionally and culturally Asian people, irrespective of diverse religious, cultural, linguistic and national identities, remain generous in sharing resources and caring for those most in need. That is why we see the spirit of voluntarism and trans-border solidarity when disaster occurs. This is also true of the people of other continents, which confirms the interdependence of human society, in the midst of diversity.

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It is not only governments, but inter-governmental institutions and organizations such as the World Bank, IMF and transnational corporations which are meant to play the major role in enhancing sustainable development. But in most cases their intervention has proved to be in support of elites, and business interests rather than in protecting environment and promoting human security through risk-reduction.

According to an ODI briefing on May 7, 2012, more than 95% of humanitarian funds goes to disaster and less than 5% is spent for reducing risk. For NGOs, estimated direct spending for relief is around 80% and 20% for administration. Most NGOs have no significant allocation for risk-reduction. Therefore, there is a need for emerging Asian Aid agencies to increase spending on long term sustainability.

Our engagement ought to be assessed, based not on the amount of money that was spent but on people’s participation, community ownership, and sense of accountability guided by values and trans-border solidarity.

This book has three main sections: a) Experiences of disaster management and policy advocacy, b) Post-disaster intervention towards sustainable community-building and c) Resource mobilization and trans-border cooperation.

Our heartfelt appreciation goes to the participants and resource persons for their invaluable contributions. We also acknowledge financial support from the Toyota Foundation which enabled us to organize such a meaningful workshop. We hope this modest publication will encourage Asian NGOs to sustain their efforts towards more effective disaster response, enhancing resilience and strengthening policy advocacy through collaborative actions.

Last but not least, Dr. Clarence Dias, Jarryd Stokes, Fikri Pido and Sasithorn Pavaluksanawat deserve special mention for their efforts in putting together this publication.

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Proceedings of the Workshop

Background of the programAsian Resource Foundation (ARF) was established in 1996 as an Asian initiative to respond to the needs of vulnerable communities particularly in the areas of children’s education, child rights, women’s empowerment and youth leadership development. ARF was also conceived as a mechanism to mobilise human and financial resources to respond to the emergency needs of people affected by natural disaster which includes emergency relief and reconstruction programs.

Since its inception, ARF has been involved in a number of post-disaster relief efforts in various countries throughout the region. ARF has learned from its experience in the Tsunami of 2004 in Thailand, Sri Lanka and Banda Aceh, the flood in the Province of Punjab, Sindh, Pakistan, the earthquake in Kirman Province, Iran, Post-Sidor reconstruction of Barisal, Bangladesh, and Cyclone Nargis-affected areas in both Yangon and Delta, Myanmar.

One of the objectives of ARF is to build awareness in order to promote the mobilisation and sharing of resources for welfare, emergency needs and holistic development. In this regard, ARF with the support of The Toyota Foundation, invited social workers from the Asian region who are engaged in disaster management programs to share their experiences and stories on four main issues:

• Their response to the natural disaster in their respective project areas, the problems they encountered and the lessons learned.

• Developing and implementing post natural-disaster recovery programs with an aim towards building sustainable communities.

• The experience of networking and resource-sharing among social organizations and the building of cooperation with government and international agencies.

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• Exploring and developing mechanisms for future cooperation among the participating organizations.

The Post-Natural Disaster Management for Asia Workshop sought to:• Promote learning on post-natural disaster management within the

Asian region through the sharing and reviewing of experiences of the participating organizations.

• Contribute to both policy and strategy-formulation and program development by government, NGOs and bilateral and multilateral development agencies that operate in the region.

• Explore and develop mechanisms for future cooperation among the participating organizations.

Thirty-two participants representing Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Thailand

Prior to the workshop, participants were asked to prepare papers on their experiences and what they have learned, to present to the group. This publication presents highlights from the presentations, key points from group discussions and points of interest for future reference in dealing with natural disasters.

Day 1Workshop Welcome

ARF Secretary-General, M. Abdus Sabur, in his welcoming address to the workshop explained that ARF is trying to mobilise support for needy people, in particular vulnerable groups of people during natural and man-made disasters. He stressed the need for more than just relief work. “It is also about knowing more about the country and the people. Having knowledge is essential to ensure that the humanitarian mission will be efficiently accomplished.”

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M. Abdus Sabur analysed that donors have two tendencies in relief work. First, many organizations are reluctant to give support to the ‘unknown’ organization. Secondly, in fulfilling the standard of accountability, many organizations require pictures in the report. “Taking pictures of the victims may be offensive in some situations. Thus, special attention and re-thinking is required.”

Finally, he posed three important questions:

How to avoid competition among organizations doing relief work? “We have been witnessing that a number of organizations are reluctant to form cooperation which may lead to the overlapping and duplication of work.” How to move from emergency relief to sustainable community development? “Providing knowledge and skills in the rehabilitation programs in the disaster-affected areas can ensure long term gains,” added M. Abdus Sabur.

How to develop guidelines and tools to bring more effectiveness in such work? “These will be utilised for the common purpose to serve the value of humanity.”

Experience-Sharing on Post-Natural Disaster Sustainable Community Development

The opening day of the workshop presented an opportunity for 13 participants to share their experiences on post-disaster sustainable community development, which was one of the main focal points of the three day workshop.

From Bangladesh, Emranul Haq and Abdullah Al Mohiuddin talked about their respective organizations and the role they are playing in community development in Bangladesh and throughout Asia.

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Emranul Haq, from the United Development Initiatives for Programmed Actions (UDDIPAN) said his organization is pursuing its goal to reduce the number of people below the poverty line by fifty percent by the year 2015. Abdullah Al Mohiuddin outlined how his organization, ANTAR, is striving to establish human rights among the community and to ensure the entitlements of rights for disadvantaged rural and urban people.

After these two presentations, participants discussed the importance of regional cooperation in mitigating disasters that affect two or more neighbouring countries. It was highlighted that there are examples of cooperation between India and Bangladesh in both responding and preventing the disasters (particularly floods) in the border areas.

Another important point discussed was the ideal model of collaboration between government and civil societies in emergency relief. A Sri Lankan participant gave an example from their country that CSO’s have been involved in the design of plans with the government and they do have the right to give suggestions. However, CSO’s are still obliged to ask permission from the related government agencies before they can undertake their relief efforts.

Specific case studies from Sri Lanka participants M.I.M Iqbal (Sewalanka Foundation) and S. Mamangarajah (North East Community Development Organisation) were presented to the workshop.

M.I.M Iqbal highlighted the role that his foundation undertook in the 2011 Batticaloa District Floods while S. Mamangarajah presented on the relocation of a village after the infamous 2004 Tsunami that impacted many regions in Asia.

Nadeem from ARF Pakistan, Kiran Bohara from ARF Nepal and Kallol Gosh from the Indian organization Society for Harvesting Future presented on recent disasters where their local organizations have been able to provide sustainable post-disaster community development.

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After these presentations, a question was raised about the mentality of victims / people in need, when relief is provided. The general consensus was that relief work should not make people dependent on external assistance. The expression “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; show him to catch a fish, and you feed him for a lifetime,” is very true in relief work and community sustainability.

Indonesia was represented by Anastasia Maylinda (Yakkum Emergency Unit), Sukorini (ACT) and Sabeth Abilawa (Dompet Dhuafa) outlining the roles of their respective organisations in post-disaster activities.

Htar Htar Ei from the Myanmar Network Activities Group presented on the 2008 Cyclone Nargis, with one of the main points being how it was an impetus for an opening up of the country to international donors. Prior to this, and even at the beginning of Nargis, the government attempted to keep foreign NGO’s out; but due to the large-scale devastation it was unable to address the needs of the people on its own. It was a major turning point.Also from Myanmar, Laliantawni from the Methodist Church shared her experience of assisting the Rakhine people. She said many times, due to the difficult areas and the targeted beneficiaries they wanted to work with, her team had to ‘problem solve’. For example, relief packs could not be given directly to Bengali people due to security restrictions; therefore they liaised with family and friends of these people and distributed goods to the beneficiaries through them.

Problem-solving was also a theme when Thailand volunteer. Kokaew Wongphan presented her own experience of helping Burmese migrant workers in Thailand after the 2004 Tsunami. She pointed out the initial difference in help provided and how, iin the focus of the government on tourists/western foreigners, others were forgotten, most notably Burmese migrant workers.

Sr. Lydia M. Collado from the Philippines shared the experiences of the multi-sectoral disaster quick-response team. It brings together government,

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church and civil society representatives working in cooperation for prevention and mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery to natural disasters. Sr. Lydia was challenged that this model would not work in all socio-political contexts particularly if the government would need to deal with minority communities. Her response; “That exact model may not work in all countries; however something similar with alternatives may be implementable.”

In the final presentation on the opening day, also from the Philippines, Mary Girlie summarised the importance of networking and having partnerships when creating a program, with her example directly linked to providing disaster relief.

In concluding the day, M. Abdus Sabur asked the question of how to sustain relief programs, using the example of livestock for livelihood. His question was, what if the livestock dies? This would make it a one off-donation as opposed to recovery and redevelopment.

Day 2 Disaster-Management Experiences and Policy Advocacy

One of the highlights of the workshop came on the second morning when three of the most senior participants presented their own disaster management and policy advocacy experiences.

The opening presentation was by Professor OHASHI1 from Japan, who

1 Professor OHASHI is currently the Chairperson for Japan NGO Centre for International Cooperation (JANIC), the Vice Chairperson for Shapla Neer and an expert in NGO Studies at Keisen University. He is also the Vice Chairperson for Japan NPO Centre, Vice President of the Japan Association for International Development Studies, Board Member of the AYUS Buddhist Network for International Cooperation and Treasurer for COMET, social welfare organization for the mentally impaired. In the 1980’s, Professor OHASHI was the Field Director in Bangladesh and later the Secretary General for Shapla Neer in Japan. Shapla Neer works with people in Bangladesh, Nepal, India and Japan and means “House of Water lilies” in Bengal language

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captivated the audience by presenting the key learning’s from the March 2011 Great East Earthquake.

Focusing on one of the most recent natural disasters, Professor OHASHI highlighted that the earthquake, of magnitude 9 and resultant tsunami, which killed over 15,000 people, had a relatively low death figure compared to other modern-day earthquake & tsunami disasters due to the preparedness by Japan. Mechanisms in helping victims in Japan become prepared for this type of natural disaster included the improvement in terms of warning systems, evacuation processes and building layouts. Professor OHASHI emphasised more on need of preparedness for the expected next huge earthquake to strike Japan within a few years. The death figures indicated that a high percentage were older people. Professor OHASHI said Japan is an ageing society and more focus in the future needs to be put on them. Further improving warning signs and making evacuation easier for the elderly was a starting point.

Another lesson learned, pointed out by Professor OHASHI, was in temporary evacuation shelters gender consciousness must be addressed and it is vital to be realistic about rehabilitation options for particular communities, in particular fisherman. After the presentation of the Great East Japan Earthquake and resultant tsunami, there was discussion about methods to lessen the impact of tsunamis, with an example of a 15 metre wall constructed in Japan being destroyed. Professor OHASHI believes thick vegetation is an appropriate solution. Although it will not stop the tsunami, it can reduce impacts. Other discussions focused on the use of volunteers. Japan is reluctant to accept foreign volunteers since they prefer to use their own people. However, there make an exception if the foreign volunteer is highly qualified.

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After the earthquake and tsunami disaster, Japan’s next concern was the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant which began to melt due to the natural disasters. Professor OHASHI briefly explored what took place in the “Nuke Disaster”. The key message was that nuclear technology is not complete technology. There were no immediate causalities from the power plant failures; however it will be an ongoing learning of how nuclear radiation in the area will affect people in the future.

Participants at the workshop asked Professor OHASHI how the media coped with informing the public of not only the natural disasters, but the radiation threat. In response, Professor OHASHI said overall the media gave “good coverage”, but the problem is we do not know a lot about nuclear impacts and not knowing is the cause of fear. M. Abdus Sabur, suggested that we have to study before we share information and that the topic “nuclear” should be introduced into education. The second of the three morning presentations came from Pakistan participant, Naseer Memon, the Chief Executive Officer of Strengthening Participatory Organisation (SPO) who talked about the 2010 floods that affected over 20 million people in Pakistan, leaving hundreds of thousands displaced or without the necessities of clean drinking water and food. He said that the challenges in his country were the dense population, the under-development and the issue of terrain which can make it difficult to access many places when responding to a disaster.

Professor Mohiuddin Ahmad from Bangladesh made the third and final presentation on disaster management and policy advocacy, speaking about the overall structure of disaster management in Bangladesh. A common theme occurred during his presentation as he stressed the importance of using women as a visible force of resilience to disasters. Professor Mohiuddin said even simple tasks, for example women talking through a speaker phone to give direction to evacuees, was an effective way to help in the response to a disaster while men completed more physical tasks.

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Following on from the three presentations, robust discussion occurred about the potential for relief organizations to have “double standards” and “separate agendas” that veered away from helping all people, regardless of gender, religion or ethnicity.

One participant said that we need to come to an understanding that providing relief has to be free from such influences and everybody in the workshop could go back to their respective organisations and question this. The discussion continued, with another participant saying that all NGOs have an agenda (to suit donors) and that the lesson they learned, was to work the best way that you can, with one another. Another comment is that faith-based organizations, naturally tend to help people of their own faith first.

Group Discussion: From Disaster Relief to Sustainable Community-Building

The first group discussions at the workshop were on the subject of going from the relief stage to sustainable community-building and how to be more effective in doing so. Compiled below are the main themes to occur from these discussions.

Short term planning • Identify the context (social, culture, economy, ecological).• Address cross-cutting issues (integrated economy, ecology, social,

culture, health and political issues). Long term planning

• Build ownership by the community.• Foster local community empowerment.• Enhance participation (of women, men, youth).

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Development of an action plan which contains mitigation, development and contingency planning

• Mitigation planning: Build strong community housing (wind or earthquake resistant).

• Development planning: restoration of livelihood, restoration of ecology, networking and resource mobilization.

• Contingency planning: Strong multi-stakeholder teams in responding to hazards, training of rescue teams, volunteers, building standard operational procedures on disaster response (evacuation place, who does what, saving documents, etc).

A well-received point was raised by Naseer Memon of Pakistan who said that research into community sustainability and development needed to be taken more seriously. “It is easy to say that we are doing research, but do we do it?” Holding these types of workshops on a regular basis provides accountability to ensure that we are continuingly using best-practice methods. Trans-border Cooperation for Humanitarian Assistance

The afternoon session on the second day of the workshop provided an opportunity for four presentations by organization representatives from: the Malaysian Relief Agency, Aksi Cepat Tanggap (ACT- Indonesia), Germany-based Muslime Helfen and Helping Hand for Relief and Development, Pakistan.

The Executive Director of the Malaysian Relief Agency (MRA), Mohd Shahrulazilan Bin Said (pictured below), introduced the four-year old organization by saying the majority of their focus is on providing relief in disaster areas, war zones, conflict zones or epidemic outbreaks throughout Asia.

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To date, MRA has provided humanitarian assistance in Lebanon, Palestine, Egypt, Somalia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia and Japan. For programs to be successful in these countries, with MRA facing the challenge of being a relatively new organisation, they focused on collaborating and sharing of information, expertise and resources with other groups and people on the ground. MRA also provided training for other organisations that wanted to work in the same field, which has increased their ability to network.Andhika from Aksi Cepat Tanggap (ACT) Indonesia briefed the workshop on the role ACT plays in global humanitarian responses. Established in 2005, ACT is one of the fastest growing humanitarian organisations in Asia. Andhika pointed out that ACT was established at a time social media was becoming a phenomenon and the organisation has used this to full advantage, engaging hundreds of thousands of people through platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. ACT has a team of people solely working on social media, which they use to engage volunteers, keep donors up to date and network with others.

ACT acknowledges that networking is a focus and strives to create synergy with Indonesian and international NGOs and has regular coordination with the Indonesian embassy and ministry of foreign affairs. In preparation for disasters, ACT also researches data and facts about disaster-prone areas. Andhika said the challenges ACT faced were the political situations and

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regulations in countries, synergy between NGOs, public education in Indonesia, knowledge about local cultures, finding suitable local partners and upgrading communication methods.

Ahmad Von Denffer made the journey to the workshop from Germany, providing a different background and perspective to the rest of the Asia-based participants. Von Denffer, a Project Manager for MuslimeHelfen, introduced the organization as a funding agency that receives private donations. The majority of funds come from individual donations raised among Muslims in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. All projects are done in cooperation with implementing local partner organizations. Regarding emergency relief, Mr. Von Denffer explained that there is a system in place where they will do fundraising for a specific disaster. However they also have funds available from other, previous fundraising efforts to inject immediately for the relief component.

Arif Khalil, representing Helping Hand for Relief and Development in Pakistan, gave a comprehensive summary of the programs and initiatives that his organisation has brought to the Asian region. Their programs focus on health and rehabilitation, skills development, education support, water for life programs, construction and infrastructure development and capacity building programs.

Day 3 OverviewFuture ActionOn the final day of the workshop, participants separated into groups to hold discussions based on:

• Effective disaster-relief management• Sustainable community-development: myth or reality?• International cooperation: challenges and opportunities

Below are the key points presented by the workshop:

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Mobilisation – volunteers, donors, social media

Moving forward, it was recommended that to mobilise resources the best time could be during Ramadan and to do so, effective fund-raising campaigns should be in place.

When fund raising, it is important to demonstrate the objective of the campaign and to be strategic in knowing where and when (e.g. Ramadan) to place the campaign. It was also suggested that when advertising the campaign, the name of the organization/s that are responsible should be displayed and an exhibition on the organization should be held nearby, to educate people.

Another suggestions for effective campaigning is to compile comprehensive information about target groups for circulation to NGOs and media, in order to create public awareness.

It is important for organizations to be aware and educated about how the media works, with social media now the most-relevant. It is important to have a media strategy: a journalistic picture, a clear message, accurate and updated data, evidence-based and identity-based knowledge. There was much discussion in the workshop about how social media can be used to attract donors and volunteers. With the advent of social media, people expect efficient access to information that is regularly updated. The world is a much smaller place. Suggestions to keep interest in the campaign high included: having local partners and supplying information about success stories in the field through website, twitter, facebook and other social media. These techniques in the modern world will help to maintain a donor, or attract a new donor. However the challenge is not to forget the basics, such as trust building, accountability, understanding the focus of the donor and having a quality project proposal.

It is also vital to have public donations to compliment the private agencies in order to mobilise resources when a disaster occurs. Suggestions to go

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alongside social media to attract and maintain public donors is to educate them by “knocking their heart”, “using the power of volunteerism” and keep them updated on activities (newsletters etc), invite donors to visit the organisation, send “birthday cards” to donors and move forward, exploring easier ways for donations such as SMS banking.

Remember, a donor is a volunteer. They volunteer to donate.

Resource-sharing

The challenges of resource sharing include:• One organization cannot handle all interventions in an emergency

relief• Each organization has one standard, structure and approach• Trust, transparency and accountability• Organizational concern with their own mandate• Developing a common idea/shared dream when working together

Lessons learned:

• Be realistic, based on own capability• Address cross-cutting issues• Work at a multi-cultural level• Give ownership to local people• Express humanitarian concerns and goals, not just through logo, flag

etc. Recommendations moving forward:

• Encourage networking and long term friendship• Identify resources in each organization and what can be shared• Remember that humanitarian intervention is for the people

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Policy advocacy for humanitarian purposes

Policies are a challenge for providing emergency relief and community sustainability, with these reasons highlighted:

• Visa rules• Customs• Transactions of funds (laws restricting reserve funds for example)• Lack of information• Volunteers in conflict areas

On the wish list to make dealing with these challenges easier; relaxing during emergencies the visa regime and custom duties; re-thinking refugee management and breaking mental barriers among communities to accept/welcome foreign volunteers.

Additional challenges include the lack of freedom for media, not using funds in a rational/effective way, not addressing the specific needs of vulnerable groups during disasters and not introducing sustainable programs for the future.

Other ways of coping with/removing these challenges is to research and gain evidence in order to promote a substantial debate (e.g. to explore the possibility of relaxing visa/custom regulations), have a knowledge of international commitments, network with civil society and media groups, identify appropriate contacts within and cooperate with the lead organization.

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Sharing Past Experiences

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Natural Disasters in Nepal

The following are the major natural disasters that occurred in Nepal in 2012. These events are very common in Nepal, with the most common natural disasters being floods, landslides, earthquakes and drought.

March 2012• March 28 - Earthquake shakes parts Of Nepal and India with houses

damaged in Taplejung.

May 2012• May 5 - Flooding / avalanche Annapurna range triggered a massive

flood in Seti River resulting in deaths. • May 31 - Six people killed by lightning in Khotang, Udayapur,

Dhankuta and Solukhumbu.

June 2012• June 1 - Heavy storms resulting in deaths and injuries in Bajura. • June 9 - Earthquake in Pokhara, minor damage reported. • June 29 - Landslides in Baglung and Tanahun resulting in deaths.

July 2012• July 19 - Heavy flooding in Dang with over 2,000 houses affected.

August 2012• August 3 - Landslide in Gulmi resulting in deaths. • August 6 - Flash floods in Bardiya with more than 200 houses

affected.

An Experience of Emergency Relief in Nepal By Kiran Bohara - ARF Nepal

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• August 20 - Flooding and landslides in Bhojpur. • August 23 - Powerful earthquakes in Rukum. • August 29 - Landslides in Sankhuwasabha resulting in houses and

schools being damaged. • August 30 - Landslides in Nuwakot and Kaski resulting in deaths.

September 2012

• September 18 - Landslide in Syanga resulting in deaths.• September 19 - Flooding in Kanchanpur resulting in the displacement

of over 600 families.• September 23 - Avalanche in Manaslu resulting in deaths.

October 2012• October 1 - Landslide in Ilam resulting in deaths.• October 2 - Landslide in Sankhuwasabha resulting in deaths.

November 2012• November 5 – Earthquake on Nepal/Tibet border.• November 12 - Earthquake in Bajhang.

Support for the flood Victims in Nawalparasi

Flood victims were identified by local volunteers who conducted surveys by consulting local leaders and intellectuals. The program was organised by a local NGO called Jagriti Child and Youth Concern (JCYC) and was supported by the Asian Resource Foundation (ARF).

The relief program was conducted in two different places in the same district, Pragatinagar and Tamsaria VDC, Danda Nawalparasi on the same day.

The relief materials were distributed to 61 people comprising 36 in Pragatinagar and 25 in Tamsaria VDC in the presence of local authorities

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and political leaders. The relief materials contained 30kg rice, 5kg pulses, 5kg grains/beans, one litre refined oil and a shirt to each family.

The program was concluded with speeches from some of the flood victims of both places who expressed their happiness and offered thanks to the support agency. They stressed that it would be good for them if they could get some land from the government for farming.

A team of four people from the support agency also visited the affected area to ascertain the actual situation of the flood victims. The victims were found in poor condition as they had lost their houses and were compelled to live in small temporary housing. They faced problems in the rains, including the threat of snake bites, lack of pure drinking water and no support from other organisations.

The river Narayani diverted from its original path and caused the problem to these people. It swept houses and huge land of surroundings in which people used to make their meals. The river was very dangerous and was cutting the land day by day.

At present many local and other non government organisations are working to provide sustainable relief to the victims. The displaced people have now been resettled in their original areas with some embankment constructed by the government and an alarm system has been introduced to make prompt warnings of future floods.

Future Work: Natural Disaster Sustainable Community Development in Nepal

EarthquakeNepal and its capital city Kathmandu are very prone to earthquakes and the damage they cause. In order to minimise the damage there is need for an awareness campaign throughout the valley.

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FloodingThe entire Terai region of Nepal gets affected by floods during the rainy season sometimes the Koshi River floods, the Mahakali River floods and other smaller rivers also flood. There is a need for preparedness programs, immediate relief and long-term sustainable programs for the victims.

DroughtDrought is another disaster that causes problems to the farmers in Nepal in both the hills and terai. Low productivity in agriculture affects the poor people. In such cases appropriate farming technology can lessen the effect. Immediate relief programs can also be conducted.

LandslidesAnother common disaster during the rainy season is the landslides which not only create loss in cultivable lands but also take the lives of many people. In order to lessen the loss an effective measure can be warning people of the danger. In Nepal, every year people are displaced due to different types of natural disasters. Floods and landslides are two major causes of displacement and human casualties.

There is a need to revisit strategies and mechanisms related to disaster management to reduce vulnerability and mitigate the flood impact on lives and livelihood of people. Thus it requires strict technical as well as social monitoring mechanisms which can help in issuing early warnings to the surrounding dwellers.

The non-government parties on the other hand should engage the communities to prepare for the disasters and tackle them at the community level before much loss happens.

ARF Nepal looks forward to working with national and international parties in reducing the effects of natural disasters.

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The Role of Dompet Dhuafa in Post-Natural Disaster Activities

DompetDhuafa (DD), since its establishment in 1993 has made a bold contribution in social service areas, especially in the context of humanitarian activities based on philanthropic resources. Starting from an awareness of caring activities initiated by the media crew of Republika, a Daily newspaper in Indonesia, in the early years DD could show its innovation and note several important achievements in social activities based on zakat, infaq, shadaqa and other donation-fundraising. Since it was made the first national zakat institution in 2001, DD’s action in zakat management has grown wider to another area of activities.

The effort to arrange itself and build relations has continued through the next five year period where DD has developed a number of independent networks to sharpen its activities of service and organizational development. Besides developing association with other zakat institution, DD at the time was also known as a humanitarian philanthropic organization that was supported by public donation. After 20 years of its development, nowadays, DD has activity networks that cover economic development, education for the poor, healthcare and non-profit hospital, social service, advocacy and a Disaster Management Center.

Furthermore, for DD, a disaster response is not only handled by the disaster unit itself but also involves several units under DD management such as healthcare service for victims, trauma-healing, education unit and microfinance for community-development.

The traditional theory about disaster management derives four steps, namely the disaster management cycle, which have four closely integrated components; mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery. DD activities are involved in all phases.

By M. Sabeth Abilawa-Dompet Dhuafa

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MitigationMitigation involves long-term planning and identifying the vulnerability of every part of the territory to particular hazards and identification of steps that should be taken to minimize the risks. Disaster mitigation measures are those that eliminate or reduce the impacts and risks of hazards through proactive measures taken before, as well as during an emergency or disaster occurrence.

PreparednessThe purpose of preparedness is to anticipate problems in disasters so that ways can be devised to address the problems effectively and so that the resources needed for an effective response are in place beforehand. Preparedness includes such activities as formulating, testing and exercising disaster plans; providing training for disaster responders and the general public; and communicating with the public and others about disaster vulnerability and what to do to reduce it.

Preparedness also involves the wider communities. The public must be educated about the nature of the hazards it faces and how to recognise and respond safely to them. It is important that the community become familiar with the way in which integrated disaster management and emergency services communicate information and warnings. The public should have

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personal action plans, lists of emergency supplies to have on hand and a clear understanding of how to coordinate their own safety. Communities must also know how to best cooperate with each other and with the emergency services.

In this stage, DD builds a volunteers network in several areas of Indonesia. This program is called Village of Disaster Response and is a model for integrated disaster management and planning through community participatory. We have chosen the Village as an area for this program due to poor people being the most susceptible when disaster strikes.

The Village Disaster Response system provides the basic standards development aspects on disaster. The basic standards can apply to areas under various conditions, because it can be implemented by community participation. Carefully engineered buildings and infrastructure will be essential to the future disaster resiliency of all localities. The task will be to accurately assess all the hazards involved and balance them against the benefit to be gained, according to a given preference of the community. Localities will need to reach their own decisions about the level of hazard they believe is appropriate to their situation and balance that with the desired quality of life and protection of the environment.

This program not only educates the community, but also aims to provide volunteers when disaster strikes. Currently, The Village Disaster Response is implemented in several locations such as East Java Province, West Java, Banten and others.

Secondly, we have a Smart School for Disaster Response (SSDR) program which is a training program for students and teachers. The aim of this program is to prepare and have both individual and collective awareness in the school environment related to disasters including before, during and after a disaster occurs. This activity also enhances the capacity and skills for prevention and disaster risk reduction, natural resource management and environment.

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ResponseDisaster response activities include emergency sheltering, search and rescue, care of the injured, damage assessment and other emergency measures. Currently, the distribution of the DD program has covered all provinces in Indonesia and some other countries. In the next period, these activities will be developed while continuing to strengthen the emergency response team.

In this step – disaster response - DD devotes all of their efforts to make a quick response. DD’s quick response team usually arrives to be one of the first companions to commence aid distribution in the first critical hours after the disaster hits. In these moments, through medical units and rescue units, DD serves the victims as a priority by giving medical examination and distributing food and hygiene kits for example.Temporary shelter

In every disaster, the requirement for a place to stay for victims is very urgent. DD often builds temporary shelters especially in the disasters which cause wider impact. We also build a temporary shelter that can be used in the future for healthcare. The occupancy requirement will normally be three months after the disaster although it depends on the condition of the disaster itself.

Economic recoveryVictims of natural disasters need special help to improve their production capability and economic activity. It is not easy for financial institutions like banks to provide credit for the poor. Most of the victims of natural disasters do not have a guarantee for a loan. The victims sometimes do not have money due to the disaster so they must start business again from zero.Addressing this problem, DD initiated a non-profit microfinance fund for disaster victims called Social Trust Fund (STF) which is an institution that provides micro-capital to people who are affected by disaster. STF provides funding in two schemes; social capital and working capital. Both schemes use sharia financing models such as Qordhul Hasan and mudharaba.

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STF receives funding from donors through DD as a holding institution promoting this program. As a non-profit organisation they have to make sure those financing would be giving to the community and especially for the poor.

STF has been providing working capital to the victims of disasters in various places in Indonesia for over two years. This institution provides access to economic aid for disaster victims when banking and other profit institutions make it difficult, because they pursue benefits from customers. So it means that STF doesn’t have a competitor until today, as long as they remain a values-based and not-for-profit organisation.

If disaster makes people poor then Indonesia and other countries affected will always be poor. Japan is often affected but not many people are impoverished. That’s why STF should be modelled to prevent the disaster-creation of a new poor.

In the future, disasters may come anytime, but there are agencies that are present to assist the affected people to rise up. The increasing number of poor people in the world will be reduced significantly by these organizations. Food bank program

DD also initiated the formation of the Food Bank program which is dedicated to the victims of disaster, especially abroad. This program was introduced to the public in the Philippines when Typhoon Sendong happened in 2012. Last year, the program was rolled out in two more places in Mindanao and Palestine.

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Sri Lanka: Case Study of the Batticaloa District Flood Disaster in 2011By Mr. M.I.M. Iqbal - Sewalanka Foundation

The beginning of the year 2011 was not so bright for the people in 17 districts of Sri Lanka. They underwent indescribable agony and suffering because of the unprecedented floods that disturbed the life of the people. Out of the flood-affected 17 districts, it was reported that the eastern part of Sri Lanka was the most affected.

The people of Batticaloa, in the eastern province of Sri Lanka, had to face two waves of flooding in January and February 2011. The first flood in January was caused by incessant rain and the second wave of flooding in February resulted from torrential rain. People living in all the 14 Divisional Secretariat Divisions in the Batticaloa District were severely affected by both waves of flooding.

The first flood forced people to vacate their houses and take shelter in welfare centres and host families. During the latter part of the month, when the weather seemed to be fair, the affected people started to return to their houses to piece together their shattered lives. However, the second deluge that started in early February again compelled the people to vacate their houses and take refuge. The impact of the second wave of flooding was reported to be worse than the first one.

The destruction caused by the two floods is immeasurable. A large number of families have lost, or had destroyed, their livelihood assets and their livelihood means. A considerable number of houses were partially or fully damaged. Damage was caused to cultivated paddy lands, fisheries, farm land, livestock, small businesses and affected the trades of carpenters, masons, washer men, barbers and daily wage earners.

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The following table shows a summary of the devastation caused by the two floods. Details were supplied by the Disaster Management Centre and by the District Secretaries of the Batticaloa.

Table 12

Table II 3

Flood affected areas in the District of Batticaloa

Locations of proposed response

2 The Batticaloa District Secretariat on January 11, 20113 Disaster Management Centre (DMC).

Affected People/Damage/Loss Batticaloa District No. of families affected 92,173 No. of persons in the families 347,596 Families housed in welfare Centres 32,641 No. of persons in the families 122,047 No. of Welfare Centres 225 Deaths 23 Missing 01 No. families living with relatives 59,532 No. of persons in the families 225,549 No. of families whose houses are partially damaged 3,452 No. of families whose houses are completely damaged 1,220 Acres of paddy land damaged - No. of families whose livelihoods are affected 51,179 No. of persons whose livelihoods are affected 186,241 Crops affected – Families 3,944 Crops Affected- Persons 14,136

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Sewalanka Foundation (SLF) responded to the emergency situation to support the affected communities and strengthen the disaster-affected communities by providing boat services and volunteers to the Gramaseveka officers to help them in relief operations. They also supported the GramaSewaka (GS) and Divisional Secretariat Office (DS) by providing stationery and data sheets to collect the information.

Immediate responseRescue teams provided by the organisations were on the ground to help the affected communities and immediate food relief was provided for the most-affected communities. Some village communities received non-food items to restart their household activities since their items were damaged due to the floods. The affected communities requested the service providers and enabling agencies to support their children to continue their education until they reorganize and restart their livelihood activities.

RebuildingSLF staff did a needs assessment with the affected communities to provide livelihood support, construct and repair shelters and assess their knowledge on disaster mitigation activities. With the availability of funds given to the organisations that were active in the field, the organisations started to take initiatives to improve community knowledge on mitigation activities to protect them from any future natural disasters.

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During the relief distributions, SLF ensured they met the SPHERE and HAP standards and involved the communities to take part in the distribution process. This helped not only to keep the communities active, but also to create mutual understanding and trust between all the organisations and each and every community member. Trust-building facilitated the organisations to select the most-affected members to provide support.

Hazard mapping and contingency planningAfter the intervention by SLF, the communities have realised that they too can initiate and be prepared to reduce the risk and the adverse effects of disasters. SLF used the opportunity of the flood disaster to offer mass education to the community on disaster risk reduction. As the process of participatory hazard mapping was completed, a contingency plan for the villages was developed.

During the presentation on hazard mapping and contingency plans, the government stakeholders understood the importance of early warning systems and established effective and appropriate communication systems for future emergencies. The farmers understood the importance of establishing local seed banks in the safe places within their own village and the livestock beneficiaries realised the importance to upgrade the cages and raise the foundation of those cages to protect them during floods.

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Farmers, entrepreneurs and business people realised the importance of becoming a member in any available insurance schemes. The community realised that people earning income as skilled labourers such as masons, carpenters, brick-makers and small vegetable sellers are the most vulnerable during natural disasters and requested SLF to support them for various trainings on alternative livelihood activities during emergency situations.

The community members whose shelters were badly affected and living in low lying areas realised they needed raise their basic foundation.

What was learnt - key points• Operations through community groups provided an opportunity to

be transparent and share the workload. • Ensuring there is close coordination with other organisations, reduced

duplication.• Learned how to work according to HAP standard but still a lot of

internalisation is needed.• This response gave affected communities the opportunity to engage

in sustainable livelihood activities.• There is a great need to develop integrated emergency response plans.Need to prepare joint contingency plans for the village, division and

district levels.• Allocate unrestricted funds from the organization to respond to

emergency or disaster situations.

Shelter affected by floods Shelter rebuilt by the organisation

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• Every partner should organize and conduct regular Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) training for their new staff.

• Partners need to do hazard mapping in their working locations, with community participation.

• Ensure the SPHERE and HAP standards are known and applied in all emergency situations.

• Integrate climate information and the many uncertainties for the area when you start to formulate any projects.

• Utilise the PVCA training knowledge (which was given after the implementation) in all planning activities.

Sewalanka Foundation shares their experiences during flood disasters with all NGOs, civil society organisations and government stakeholders through various forums where SLF is represented.

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During 2006-2010, AMAN Indonesia undertook disaster emergency responses and risk reduction programs in three provinces of Indonesia; Yogyakarta Earthquake 2006, Jakarta Flood 2007 and West Sumatera Earthquake 2009.

Yogyakarta earthquake 20065.624 people were killed and thousands lost their property during the earthquake in Yogyakarta on May 27th, 2006. With the support of CORDAID, AMAN Indonesia was able to assist 11 sub-villages to build temporary shelters for 700 families in Pleret Village, Bantul, and provide 300 packages of daily need to affected-families. Regular medical check-ups covering over 100 patients every week, trauma-healing for children and emergency school for elementary and secondary students were also provided. Strong people participation during the reconstruction and a high standard of quality control contributed to the success of the program.

Emergency Response in IndonesiaBy Ms. Rubyanti Kholifah - AMAN Indonesia

Health serviceShelter

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Jakarta flood 2007700 families who were affected by floods in Jakarta, February 2007 and received packages of daily needs such as food, drinking water, hygiene kits and emergency tools. AMAN Indonesia, with the support from CORDAID, assisted Cakung Barat, PuloGadung, PondokBambu, Rawajati, and PondokLabu. Approximately 500 children joined psychosocial activities such as storytelling and drawing competitions. Medical check-ups were conducted several times to provide better access for poor urban families, who were unable to access hospitals and health clinics because of distance.

Bazaar

West Sumatera earthquake 2009A 7.6 SR earthquake destroyed almost all government offices in Padang cities and in Padang west Sumatra on 30th September 2009. The earthquake recovery program assisted four sub-villages in Korong Sungai Paku district to build 200 temporary shelters with earthquake adaptive designs. Cooperating with PUSKESMAS, AMAN Indonesia provided medical check-ups for 279 families, and distributed hygiene kits to 313 families. AMAN provided kitchen utensils for 279 families and 105 milk packages for school kids. Another 300 units of shelter were provided for other selected families from more than 10 sub-villages. The key to success during the implementation stages was participation from the community, and NGOs and volunteers that have similar agendas to build resilience in the community.

Food packages to be distributed

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CMDRR programTo strengthen preparedness systems in the community, AMAN Indonesia did a pilot project on the Community Managed Disaster Risk Reduction (CMDRR) from 2008 to 2010. The program emphasised building self-resilience in the community. The aim of the project is to ensure that when hazard strikes, the community is equipped with skill and knowledge on disaster-response based on their planning.

The difficult part of the program is selecting people from the community, who become a core team. They need to be involved directly to do mapping of vulnerability, capacity, and analysis of ris- level, before developing a community action plan. 20 people with gender balance were selected to be a core team and trained in search and rescue, camp management and other technical skills needed when disaster hits the community.

To document new knowledge on disaster response, a hand book was created and circulated. Jakarta and Yogyakarta were chosen as pilot project areas with different characteristic of hazards - earthquakes and floods. CMDRR was able to build confidence among the people, including women and youth groups.

Package of kitchen utensils Shelter

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Training on search and rescue in Jogjakarta Handbook on emergency procedure

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Batticaloa, Sri Lanka was one of the most-affected districts by the 2004 December Tsunami. Entire coastal areas of the Eastern Province were totally destroyed and many thousands of lives were lost within minutes.Out of 14 Divisional Secretariats, seven coastal D.S divisions were badly affected by the Tsunami. The village called Navalady, which is situated within the Batticaloa municipal limit, is a small and traditional fishing village situated between the Indian Ocean and the Batticaloa Lagoon.This isolated village had 475 families, a population of 1400 people in 655 houses, before the tsunami struck. 95% of the population was engaged in only fishing for their livelihood.

Immediate reliefNavalady was struck by the tsunami at 9.10am on 26 December 2004 and a total of 755 lives had been lost. When the relief activities were launched by the government authorities, Navalady was given priority based on the severe damage and loss of life.

At the beginning, the government authorities decided to vacate the entire population from Navalady to a suitable location. The new place was Thiraimadu, 7km’s away. Navalady was declared prohibited and the relocation of the people was not a simple task.

Relocation activities started within two days after the tsunami. At the beginning, 410 families were resettled in a new place with adequate facilities within 72 hours. 642 temporary shelters had been constructed in a short period along with water and sanitation facilities.

By Mr. S. Mamangarajah – Sri Lanka North East Community Development

Relocated Tsunami Village of Navalady-Eastern Batticaloa District in Sri Lanka

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The challengesWhen the government authorities started the relocation process, they faced a number of problems. 95% of the families were living under the poverty line. There were rich fishermen who had control of fishing industries in Navalady; however the majority of the population was working under them as temporary workers on daily wages.

Soon after the tsunami devastation, none of the rich fishermen were interested tin restarting their businesses as they had alternative options for their livelihood. To find livelihood facilities for the remaining fisherman was a problem.

Another specific problem was the unexpected widows. There were more than 300 widows who had lost the bread winners for their family. They had the responsibility to look after their entire family. It was a very sad and unexpected happening for this affected community.

Based on East Asian culture women do not come forward and participate in community activities. They don’t have decision making power or rights. Most of the females are engaged in looking after the house and their children. Therefore responsibility or strength of the females is very fragile and questionable. To beat this challenge, empowering these widows was given priority.

Policy not followedSoon after the tsunami there were more than 100 international agencies that commenced rescue and relief activities. Most of the INGOs implemented their programs according to their criteria, not the policy and procedures of the government. Government rehabilitation and resettlement administrative procedures were totally ignored by the implementing agencies.

These INGOs continued to provide relief items for a few months, which created problems among the community. It created an environment where

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the victims expected everything from others. As a result, the affected people became lazy and did not show interest in starting livelihood activities.

ResettlementThe resettlement process had started at Thiraimadu which is situated 7km’s away from Navalady and 3km’s from the ocean. It was originally a bare land with small bushes, but after clearance 620 transitional shelters were constructed immediately with people’s participation.

Construction of toilets, provision of water facilities and medical facilities by the different agencies under the supervision of the government were the initial responses. At the beginning of the resettlement process, the people lived in temporary shelters constructed mainly with sheets. Due to the hot weather, people were unable to live inside their shelters, particularly during the day time. Therefore the construction of permanent houses was a priority for the project implementers.

Concluding points from this case• People of Navalady were fishermen. The Thiraimadu environment

was unsuitable for their day to day livelihood activities since it was not a fishing village.

• The unexpected disaster had created over 300 widows. It was difficult to empower the widows to undertake the responsibilities of their family within a short period of time.

• Another result of the disaster was mentally-affected people. Due to their unexpected loss, most of the women and children were mentally-affected. They required counseling to become normal citizens of the community.

• Providing livelihood assistance for affected fisherman was problematic for implementers.

• During the resettlement process, there was unnecessary influence created by outside forces disturbing the smooth implementation of the project.

• Out of 470 original families displaced from Navalady, 323 families

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are successfully resettled at Thiraimadu with permanent houses and other necessary facilities.

• All resettled families are able to restart their fishing livelihood activities in their original homeland of Navalady.

• Compared to 2004 the daily capacity of fish caught has increased by 40 % in the year 2012.

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Introduction and ContextThis case study emphasizes the challenge and potentialities that are encountered when designing and executing a disaster preparedness plan incorporated into the village development framework. The case study represents communities with different social, economic and environmental context. However, the underlying sustainability principles in the delivery of program are common across these diverse contexts. Common principles for successful engagement and sustainability strategies are explored in the paper. The principles are reflected at two enabling environments, in the author’s experience, i.e. external and internal factors in the community. The paper also outlines the way in which issues in the areas of social institutions, community engagement, culture, program performance, innovation, public policy and local leadership have significant influence in building capability and self-reliance of the community.

Case Study BackgroundTwo case studies have been selected because they reflect diverse communities in coping with different type of hazards and distinct key sustainable issues being addressed within communities.

Manokwari DistrictYEU provides assistance in 11 villages in 2 (two) sub-districts, namely Manokwari Timur sub district and Masni sub-district, with a total population around 9.018 people. The villages bear diverse geographical characteristics; coastal villages, islet village and inland villages near the main rivers.

Fostering Program Sustainability through Inclusion of a Disaster Preparedness Plan into the Village Development FrameworkBy Ms. Anastasia Maylinda - YAKKUM Emergency Unit, Indonesia

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Manokwari Timur sub-district is a semi-urban environment, situated on the outskirt of Manokwari city, where livelihood ranges from administrative work, trade, farming, and fishery. Manokwari Timur sub-district together with Manokwari city is a relatively old society with its recorded history dating back from the 18th century with the arrival of the first missionary in Papua. Whereas, Masni sub-district is a rural community with most people working as farmers and fishermen. The sub-district is a newly established society with people mostly from outside Papua who joined government program during the transmigration, in the 1970s. They comprise people from different ethnic groups, such as the Javanese, Flores people, Moluccas, and people from Sulawesi. The development in Masni sub-district is continuously expanding due to vast land assets with natural resource potentials; one of the developments is the ever-growing palm oil plantations which consume two-thirds of the land area, and the newly operated lead mining.

On 4 January 2009, an earthquake with the magnitude 7,6 on the Richter scale struck near Sorong, North of Manokwari city, followed by several strong aftershocks. A tsunami warning was announced, but later was lifted.

Map 1. Villages in Manokwari Timur sub-district (left) and Villages in Masni sub-district (right)

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Furthermore, it caused 4 deaths , many injured people, and the destruction of infrastructure.

Teluk Wondama sub-districtYEU facilitates a community-based disaster risk-reduction program in 14 villages in 2 (two) sub-districts, Wasior and Wondiboy sub-districts, counting also the community staying in IDP camps. In total, there are around 13.085 people living in the village and IDP camps. The villages have similar geographical feature, i.e. villages flanked with coastline and rugged hills in a short distance, causing the area to be prone to flash floods and landslides at the same time.

Teluk Wondama is a relatively new district established in 2001. Thus, development initiatives on government administration and infrastructure have become the priority. Most indigenous people are living by traditional farming and fishery. Migrant workers are contributing in the trade, commerce, health and education sectors. With the abundance of natural resources ready to be exploited for mining or plantations, and its strategic location on the bay, Teluk Wondama has drawn the attention of outside investors.

Torrential downpour for more than 1 (one) day has triggered overflow in several rivers and flash floods mainly in Wasior and Wondiboy sub-districts on 4 October 2013. It caused immense casualties in the area; 169 people were confirmed dead, 118 people were missing, more than 3.500 were severely affected due to the flash flood, which forced approximately 9.000 people to evacuate to either Manokwari (8-12 hours by boat) or Nabire (13-14 hours by boat).

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Post Disaster Intervention StrategiesIn general, the strategies of YEU post-disaster interventions in both Manokwari district and Teluk Wondama district focus on activities to:(1) Sensitize the concerned population as to the underlying risks, as well as appropriate response strategies,(2) Initiate community-based emergency disaster preparedness plan in all selected villages, and(3) Install the early warning system, including appropriate behaviour in case of a disaster.

While basically performing comparable interventions in both districts, the author learned that the end results are distinct from each other taking into account both local and universal context in the region. For example one of DRR initiatives in the project is to install an early warning device in selected locations. In Manokwari district, the installation of an earthquake warning alarm is supported by an external benefactor from Germany, employing forefront innovation with local capacity to maintain the system. Due to complex operation, it requires trained persons as well as periodic maintenance and control from the village level (village committee) to

Map 2. The flash flood affected areas (left) and 3D image on the topography of Wasior (right)

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district level (BPBD in Manokwari). In Teluk Wondama district, the innovation to install a flood warning system in the form of water-meter level is constructed locally, using human, technical and material resources available in the areas. It is expected that local engagement would encourage ownership of the system.

Picture 1. The Earthquake warning alarm in Manokwari (left) and the water-meter level in Teluk Wondama (right)

The following section focuses attention on interventions of “initiating community-based emergency disaster preparedness plans in all selected villages” with elaborate explanation of the process of integration into the existing village development plan. The intervention is designed for the post emergency phase when most of the basic needs during the emergency have been met and the community has recuperated from the impact of a disaster. This environment enables them to develop a better approach to respond to future disaster and to plan for improved disaster-managemen in the community.

Initiating a community-based disaster preparedness plan requires continuous engagement with the community in the entire process and should allocate a long time to accomplish the end product, i.e. the agreed document on a village disaster preparedness plan. The strategy of

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community engagement depends on the social, economic and cultural characteristics of the area. Based on the experiences in both Manokwari and Teluk Wondama district, the author discovered that communities with homogenous occupations, such as in rural areas where most people work at almost the same time on seasonally-based activities, easily agree to meet on allocated times as compared to communities in urban areas with heterogeneous occupations, where time-management is often a complicated issue.

Strategic community engagement is fundamental to safeguard the integration of a disaster preparedness plan into the village development plan as well as to invite greater participation from the community. Essentially, it is how to internalize the sustainablity principle in the overall post-disaster program to achieve fruitful results.

Toward Sustainable Intervention: Inclusion of a Disaster Preparedness Plan into the Village Development Framework

The paper highlights sustainability in its engagement with communities who are affected by disasters in order to prepare them for any future hazards, and at the same time creating a platform to “build back better”. The premise is that the goal of sustainable initiatives is to reduce the potential for disaster losses, and to help communities realize opportunities to implement sustainable re-development during the recovery process.4

The author begins to examine the case studies in both Manokwari and Teluk Wondama district by drawing attention on how a disaster preparedness plan could be performed in specified villages. There are two arguments that should be taken into consideration; the internal factors and the external factors upon the approval of a disaster preparedness plan.

4 FEMA, report 365, pg. 5

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1. Enabling Internal Factors Community acceptance of the DRR intervention, especially those

who have identified that disaster management is the responsibility of all, including own-community. Their experience proves that external assistance post disaster is often delayed, lacking or absent in the area, and they should be able to stand on their own capacity.

Community participation is encouraged in the design, process and implementation of the village disaster preparedness plan. In any case, the local key actors are able to voice community’s concern in dealing with the preparedness scheme.

The Community is aware of its rights and the legal obligations of government and other stakeholders to provide relief assistance and protection, particularly to those directly affected by the disaster and who suffer great loss.

The Community is aware that beyond recovery is a new opportunity for a better future. It is also the expectation that the process of rehabilitation-reconstruction would benefit the community in order to start a living.

The presence of local key actors who have the energy and drive to harness the capacity building initiatives through meetings, trainings, workshops, or mentoring. They could be identified as persons with compelling character, trust from the community, ability to voice the issues in the community and leadership. They might not be a government authority, but could be any person from diverse occupational backgrounds, such as a school teacher, school principal, pastor, priest, or coordinator of an IDP camp (Teluk Wondama case).

Leadership quality of local key actors to initiate collaboration, strong decision making judgement, and innovate.

2. Enabling External Factors The implementation of rehabilitation-reconstruction which is mostly

physical has brought high expectation to build a safer community and encouragement to identify non-physical aspects that should be immediately addressed. Although in reality the process is sometimes

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behind schedule and the operation tends to be centralized (Teluk Wondama case).

Collaboration between community and other local actors in maintaining and controlling the integrated village preparedness plan. For instance, the agreement to jointly monitor the operation of the early warning system, the commitment to jointly review the formulation of the preparedness plan, the proposal for external funding and other external assistance to capacity building.

Local NGOs, CBOs and communities of interest engaged closely with issues of disaster recovery and village development. Thus, it ensures shared information amongst those actors regarding DRR responsibilities, village plan priorities, local policies and decision making.

Recognition of the document on village disaster preparedness plan as a legal product by local authority.

Picture 2. The signatories who sign the village preparedness document; the village and sub-district authorities

National and local government policies, strategies and implementation plan on disaster management and development plan are in place. This information is shared to the community with the emphasis that both legal products become the foundation in designing the village disaster preparedness plan as well as reviewing the existing village development plan.

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Principles of SustainabilityThe theoretical foundation to principles of sustainability follows the premise that people and their communities are made up of social, economic, and environmental systems. They are in constant interaction that should be kept in harmony or balance if the community is to continue to function to the benefit of its inhabitants (Monday). The discussion in this session aims at determining what principles of sustainability are being adopted in the two case studies.

There are six principles proposed by Monday; improving the quality of life of the community, enhancing local economic vitality, promoting social and intergenerational equity, improving the quality of the environment, incorporating disaster resilience and mitigation, and employing a participatory process in the decision making. The two case studies reflect short-term DRR intervention lasting 17 months in Manokwari district and 19 months in Teluk Wondama district, with the initial challenge to engage with the community which requires prolonged time. The intervention does not have specific objectives on economy, but the issue is endorsed during the process. The issue on the environment is mostly to rehabilitate the natural resources post disaster and to establish a local policy to protect the environment in the area.

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1. Maintain and, if possible, enhance the quality of life of the community. The quality of life differs from community to community. In the case studies, it translated into components of:

- improved infrastructures and housing, post-disaster with a note that not all community members get immediate benefit from the process, especially when most of the construction work during rehabilitation-reconstruction is delayed and is performed through an external service provider, further limiting the participation of the community.

- improved awareness of hazards, risks and vulnerability in one’s own village through participatory engagement, where YEU employs participatory rural appraisal,

- increased knowledge and skills related to disaster management,- indigenous people are proud of their historical heritage in dealing

with evangelism in the area; when spiritually they believe that in every experience, even in the disaster, they rely on God

2. Enhance local economic vitality. Although the DRR intervention in the two districts is not addressing economic objectives, the case studies show that within a village preparedness plan economic vitality is interconnected with other principles, such as:

- The notion of rehabilitation of environment corresponds closely to the protection of livelihood in the area, particularly in the rural areas where people depend on natural resources,

- The rehabilitation of natural features and public infrastructure damaged in the disaster would potentially boost the recovery of livelihood in the area,

- Rehabilitation-reconstruction as well as any development initiatives post-disaster attract diversified occupations.

3. Promote social and intergenerational equity. Providing impartial opportunities for everyone post-disaster, understanding the consequences of human activity that exacerbate risks of disaster, and avoid depletion of future resources, should become the principle consideration. Those foundations are brought into attention when formulating disaster

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preparedness plan; how to safeguard the plan to be accepted in the current situation and necessarily adjusted for future policy or guidelines.

4. Maintain and, if possible, enhance the quality of the environment. In the case studies, environmental protection is clearly defined in the village disaster preparedness plan with direct involvement of the community in the monitoring (including also the monitoring of the early warning system). It shows inseparable correlation between humans and the environment; a long tradition mutually preserved by indigenous populations. Through a village disaster preparedness plan, the mutual correlation is strengthened by collective agreement in the advocacy activity, since environment with any potential natural resources would be subject to exploitation. The preparedness plan provides standpoints of the village community towards economic endeavour with the possibility a certain local policy.

5. Incorporate disaster resilience and mitigation into its decision and actions. Throughout the process of producing the disaster preparedness plan, the community is continuously encouraged to develop self-resilience in the face of a disaster. A good response system in the village to ensure measures to minimize the impact from a disaster is appropriately performed. In the case studies, each village has established a village committee consisting of the local authority and key persons in the village with the responsibility to perform emergency actions. Thus, they are adept with adequate knowledge and skills.

6. Use a consensus-building, participatory process when making decisions. The argument that participation is the key to sustainability should be observed at the initial stage of any program. Monday proposes that it encourages the identification of concerns and issues which later would be beneficial in decision-making. On the subject of village preparedness plan, the elaboration of consensus-building and participation could be found in every step of its integration into the village development plan as follows:

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1) Designing an appropriate approach and/or engagement with the community in post disaster settings;

2) Involving the community in the identification of concerns through Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA); mapping of environmentally sensitive areas, assessing the community’s vulnerability to hazards, pinpointing impacts within the community, before and after the disaster, and determining the quality of life concerns that are important to local community;

3) Coordinating with any relevant actors;4) Formulating goals for the village disaster preparedness plan through

a series of discussions with key local actors;5) Developing strategies for implementation with the focus on

identifying the accomplished actions, effective partnerships, technical support and possible funding methods from local sources, and necessary advocacy interventions;

6) Obtaining agreement on the plan for action, through reviewing the document on village preparedness plan by the broader community;

7) Finalize the document with legal signatory; 8) Ensuring the learning cycle and possible revision of the plan

Blockages to SustainabilitySuccessful inclusion of the village preparedness plan into the village development plan requires a good understanding of the issues that can block its sustainability, taking into account the contextual environment:

The local autonomy policy endorsed by the central government, especially for the Papua region since 2001, has not taken fully into effect and raises the suspicion of corruption. There is the assumption circulated in the community that the grant from the central government is regarded as “charity”, and not financial support for longer-term development.

Situational context, such as unrest in the region due to political considerations or military oppression

Limited time to either implement or monitor the impact of a visible outcome achievement (Conger et al. 1999, p. 340).

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Barriers to trust (Conger et al. 1999, p. 340) Lack of dialogue and/or discussion amongst local key actors to

continue the initial actions in delivering the village disaster preparedness plan

The absence of technical and financial support to either monitor or evaluate the progress of DRR initiatives as well as development implementation.

ResultsAs of today, the following has been achieved by community in both Manokwari and Teluk Wondama districts.

Manokwari District: The document on the village disaster preparedness plan has been

shared to BPBD in Manokwari and other stakeholders for further support.

Further approach by BPBD in Manokwari to accommodate CBOs and villages with a well- planned disaster preparedness scheme in a forum for communication.

Commitment between community and BPBD in Manokwari on the maintenance of an earthquake warning system.

Strengthened relationship amongst community, CBOs and local NGOs and BPBD in Manokwari.

Teluk Wondama District: The document on the village disaster preparedness plan in all villages

have been legalized by the head of the respective villages and the head of the sub-district.

There is stronger ownership of the flood warning system by community members.

Commitment between community and BPBD in Teluk Wondama on the maintenance of flood warning system.

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ConclusionConsidering sustainable principles first in post-disaster intervention is challenging and rewarding. At the same time it assures community participation which is essential at developing the disaster preparedness plan. Steps to produce the disaster preparedness plan are described to ensure improved capability and recognition of self-reliant mechanisms for community wellbeing in the longer-term. The necessity for the community to engage post disaster intervention into development schemes becomes the trait of successful and sustainable intervention.

References1999. Disasters by Design Washington, D.C.: The Joseph Henry Press. Available at http://books.nap.edu/catalog/5782.html

Conger, J.A; Spreitzer, G.M. & Lawler, E.E. 1999. Leader’s Change Handbook. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Inc.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). 2000. Rebuilding for a More Sustainable Future: An Operational Framework. 1st ed. FEMA report 364 and 365. Washington DC: FEMA.

John Twigg. 2007. Characteristics of a Disaster-resilient Community: A Guidance Note. Version 1. UK: DFID Disaster Risk Reduction Interagency Coordination Group.

Monday, Jacquelyn L. Building Back Better: Creating a Sustainable Community after Disaster. Available at <http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/publications/informer>

Schwab, Jim; Kenneth C. Topping; Charles C. Eadie; Robert E. Deyle; and Richard A. Smith. 1998. Planning for Post-Disaster Recovery and Reconstruction. PAS Report No. 483/484. Chicago, Illinois: American Planning Association. Abstract available at <http://www.planning.org/apapubs/details.asp?Num=1178.

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Union Councils of Ghospur, Darri and Haibat of district Kashmore in Sindh province of Pakistan were directly hit and severely damaged by roaring waves of the Indus River in August 2010. This flood played havoc with public and private infrastructure, agriculture, homes and completely washed out livelihood sources of the affected communities. After successfully completing the phases of relief assistance and early recovery, SPO decided to work on twofold long term rehabilitation of the affected communities i) to give them resilient livelihood options ii) to build their capacity to minimize risk of future disasters so that they not only protect themselves but also their livelihoods.

SPO has been working in the target area since November 2010 and managed to develop a strong and deep relationship with affected communities. Since November 2010, SPO facilitated communities with improved agricultural and communication infrastructure, repaired and constructed housing structures, provided cash transfer programming and livestock interventions so that communities come out of the damage of 2010 floods.

In February 2012, Strengthening Participatory Organization (SPO)-one of the largest rights based national NGO in Pakistan-with the financial and technical support of the Catholic Agency for Oversees Development (CAFOD) UK, started a long term disaster resilience intervention. The basic objective of the project was to facilitate communities and harness their potential through financial and technical support so that their vulnerabilities are reduced and capacities are strengthened for absorbing the shocks caused by natural or man-made disasters. SPO engaged communities in the designing of the project, the response was encouraging and communities welcomed the idea.

A Case Study on Post-Disaster Rehabil itation and Resil ience in Kashmore, PakistanBy Naseer Memon, Chief Executive; Strengthening Participatory Organization (SPO)

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The project area is known for its rich culture and traditions thus the artisans are also known for their skills and production of traditional artefacts and souvenirs. SPO engaged another renowned service delivery public sector organization Aik Hunar Aik Nagar (one village one product) AHAN, that conducted a feasibility study and skill tests of 400 hundred skilled persons and short-listed 180 artisans with different skill sets such as fishing nets, pottery, stitching, embroidery, block printing, Sindhi cap making, wood work and other local skills. These identified artisans were put into 27 “Enterprise Groups” based on their location, gender and nature of skill. A customized training program was designed and delivered for these artisans by AHAN and participants learned value addition to their products with improved and refined quality features so that they could compete in national and international markets. SPO provided financial assistance to the members of enterprise groups so that they could procure raw materials and produce collectively as one group, members do all the work collectively right from procuring the material to selling it in the market. Now artisans have improved skills and production methods and their income level has been increased 25-30% in one production cycle. Now artisans have skills, a set of tools and raw materials. Their production model is flexible of an “as and where feasible” type, so they sit together and produce jointly. From the artisans/members of enterprise groups, SPO convinced them to enter into an agreement of investing at least 5% of their profits in community based risk reduction and management (CBDRM) activities, designed and carried out by a resilience group in the village. This was a pre-condition or eligibility criteria for selection in this program and artisans signed a written undertaking before joining the program activities.

On the other hand, SPO mobilized and formed “Resilience Groups” comprised of community representatives, members of enterprise groups and social activists. These groups are primarily responsible for disaster profiling and risk management planning of their respective villages. All the groups have already developed their DRM plans with clearly marked responsibilities, established early warning systems, marked spaces in case

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of evacuation and developed mock preparedness exercises before the flood seasons. SPO provided technical support in the form of awareness-raising about disaster preparedness, mitigation measures, DRR and DRM and helped groups in developing their village-based DRR plans. Groups were also facilitated with the establishment of a localized/village based early warning system and trained in using the system in case of any emergency. This whole resilience component is supplemented by very strong local level advocacy campaigns so that communities raise their voice and concerns regarding various local issues which have not been addressed by the project but affect them directly e.g. violent tribal conflicts, gender-based violence, domestic violence, access to basic services and poor law and order situation. SPO and communities celebrated 16 days activism and a substantial number of local women participated in all the activities which is a major behavioural change noted in the area since women’s participation in communal activities is not encouraged due to customary practices.

In order to keep community members abreast with project information, progress and updates, SPO designed a voice-based beneficiary communication system that gives community members direct access to the higher levels of SPO management. They can directly call and record their complaint, concern and feedback about the quality of project services and goods, behaviour of project team and progress of project activities. The improved quality and accountability culture of SPO helped management in smooth and hassle free implementation and achieving project targets.

SPO has been a strong advocate and practitioner of investing in the softer side of the DRR i.e. making people resilient so that community members are well-aware of the possible threats and vulnerabilities and well-prepared to fight and reduce the possible potential damage in future. The preparedness together with the communication system proved critical during the torrential rains of 2012, when community members were kept in constant touch with the help of the system and received vital information that helped

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them to protect themselves during unprecedented 250mm rainfall in 24 hours. During this catastrophe there was no death reported in the project whereas 54 deaths were reported in 2010 super floods.

The communities were kept updated with weather advisories and alerts. They were in contact with local authorities and SPO which helped them in making critical decision at the right time, saving precious lives and meager resources. The process of timely evacuation was led by resilience groups in their respective villages and now they are leading the process of “enabling resilience” from the front and ownership has increased manifold. Complete results/impact will be measured after completion of the intervention in September 2013.

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The Challenges of Policy

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The geographical location, land characteristics, multiplicity of rivers and the monsoon climate render Bangladesh highly vulnerable to natural hazards. The coastal morphology of Bangladesh influences the impact of natural hazards on the area. Significant country features include:

• A vast network of rivers and channels.• An enormous discharge of water heavily laden with sediments.• A large number of islands in between the channels.• A shallow northern Bay of Bengal and funneling to the coastal area

of Bangladesh.• Strong tidal and wind action.

Natural and human induced hazards such as floods, cyclones, droughts, tidal surges, tornadoes, earthquakes, river erosion, fire, infrastructure collapse, high arsenic contents of ground water, water logging, water and soil salinity, epidemic, and various forms of pollution are frequent occurrences (Figure 1). Climate change adds a new dimension to community risk and vulnerability. Although the magnitude of these changes may appear to be small, they could substantially increase the frequency and intensity of existing climatic events (floods, droughts, cyclones etc).

Figure 1: Nature and location of natural disasters in Bangladesh

By Professor Mohiuddin Ahmad

Fighting Hazards and Saving People: Disaster Management in Bangladesh

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Disasters in BangladeshFloodsFloods are a regular phenomenon.

• Approximately 50% of the country is within 6-7m of MSL.• Approximately 68% of the country is vulnerable to floods.• 25%-30% of the area is inundated during normal floods.

The 1988 flood affected approximately two-thirds of the country. The 1998 flood alone caused 1,100 deaths, rendered 30 million people homeless, damaged 500,000 homes and caused heavy loss to infrastructure and affected around 67% of the country.

Cyclones and storm surgesTropical cyclones from the Bay of Bengal accompanied by storm surges are one of the major disasters. Storm surge heights in excess of 9m are not uncommon in this region. For example, the 1876 cyclone had a surge height of 13.6m and in 1970 the height was 9.11m. The 1970 cyclone was a deadly cyclone that was responsible for deaths of approximately 300,000 people. Cyclone SIDR of 15 November 2007 killed 3,363 people, while cyclone AILA of 25 May 2009 killed 190 people. River bank erosionThis is an ongoing disaster and there is no specific indicator to measure the extent of damage. Rivers in Bangladesh are morphologically highly dynamic. The main rivers are braided, and form islands or chars between the braiding channels. These chars, of which many are inhabited, “move with the flow” and are extremely sensitive to changes in the river conditions. Erosion processes are highly unpredictable, and not compensated by accretion. According to the World Disaster Report 2001, published by IFRCS, every year around one million people are affected by river erosion and 9,000 hectares of cultivable land are banished in the rivers. Among these, only a few affected people are able to find new shelters while others become homeless for uncertain periods.

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EarthquakesBangladesh and the north eastern Indian states have long been one of the seismically active regions of the world, and have experienced numerous large earthquakes during the past 200 years. Many seismic-tectonic studies have been undertaken on the area comprising the Indo-Burman ranges and their western extension and in northern India. Bangladesh has been classified into three seismic zones with zone three the most and zone one the least vulnerable to seismic risks. DroughtsBangladesh faces unpredictable drought hazard in the dry monsoon season due to inadequate and uneven rainfall. As much as 17% of the Aman crops (the main paddy crops in the wet season) may be lost in a typical year due to drought. Arsenic contaminationThe value (recommended limit) for arsenic in drinking water as per the guideline of the WHO is 10 mg/L while the national standard in most countries, including Bangladesh, is 50 mg/L. With varying levels of contamination from region-to-region, groundwater in 61 out of the 64 districts in Bangladesh is contaminated with arsenic. Arsenic concentrations in the country range from less than 0.25 mg/L to more than 1600 mg/L. About half of the population of Bangladesh drinks water that has an arsenic concentration greater than the WHO guideline. Salinity intrusionSaline water intrusion is mostly seasonal in Bangladesh; in winter months the saline front begins to penetrate inland, and the affected areas rise sharply from 10 percent in the monsoon to over 40 percent in the dry season. Coastal districts are the victims of salinity intrusion. Agricultural production, fisheries, livestock, and mangrove forests are affected by higher salinity in the dry season.

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LandslidesLandslides have recently emerged as a major hazard, particularly after the Chittagong Landslide 2007. In Bangladesh, landslides are mostly triggered by heavy rainfall. However, underlying causes of landslides include deforestation, hill cutting, unregulated development work, etc. Moreover, poverty and landlessness force poor people to live in the risky hill-slopes.

Climate changeBangladesh is currently ranked as the most climate-vulnerable country in the world. IPCC (2007) in its fourth assessment report described the following changes in climate trends, variability and extreme events:• In Bangladesh, the average temperature has registered an increasing trend of about 1°C in May and 0.5°C in November during the 14 year period from 1985 to 1998.

• The annual mean rainfall exhibits increasing trends in Bangladesh. Decadal rain anomalies are above long-term averages since the 1960s.

• Serious and recurring floods have taken place during 2002, 2003 and 2004. Cyclones originating from the Bay of Bengal have been noted to decrease since 1970 but the intensity has increased.

• Frequency of monsoon depressions and cyclone formations in Bay of Bengal has increased.

• Water shortages have been attributed to rapid urbanization and industrialization.

• Population growth and inefficient water use, which are aggravated by changing climate and its adverse impacts on demand, supply and water quality.

• Saltwater from the Bay of Bengal is reported to have penetrated 100km or more inland along tributary channels during the dry season.

• The precipitation decline and droughts have resulted in the drying up of wetlands and severe degradation of ecosystems.

The IPCC has reported in their fourth assessment that the production of rice and wheat could drop in Bangladesh by eight percent and 32 percent respectively by the year 2050. Bangladesh is especially susceptible to

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increasing salinity of their groundwater as well as surface water resources, especially along the coast, due to increases in sea level as a direct impact of global warming. With a 1m rise in sea level, the Sundarban mangrove forest is likely to be lost.

Disaster Management - People’s coping practicesStorm surgeBy preferring to have a mud-built house, reinforced with straw and wooden/bamboo pillars, women take the burden of rebuilding such units along with their male counterparts following a cyclone. There is a preparatory phase when generally women store dry foods in their houses. Coastal people now keep at least one radio in most of their households and listen to regular updates in relation to cyclone warnings. Women put safe water in a plastic canister and bury it along with polythene-wrapped dry food, match sticks, candles, and life saving medications in a designated place so that following the storm they can reclaim those important things quickly. Taking temporary refuge in a nearby cyclone shelter is becoming more and more common. Those who cannot go to the cyclone shelters, especially due to poor accessibility, take shelter on the embankments. Water loggingWomen are generally given the responsibility to safeguard virtually everything valuable and perishable in moist conditions. They take care of themselves, maintain household physical security, maintain the well-being of children and elderly people, nurse young children, prepare food and still do everything psychologically possible to maintain household harmony.

SalinityWomen fetch non-saline drinking water, even if the source is located far away from their household. They, in their daily struggle to collect potable water, face difficult circumstances, even sexual harassment and assault.

DroughtsThe most observed survival mechanism is to sell assets that women own,

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such as, gold, poultry (chicken, ducks, goats etc.), since price-hike of essentials is very common in this situation. Women have to take on an extra burden and effort to fetch water in this water-crisis condition. They have to walk a long way to find a tube well where water level supports water supply adequately.

FloodsPeople live with this natural phenomenon and build up their coping mechanisms mainly based on indigenous and ancestral knowledge. Women move with extreme discomfort when in need; however they show clear reluctance to leave their children with the fear that they might get drowned if they slip into the water. Many poor women collect wet, land-based food items, often on the way to fetching drinking water. In the flash flood- prone areas, women generally preserve fuelwood and dry foods such as muri, chira, khoietc underneath their roof with polythene.

Coastal and river bank erosionOu-migration is the only way to cope when river-bank erosion takes place. This is a phenomenon which takes away almost everything from the affected dwellers. The destitute people take shelter on the nearby embankments or adjacent khaslands. As a result, the families, especially young women, face enormous harassment and insecurity. Often the male members of the family go to big cities for employment leaving their families almost in an unbearable, unprotected situation.

Institutional response to disastersAmong the major institutions are the government (public agencies), non-government organisations (NGOs), development partners (DPs), local government institutions (LGIs) and the private sector. After any disaster, it is the immediate neighbor that one comes for the succor. Then come the local government followed by other public agencies. The private sector bodies then come with the relief materials. NGOs come last as they spend weeks, preparing project proposals and negotiating with the DPs for funds; a few NGOs have resources to respond immediately after the disaster.

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Figure 2: Disaster information disseminationD i s a s t e r M a n a g e m e n t Information Centre - Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, is one major source of credible information required by the institutions and groups who need them for planning their operations in affected areas (Figure 2). At the micro level, local government institutions and local outlets of NGOs extend facilitation according to their capacity and scope.

Rebuilding communitiesLivelihoods are often shattered by disasters. Once the emergency relief phase is over, the question of restoration to normalcy arises. At this stage, NGOs play a vital role. Many of them embark on medium and long-term rehabilitation packages that include house repair/construction, supply of agricultural inputs and credit, etc.. According to a study done for the DMB, the victims of disasters are able to rebuild their lives and livelihoods with financial support from NGOs and private borrowings. Distress sale of asset also prevails (Figure 3)

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Figure 3: Rebuilding lifeOne major challenge is to stand beside the most vulnerable. It is indeed possible through the existing network of LGIs and NGOs. The following observations were revealed by a post disaster study.

• Those who stayed in shelters received food support, both from the government and the NGOs.

• Relief materials reached remote areas.• Many people received food packages from multiple sources.• Women had to travel a long way to collect their package from the

distribution centre.• Many vulnerable households did not receive food package from

NGOs.• People were extensively covered by the special VGF program of the

government.• Members of credit groups sponsored by micro-finance NGOs could

survive without relief assistance. They had other sources of income and did not suffer from much dislocation.

It is true that micro-finance NGOs are able to start their relief and rehabilitation program without any delay as they can cover, at least, their target groups with extended support.

The coastal zone is not endowed with sufficient fresh water. River water is saline almost all year round and ground water is also saline in many areas. People use water from ponds and khals for all domestic purposes where tube wells are not technically feasible. In the dry season, pond water becomes filthy and because there is no other option, many people use polluted water and suffer. In this backdrop, some NGOs are promoting the technology of pond sand filtering (PSF) and rainwater harvesting (RWH)PSF is organised around a community pond, which is sometimes donated by individuals for community use. NGOs pay for other items such as pond preparation (re-excavation), water reservoir (brick structure where sand and brick chips are used for filtering), and a hand pump. People (mostly women and adolescent girls) fetch water with buckets or jars. The pond is not used for any other purpose (see Box 1).

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Box 1: Water for life There is no tube well around, as the groundwater is too saline. Ponds are the only source of water and t h e w a t e r i s fi l t h y. Villagers have been using pond water for domestic purposes all year round. Diarrhea, dysentery and skin diseases were common in almost every household. “Life is secured now”, women express their gratitude with these words.

One affluent farmer donated a 0.37-acre pond for community use. The pond was re-excavated and cleaned with support from a local NGO. Water has been kept reserved for use for drinking and cooking purpose. A water-storage tank has been made with brick and cement at one corner of the pond with a sand-filtering system and a hand pump was installed beside, to take water from the storage. A local NGO introduced the pond-sand-filtering technology. Women from approximately five hundred neighbouring households come with buckets and pots to take water. Also, many fishermen take water for their boat before they sail for hours in the river. The incidence of water-borne diseases has come down considerably.

The pond is cleaned once every three months and taka 300-400 is spent. A five-member committee oversees it. People call it the grammoshebok committee (rural volunteers’ committee). The committee mobilizes the maintenance fund.

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Public Policy and StrategyMillennium development goalThe Millennium Declaration of September 2000 identified “protecting the vulnerable” as a key objective. “We will spare no effort to ensure that children and all civilian populations that suffer disproportionately the consequences of natural disasters…are given assistance and protection so that they can resume normal life as soon as possible.”

National Adaptation Program of ActionAs an outcome of the climate change convention, the National Adaptation Program of Action (NAPA) provides a process for least-developed countries to identify priority activities that respond to their urgent and immediate needs with regard to adaptation to climate change. Bangladesh was among the first countries to prepare and submit its NAPA with the UNFCCC Secretariat in November 2005. The Climate Change Cell has a mandate to continue the NAPA process and facilitate implementation of NAPA. Adaptation measures as prioritzed in Bangladesh NAPA are as follows:

Intervention measures• Promoting adaptation to coastal crop agriculture to combat salinity

intrusion through maize production under Wet Bed No-tillage Method and Sorjan systems of cropping in tidally flooded agro ecosystem.

• Adaptation to agriculture systems in areas prone to enhanced flash flooding in the north east and central region through no-tillage potato cultivation under water hyacinth mulch in wet sown condition, and vegetable cultivation on floating beds.

• Promoting adaptation to coastal fisheries through culture of salt-tolerant fish especially in coastal areas of Bangladesh.

• Adaptation to fisheries in areas prone to enhanced flooding in the north east and central region through adaptive and diversified fish culture practices.

• Construction of flood shelters, and information and assistance centers to cope with enhanced recurrent floods in major floodplains.

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• Reduction of climate change hazards through coastal forestation with community focus.

• Providing drinking water to coastal communities to combat enhanced salinity due to sea level rise.

• Enhancing resilience of urban infrastructure and industries to impacts of climate change including floods and cyclone.

Facilitating measures• Capacity building for integrating climate change in planning,

designing of infrastructure, conflict management and land water zoning for water management institutions.

• Exploring options for insurance and other emergency preparedness measures to cope with enhanced climatic disasters (e. g. flood, cyclones and drought).

• Mainstreaming adaptation to climate change into policies and programs in different sectors (focusing on disaster management, water, agriculture, health and industry).

• Inclusion of climate change issues in curriculum at secondary and tertiary educational institution.

Bangladesh climate change strategy and action planThe Government of Bangladesh has developed and enacted the Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (BCCSAP) 2009. The thrust of the strategy is on sustainable development, poverty reduction and increased wellbeing of all vulnerable groups in society with special emphasis on gender sensitivity. It also describes a ten-year program to build the capacity and resilience of the country to meet the challenge of climate change over the next 20-25 years. Following are the thematic areas:

• Food security, social protection and health to ensure that the poorest and most vulnerable in society, including women and children, are protected from climate change and that all programs focus on the needs of this group for food security, safe housing, employment and access to basic services, including health.

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• Comprehensive disaster management to further strengthen the country’s already proven disaster management systems to deal with increasingly frequent and severe natural calamities.

• Infrastructure to ensure that existing assets (e.g. coastal and river embankments) are well maintained and fit-for-purpose and that urgently needed infrastructure (e.g. cyclone shelters and urban drainage) is put in place to deal with the likely impacts of climate change.

• Research and knowledge management to predict the likely scale and timing of climate change impacts on different sectors of the economy and socio-economic groups; to underpin future investment strategies and to ensure that Bangladesh is networked into the latest global thinking on climate change.

• Mitigation and low carbon development to evolve low carbon development options and implement these as the economy grows over the coming decades.

• Capacity building and institutional strengthening to enhance the capacity of government ministries and agencies, civil society and the private sector to meet the challenge of climate change.

Disaster Management System in BangladeshThe Disaster Management and Relief Division (DM&RD), MoFDM of the Government of Bangladesh has the responsibility for coordinating national disaster management efforts across all agencies. In January 1997 the Ministry issued the Standing Orders on Disaster (SOD) to guide and monitor disaster management activities in Bangladesh.

The National Disaster Management Council (NDMC) and Inter-Ministerial Disaster Management Coordination Committee (IMDMCC) will ensure coordination of disaster related activities at the national level. Coordination at district, thana (police station/district) and union levels will be done by the respective district, thana and union Disaster Management Committees. The Disaster Management Bureau will render all assistance to them by facilitating the process.

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A series of inter-related institutions, at both national and sub-national levels have been created to ensure effective planning and coordination of disaster risk reduction and emergency response management.

Major challengesBangladesh has achieved some success in disaster management, particularly in terms of building institutional capacity. Still there are some challenges that need to be addressed and overcome in order to reduce mortality and long-term damages caused by such disasters. One key challenge is to reach the most vulnerable. Key challenges are:

• Ensuring access to safe water.• Women and girls: visible force of resilience. • Capacity building of NGOs.

ReferencesADB, 1991. Disaster Mitigation in Asia and the Pacific, Asian Development Bank (ADB), Manila, Philippines.

Ahmad, Mohiuddin, 2000. A Formative Research for Cyclone Proofing Project.Study undertaken by BDPC for the Disaster Management Bureau, Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, Dhaka.

Ahmad, Mohiuddin, 2001. Evaluation of Flood Relief Assistance to Southwest Bangladesh. DFID Bangladesh, Dhaka.

Ahmad, Mohiuddin, 2005. Living in Brackish Water, Impact of Caritas Interventions under SEMP. CARITAS Bangladesh, Dhaka.

Carney, D. (ed.), 1998. Sustainable Rural Livelihoods: What Contributions Can We Make? Department for International Development, London.

CEGIS, 2005. Prediction for Bank Erosion and Morphological Changes of the Jamuna and Padma River, Center for Environmental and geographic Information Services (CEGIS), Dhaka.

Climate Change Cell, Department of Environment, 2009.Climate Change, Gender and Vulnerable Groups in Bangladesh.

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Disaster Management Bureau, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, 2010. National Plan for Disaster Management 2010-2015.

DMB, 1997.Standing Orders on Disaster, Disaster Management Bureau, Dhaka.

WARPO, 2005. National Adaptation Program of Action (NAPA): Water, Coastal Areas, Natural Disaster & Health Sector, Water Resources Planning Organization (WARPO), Dhaka.

ESCAP, 1995.The State of the Environment in Asia and the Pacific, ESCAP, Bangkok.

NWRD, 2001. National Water Resources Database, WARPO, Dhaka.

UN/ISDR, 2004.Living with Risk: A global review of disaster reduction initiatives, Inter-Agency Secretariat of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN/ISDR).

UN/ISDR, 2006. Disaster Statistics, International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN/ISDR), published at http://www.unisdr.org/disaster-statistics/pdf/2005-disaster-in-numbers.pdf, updated on July 21, 2006.

UNEP, 2001. Bangladesh State of the Environment, United Nations Development Programmes (UNEP), Thailand.

World Bank, 2003. Towards a More Effective Operational Response: Arsenic Contamination of Groundwater in South and East Asian Countries, A Research Paper of World Bank.

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Myanmar is prone to natural hazards including cyclones, storm surges, floods, landslides, earthquakes, tsunamis, droughts and fires. The lowland coastal regions are exposed to cyclones and storm surges, while the risk of earthquakes and fires expose major parts of the country. Rainfall-induced flooding is a recurrent phenomenon in areas close to rivers and dams. The hilly regions of the country are exposed to landslides and forest fires, while central Myanmar is at the risk of drought.

Based on Government Data5 (1998 to 2007), fires constitute 71% of reported disaster events, followed by floods (10%), storms (11%) and others, including earthquakes, tsunamis and landslides (8%). Cyclone Nargis (2008) is the worst natural disaster in Myanmar history (claiming over 84,500 lives and costing 4.1 Billion US Dollars)6, followed by Cyclone Giri (2010), Cyclone Mala (2006) and the 2004 Tsunami. The summary of hazards and potential areas of impact are annexed.

Global and regional commitments by the Myanmar GovernmentMyanmar is committed to various global and regional frameworks and declarations on Disaster Management and Disaster Risk Reduction. Myanmar has endorsed the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) and is committed to implement the five priorities for action under HFA. Myanmar is an active participant of the Asian Ministerial Conferences on Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR) and is an active member of the ASEAN Committee on Disaster Management (ACDM). ACDM organized the ASEAN Emergency Rapid Assessment Team (ERAT) and deployed it in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis. Myanmar signed and ratified the ASEAN

5 Relief and Resettlement Department6 Hazard Profiles of Myanmar, July 2009

By. Htar-Htar Ei- Network Activities Group

Myanmar Experiences on Disaster Management and Social Reconstruction after Cyclone Nargis

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agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER)7

which provides a regional comprehensive framework to strengthen preventive, monitoring and mitigation measures to reduce disaster losses in the region. Myanmar is a member of the UN ESCAP Committee on Disaster Risk Reduction and a member of the ADPC Regional Consultative Committee on Disaster Management (RCC) since 2000.

Government Initiatives after Cyclone NargisCyclone Nargis struck in the Delta on May 2 and 3, 2008 and NPDCC held its emergency meeting on May 3, with duties assigned to the central committee and sub-committees. A Tripartite Core Group, comprising of the Government of Myanmar (GOM), ASEAN and UN Agencies was constituted on 30 May 2008 for coordination and cooperation between GOM and local/International communities for emergency relief activities, resettlement and development activities, reconstruction and preparedness. Post-Nargis Joint Assessment (PONJA)8, Post-Nargis Recovery and Preparedness Plan (PONREPP)9, Periodic Review (volume I,II, III and IV)10 and Social Impact Monitoring (Volume I, II and III)11 were published under the TCG leadership. A Myanmar Action Plan for Disaster Risk Reduction – (MAPDRR)12 for 2009-2015 was published by the Ministry of Social Welfare.

The Government of Myanmar constituted a National Disaster Preparedness Standing Order Drafting team to draft a Standing Order (SO) published

7 http://acdm-online.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=39&Itemid+57#aadmer8 www.aseansec.org/21765.pdf9 http://www.aseansec.org/CN-PONREPP.pdf10 http://www.asean.org/22119.pdf, http://www.asean.org/CN-TCG2.pdf, http://www.asean.org/documents/CN/TCGPeriodicReview-Report3.pdf, http://www.themimu.info/RCC/TCG/Post-Nargis%20Periodic%20Review%20IV%20Report.pdf and http://www.aseanhtf.org/peri-odicreview4_downloadreport.html11 http://www.asean.org/CN-SocialImpactMonitoring-November08.pdf, http://www.themimu.info/Information%20Products/SIM%20II.pdf and http://www.themimu.info/RCC/TCG/SIM%203%20English%20Version.pdf12 http://www.adpc.net/v2007/ikm/ONLINE%20DOCUMENTS/downloads/2010/MyanmarActionPlanonDisasterRiskReduction%28MAPDRR%29_Ver_english.pdf

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on January 2009. Various manuals and guidelines related to Disaster Risk Reduction and preparedness were developed by the Government of Myanmar including the Manual on Development of Township Action Plan for DRR, the Community Based Disaster Risk Management Manual, the Manual on Community First Aid, the Manual on Community Search and Rescue and the Manual on School-Based DRR.

Myanmar Action Plan on Disaster Risk Reduction (MAPDRR)The Goal of MAPDRR is “To make Myanmar safer and more resilient against natural hazards, thus protecting lives, livelihood and development gains” and five objectives contribute to this goal. The MAPDRR has seven components, which align with five HFA priorities and with the Articles of the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER). The components are as follow:Component 1: Policy, Institutional arrangements and further institutional development [HFA1]Component 2: Hazard, vulnerability and risk assessment [HFA2]Component 3: Multi-hazard early warning systems [HFA2]Component 4: Preparedness and response programs at national, state/division, district and township levels [HFA5]Component 5: Mainstreaming of disaster risk reduction into development [HFA4]Component 6: Community based disaster preparedness and risk reduction [HFA cross-cutting issue]Component 7: Public awareness, education and training [HFA3]

Standing order on natural disaster management in MyanmarThe standing order is to ensure that once disaster strikes, emergency relief and rehabilitation work is carried out according to the prepared plans and that the people are mobilized at the national level for participation in such efforts. Two scenarios of natural disaster responses are:Scenario 1: The respective states and divisions are able to take a central role in addressing the impact of the natural disaster, with the central authorities only needing to provide support and assistance.

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Scenario 2: Large-scale impact and heavy losses caused by the natural disaster make it necessary for the central authorities to play a central role in the management and supervision of relief activities with the respective states and divisions providing support and assistance.

An Institutional arrangement for managing natural disaster is to be constituted at both national level and state/division level. At the national level, the following bodies are to be constituted:(a) National Committee for Natural Disaster Management(b) Inter-Ministerial Coordination Committee for Disaster Management(c) Advisory Committee for Natural Disaster Management(d) Order for the Formation of the Myanmar Natural Disaster Preparedness

Myanmar Inter-Agency Contingency Plan (IA-CP)With the support of the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT), the first IA-CP version 1.013 covering a time period of June 2009 to May 2010 was developed, based on the experiences from Cyclone Nargis, in order to support the Government of Myanmar in preparing for and responding to any of the hazards that may affect Myanmar. The main goal of the CP is to mitigate the impact of disasters and save as many lives as possible from preventable causes. IA-CP identifies some hazards and risks that have potential to affect Myanmar including pandemic hazards with the case load of affected populations over 50,00014. Objectives, strategies, operating principles, overall management and coordination arrangements including protocols among UN, humanitarian agencies and Government of Myanmar are identified in the IA-CP document.

The humanitarian community has identified the cluster approach as a strategy to ensure a coordinated approach to emergency responses and has identified cluster lead agencies who will coordinate the different

13 http://www.themimu.info/docs/IA-CP%20Version%201.0%20Main%20Doc%20%28June%202009%29-%20Eng.pdf14 Government and Organizations working in an affected area would have the capacity to re-spond to an emergency that affects less than 50,000 people

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humanitarian agencies to support respective government line ministries in preparedness and response. Detailed cluster-based response plans and preparedness plans are outlined and further updates were made in December 2009 / January 2010 which are reflected in version 1.1 and the current version (2.0)15 which is a major update following successful simulation exercises (IACP and Local NGO CP). Myanmar Local NGO Contingency Plan (MNGO CP)Cyclone Nargis, the worst disaster in the Myanmar’s history16, has changed the landscape of disaster management response by the humanitarian community. In addition to a massive loss of life, livelihoods and assets, Nargis highlighted the need for disaster preparedness, response and management. As a result, the role of civil society has been dramatically improved and new CBOs and NGOs mushroomed after the cyclone. Urgent need for better preparedness and a well-coordinated approach in emergency response by all stakeholders became a headline among the humanitarian community including Government of Myanmar, UN, INGOs, National NGOs and private sectors. The Myanmar NGOs community17 proactively envisioned and developed its own contingency plan in 2011.

Key lessons learnedLessons learned from previous emergency responses and simulation exercises are summarized below:

• The role of local responders and private sector must be recognised and engagement with them in different stages (design, preparedness, respond, early warning and review) is necessary.

• It is required to further strengthen the relationship between actor/cluster coordination (inter-intra) and information management.

• There is also a need to ensure a separation of duty and responsibility

15 http://themimu.info/docs/IA-CP%20Version%202.0%20Main%20Doc%20%28Aug%202010%29% 20-%20Eng.pdf16 Post-Nargis Joint Assessment (PONJA), Tripartite Core Group, July 2008, p.117 Contingency Plan Working Group (CPWG) was formed by 35 Myanmar NGOs involved in disaster management in the first Contingency Plan (Version 1.0) but currently has over 50 member organizations.

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of cluster in order to minimise the conflict of interest.• Early recovery coordination, restoration of community livelihoods

and disaster risk reduction has to be incorporated.• Consultations with communities need to be strengthened in aid

delivery. Capacity building is essential in information collection, analysis and

dissemination. • A timely and reliable information-sharing mechanism is essential for

the affected community and among the humanitarian community.• Cross-cutting issues such as protection, gender, age and accountability

need to be mainstreamed early on in the emergency.• Trust among humanitarian actors (Government, Inter-Agency,

Myanmar NGO, other key actors and Local community) has to be maintained or improved.

ConclusionThree main humanitarian actors - Government, Inter-Agency (UN and INGOs) and Myanmar NGOs - have the same vision of building safer and more resilient communities. They share the same purpose to mitigate the impact of disasters and save as many lives as possible from preventable causes. Based on the Cyclone Nargis experiences, the Myanmar Government is more proactive in disaster responses now and Inter-Agency and Myanmar NGOs are complementing the government.

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On December 26, 2004 Thailand faced a Tsunami disaster for the first time. The huge disaster impacted people’s lives and property. The Tsunami brought victims as follow:

1. Number of tourist deaths 2,23118

2. Number of Thai deaths19

3. Number of Burmese migrant worker deaths20

When the Tsunami happened, it was the peak tourist season in Thailand. So a large number of tourists died. The governments of the tourists helped the Thai government and also provided a Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) system to check the identity of the dead, and founded the organization the Thai Tsunami Victim Identification Information Management Center (TTVI-IMC)21 at Phuket province and moved to Phang nga province later.

At that time, there were also many Burmese migrant workers who die or were impacted by the Tsunami. The Burmese workers could not reach all helping systems from both Thai and International rescue organizations.

But some of them were arrested by the police because they allegedly stole victims’ properties. The Burmese themselves, did not dare to ask help from any Thai authority because they all are illegal workers, many of them had no work permit card and they faced the additional problem that some of them could not communicate in the Thai language.

18 TDVI record 19 TDVI record20 Thai Action Committee for Democracy in Burma record 21 Thai Disaster Victim Identification and Repatriation Center Royal Thai Police (TDVI)

By Kokaew Wongphan, Freelance Researcher, Thailand

Experience in Helping Burmese Migrant Workers after Tsunami, 2004

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Burmese Tsunami victims had been provided no accommodation, food, clothing and any assistance. The important problem was Burmese Tsunami victims did not get any assistance from their own government. Whereas the tourist victims had full help options from both the Thai government and their own government such as being provided a free air ticket, a plane back home, food, accommodation, clothing, doctors, translators and mental healing courses.

Thai NGOs and International NGOs joined hands to call for justice and government’s assistance to the Burmese victim. After meeting with the government authority, Burmese victims got assistance equally with others.

A Tsunami Action Group was formed: Thai Action Committee on Democracy for BurmaThe Lawyers Council of ThailandYaung Chi Oo Workers Association The Action Network for MigrantThe Seafarers Union of BurmaThe Thai transport labor UnionThai Disaster Victim Identification and Repatriation Center Royal Thai Police (TDVI)

The Thai Action Committee for Democracy in Burma (TACDB) provided the DVI helping project for Burmese victim’s relatives:

Helping Burmese victim to access DVI Providing mental healingHelping Burmese victims to get their relatives’ bodiesSupporting budget for travel and foodSupporting funeral allowance and make a merit Helping Burmese victims get compensation from the Thai government

The ‘other’: Conservative Challenging Burmese Tsunami victims faced difficult times, they did not get even primary humanitarian assistance because of the attitude of conservative groups influenced by Nationalism. Thai people had a bad attitude towards

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Burmese workers. They became the ‘other’ in Thai society. Thai authorities arrested them because they believed that the Burmese were bad. So there was no hope of helping action. It is important to re-think discrimination. We should act equally towards all ethnic, race, gender and religious groups. Below is an example of the different treatment received by foreign tourists and Burmese migrant workers after the Tsunami.

There was ethnic prejudice in Thai society. The Law excluded Burmese as victims but includde them as criminals. It limited the rights of Burmese victims. In term of employment, they saw the Burmese as second class, they did not care about their employees safety. They paid low wages.

Conclusion:1. Burmese Tsunami victims could not access any assistance from Thai

government. They had fear in their mind because they were illegal migrant workers.

2. The Thai government did not treat the Burmese as Tsunami victims, equal to tourist victims.There was no provision even of translators.

3. The Thai authority anda bad attitude to the Burmese and arrested and accused them without any investigation process.

4. The Law did not cover disaster crisis situations, particularly the Migrant Labor Law.

5. Normally, Burmese have no family name, Thai authorities did not understand how were they were related. It was very difficult to work an investigation process.

6. Burmese victims were not recorded on the compensation list as victims of natural disaster.

Tourist Burmese Migrant Worker Thai government took care of:

Providing food Providing accommodation Providing translator Providing free air ticket Providing doctors Providing clothes Providing mental healing

Accused as a thief Arrested by police Could not access assistance No accommodation No clothes No food No translator No help from any Thai

authority/department No help from their own

embassy / government

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Fast facts of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami • Time: 14:46 of March 11, 2011• Moment Magnitude:9.0Mw• Total victims: 18,776 (15,867 died and 2,909 missing)22

• Fleeing and relocated: 470,000 on March, 2011. 321,000 on December, 2012.23

• Age Ratio of dead: over 80s ; 22.1%, 70s ; 24%, 60s ; 19%, 20s, 10s and less than 10: 4% or less each

• Affected Houses/Buildings: totally broken;115,163, half;162,015, partially;559,321

• Affected Boats:22,000, Affected Agri. Field:23,600ha

Points:1) Aged people are more victimised than young people. 2) 92.4% of victims were drowning due to tsunami, while 1.1% by fire

and 4.4% by being crushed due to earthquake.24

Comparing modern day earthquakes25

22 National Police Agency on July 10, 201223 http://www2.ttcn.ne.jp/honkawa/4362.html24 Source: Disaster Prevention Report 201125 http://www.npa.go.jp/archive/keibi/biki/higaijokyo.pdf, http://www2.ttcn.ne.jp/honkawa/4362.html

By Professor Ohsshi Masaaki, Keisen University, JANIC, Shapla Neer, Japan

The Great East Japan Earthquake

Earthquake Magnitude No. of Victims Great East Japan in 2011 9.0 18,776 Haiti in 2010 7.0 316,000 Great Sichuan in 2008 7.9 68,000 Sumatra-Andaman in 2004 9.3 220,000 Hanshin-Awaji (Kobe) in 1995

6.9 6,434

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These pictures taken by Prof. OAHSHI immideately after the Tsunami are deomonstrating the strength of Tsunami tides.

Evacuation centresPictured below 800 evacuees staying in a gymnasium of a junior high school in Iawate Pref. on March 29, 2011.26 Note how messy it looks.

26 Japan Red Cross

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Over 700 such centres were made available, including over 100 hotels and inns. In July 2011, at the same gym, 400 evacuees stayed in cardboard partitioned areas.

Temporary housingLocal Governments hurriedly constructed temporary houses in 910 sites, most of which were located in isolated places, inconvenient for shopping and hospitals.

Each temporary house had two to three rooms equipped with basic furniture provided by Red Cross, NGOs/NPOs and others. To promote mutual relations and prevent lonely deaths, for each 50 houses a community hall was also established.

Stages for relief and rehabilitation First 72 hours: Focus is on emergency rescue and relief for locals.Three to seven days: Prepared organisations such as police, fire-fighters, army, local governments and large NGOs provide rescue and relief.Seven days to three months: Emergency relief is in full-swing by various public and private actors, including NGOs, NPOs, private companies, cooperatives, hospitals/MDs etc. Most victims (max.450 thousand) stayed at make-shift evacuation centers, depending on external supplies/supports.Three to six months: Recovery and rehabilitation, as most victims gradually move to rented houses or temporary shelters, hurriedly constructed by local government. The locations are remote and habitants

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tend to be isolated, thus needs of help for transportation etc.Six months +: Rehabilitation, resume jobs, plan villages and town reconstructions.

Government mechanism for relief and rehabPublic administration in Japan is a three tiered system: 1) Municipal/Local Government – village, town, and city. 2) Prefectural Government, in Japan 47 Prefectures. 3) Central Government in Tokyo.

• There is a Disaster Responding Unit (DRU) at each level.• The central DRU at Prime Minister’s office supplied major food and

other essentials at the beginning, assigning many private companies for supplies and transport.

• Local firefighters, police and self defence force (SDF) rescued many and recovered bodies.

• Prefecture DRUs were the focal point to assist municipal DRUs for emergency relief.

• Municipal DRUs looked after every aspect in the field.• SDF mobilised 100,000 members out of 240,000 for rescue,

transportation, feeding, clearing wreckage and so on – ending its operation in August 2011.

• Most DRUs renamed Reconstruction Headquarters (RHQ).• The Prime Minister’s office founded Disaster Volunteer Cooperation

Room (DVCR) with a special assistant to the PM. This was the primary window for NGOs and NPOs up until September 2011.

Response by Japanese NGOs• 19 NGOs responded within 72 hours.• Another 18 NGOs responded within one week.• Japan Platform JPF), emergency funding mechanism, swiftly

released required initial budget to their member NGOs out of five billion Japanese yen (40 million USD), which made early intervention possible.

• Capacity to mobilise resources and international experience made immediate response of NGO possible.

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• Currently over 50 JANIC member NGOs are operating in the disaster stricken area and some others providing backup assistance from the metropolitan area.

Improvements needed by NGOs for future big disasters in JapanOnly the larger and more established NGOs in Japan were well-prepared for the March 2011 Great Japan Earthquake. It is vital that small NGOs learn from this experience and become prepared for the next disaster, possibly the Tokai Great Earthquake.

Other improvements needed are fund reservation for NGOs, training for staff to learn more about relief and rehabilitation that reflects international standards, and continued networking to improve collaboration and coordination.

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Working Together

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Disaster is a natural, man-made or a technological hazard resulting in an event of substantial extent, causing significant physical damage or destruction, loss of life, or drastic change to the environment. Usually, disaster comes very fast and has significant effect when it happens or when it leaves.

Disaster poses short-term threats such as damage of community infrastructure that causes paralysis of community’s activities. The increase of internally displaced people (IDP) increases the risk of death because of food shortages, lack of clean water, and shortages of health facilities. The heavy burden of life in IDP camps increases the risk of mental disorders.Internally Displaced People are those who are forced to flee their home but who remain within their country’s border. Disaster could force them to become an IDP. Mostly, IDPs become the object of disaster, so they are passive in terms of disaster response. In the short time after the disaster, IDPs will be dependent people and if we don’t do anything to empower IDPs as soon as possible, they will be dependent people forever.

IDPs should get involved in programs and activities to prevent them from becoming dependent.

For example, we could empower women to have activities in public kitchens to cook and determine what the best menu is for the IDPs. We could empower the men to give some assistance to clean up the whole camp or distribute the aid to families in the camp. We should motivate them to do this voluntarily, and not get paid - so they become volunteers.

By Andhika – Aksi Cepat Tanggap

Volunteer Mobilisation-Yogyakarta’s Earthquake 2006

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Post disaster volunteerDisaster will have lasting impacts if we don’t handle it well after the emergency phase and through the rehabilitation and reconstruction phase. Disaster responses in rehabilitation and reconstruction phases are important to determine the quality of life of the community in the post-disaster period. Our goal is to reach the same (or better) life than before the disaster.

The government has an obligation to do the rehabilitation and reconstruction phases. However, government will face many difficulties if they work alone. Government should take the initiative and invite people to join in voluntary actions for rehabilitation and reconstruction.

There are some benefits if a government can invite volunteers. First, the government will have a lot of human resources in many fields needed for rehabilitation and reconstruction. Government will get respect from the people and people will be proud to be involved to help IDPs. Then, the rehabilitation and reconstruction phases will be cheaper and effective too.

Volunteer mobilisationSometimes we were confused on how to mobilise volunteers cheaply and fast. Using SMS (short message service) is too expensive and we wanted to tell thousands of volunteers. We could use mailing list services to send many e-mails but now we can use Twitter or Facebook services. Gadgets and smart phones are connecting to these two social media platforms with ease and as a result, potential volunteers will receive the messages rapidly.In ACT, we use #Call4Volunteers hash tag to announce voluntary activities through social media. ACT (@actforhumanity) has almost 150,000 followers and MRI (Masyarakat Relawan Indonesia/Indonesia Volunteer Society, volunteer organisation established by ACT) has almost 15,000 followers for @MRIPusat. These accounts are handled 24/7 by administrators.

ACT and MRI have orientation events for the volunteers routinely and MRI has a Mobile Volunteer program to give volunteers voluntary

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experience if there are no disasters. This is a part of preparedness, so when the disaster occurs, volunteers have enough knowledge and preparation.ACT and MRI are partnering with other voluntary organisations such as 1001buku or Kidzsmile. We ask them to be involved in many post-disaster activities that ACT and MRI hold. They are always happy if they have an opportunity to contribute with ACT and MRI. ACT, MRI, and other voluntary organisations have strong synergy in many disasters in Indonesia.ACT and MRI also ask the students to have synergy. For example, to implement the public health services, we have synergy with students in medical faculties, nurse faculties, pharmacy faculties, and public health faculties in many universities in Indonesia. For building houses, ACT has synergy with civil engineering networks.

Volunteer managementFor now, ACT and MRI do not have any difficulties in recruiting volunteers. The next challenge is how to manage them and this is the most challenging phase. Volunteers have many and diverse backgrounds. If we can manage them, they will work effectively and efficiently.

To manage volunteers, first we give them a general orientation. The orientation will motivate them to be a volunteer. The orientation will help them to know their goals, understand their roles in the community, and work as a team.

After this, we classify volunteers based on their interest or their skills. After we classify, we can give them basic knowledge, skills, and targets for each classification so they have a better understanding of what they will be doing in the community.

Case Study: Construction of Earthquake-Resistant Houses in YogyakartaMay 27, 2006, a magnitude 6.2 tectonic earthquake hit Yogyakarta. The earthquake killed more than 6000 people and destroyed hundreds of thousands of houses and buildings.

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ACT asked survivors who lived in Kedaton Kidul, a small village in Bantul, to build a simple, permanent and quake-resistant house, for themselves. An Indonesian scientist who invented this house, gave the design freely as a volunteer. ACT held a focus group discussion with the community and they self-determined the criteria as to who will receive the house. The community decided that 147 families will receive the house.

The community then created working groups. Fortunately, the professions of people of Kedaton Kidul are carpenters, masons, etc, and have expertise in making buildings. People of Kedaton Kidul refused to be paid as they realise the concept of “Gotong Royong” (Indonesian tradition to help each other voluntarily). ACT facilitated the people of Kedaton Kidul to make small, simple, and traditional brick factories near the project site. The raw materials of the bricks came from dig outs of the project site.

In less than one month, 10 houses were built and the Minister of Housing gave the keys to beneficiaries. Within a year, all houses were finished and the IDPs could enjoy their new homes. This case is one of the real examples on how IDPs were the subject of disaster, but became motivated to become volunteers for their own community.

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Bangladesh is a Southeast Asian country mostly consisting of plain low land, with the hills in the south-eastern, eastern and north-eastern parts. However it is surrounded by the Assam Hills to the east and the Meghalaya Plateau to the north, with the lofty Himalaya beyond. The Bay of Bengal lies to the south of the country and to the west are the contiguous plains of West Bengal and India.

Bangladesh signed the Convention on 9 June 1992, ratified it on 15 April 1994 and approved the Kyoto Protocol on 22 October 2001. The Department of Environment (DOE), under the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (MoEF), is the focal point for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and coordinates climate related activities in the country. Recently, a Climate Change Cell (CCC) has been established to address several issues including adaptation to climate change. The climate change focus started with The National Environmental Management Action Plan (NEMAP) which was prepared in 1995 in order to initiate the process to address environmental and climate change issues as a long-term environmental problem for Bangladesh. The process was initiated by the creation of a separate ministry: Ministry of Environment and Forestry, which is now responsible for dealing with environment and climate change issues.

Bangladesh was one of the first countries to finalise a NAPA (Preparation of a National Adaptation Plan of Action) which addresses climate change issues. The NAPA was completed in 2005, and is the first official initiative for mainstreaming adaptation to national policies and actions to cope with climate change and vulnerability. The NAPA suggests a number of adaptation strategies, for example:

By Abdullah Al Mohiuddin - ANTAR

Networking and Resource Mobilisation

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• Providing drinking water to coastal communities to fight the enhanced salinity caused by sea level rise.

• Integrating climate change in planning and design of infrastructure. • Including climate change issues in education.• Supporting adaptation of agricultural systems to new weather

extremes.• Mainstreaming CCA into policies and programs in different sectors,

e.g. disaster management, water and health.• Disseminating CCA information and awareness-raising on enhanced

climate disasters, especially in vulnerable communities.

The government institution that exclusively deals with CCA is MoEF. The DOE provides technical support to the ministry on CCA issues.

Under the back drop of the above situation, ANTAR – a child and women’s organization - started working in the Chittagong area in 2000. ANTAR works towards the establishment of human rights through planned and systematic development initiatives. Specially designed programs are implemented by ANTAR for children, women and men from under-privileged families as the key target partners. All segments of development stakeholders covering representatives of government, civil society, development practitioners, and grass-root inmates including minorities irrespective of age, culture, class and gender are participating regularly in ANTAR initiatives for a positive change in the society. The vision and mission enforces ANTAR to develop as a unique development actor in achieving excellence for a just society where the people, including the disadvantaged, lead a dignified life.

ANTAR is coordinating a thematic program among the local organisations in the greater Chittagong area (Southern Bangladesh) which is called “Community-Based Child and Women Protection” with a vision to create an enabling environment for the poor and marginalised children and women living in rural areas and in the Hill Tracts. At present, ANTAR works as a networking process with more than 30 local youth groups, with most of them focusing on poor children and children with disabilities.

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ANTAR is an NGO that is striving to establish human rights among the community and to ensure the entitlements of rights for disadvantaged rural and urban people. Keeping this in mind, ANTAR has been running various social and economic development programs with a view to empower the socially excluded and to bring them into the mainstream development process. ANTAR has a variety of development programs with particular emphasis on women, children, youth, the elderly, the disabled and the adolescent. All of these target groups are benefited by ANTAR undertaking emergency programs to meet the needs of the victims of both natural and man-made disasters.

ANTAR has been trying to strengthen the oldest community institutions by adopting a community-based approach in their method and strategy of program implementation. ANTAR has been involved in various national, regional and international networks and govt. committees, playing key roles to influence policy advocacy.

Bangladesh has geared up its environment conservation to save the poorest countries in the world from the adverse effects of global warming. Now it is turning towards green economy policies to save the degrading ecosystem. Bangladesh is a developing country, always fighting against natural disasters. At the same time, Bangladesh also fights for establishing an ecological environment through promoting green economy/energy by youth networking. ANTAR is coordinating a large youth network in the southern part of Bangladesh where 30 youth groups are involved. It can be termed as economic development based on sustainable development which generates growth and improvement in lives, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities. Green economy in Bangladesh promotes three bottom lines - sustaining economic, environment and social well-being.

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ANTAR emphasizes youth engagement among 30 youth groups and more than 50 local NGOs with some good initiatives as follows:

• Advocacy, networking and campaign for disaster preparedness and management.

• BCC/ IEC materials on disaster preparedness and management.• Orientation on disaster preparedness and management for NGOs

staff.• Orientation for children on disaster preparedness and management.• Physical and psychological support during the disaster.• Food and non-food support during the disaster.• Medical support during the disaster.

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From December 14-23, 2012, the Asian Resource Foundation (ARF) and the Asian Muslim Action Network (AMAN) implemented a disaster relief program with support from Muslime Helfen and other private networks in Compostela Valley Province, Mindanao, Philippines. The project was implemented in the following Compostela Valley Municipalities: Laak, Mawab, Pantukan and Monkayo. The Municipality of Asuncion, Davao del Norte was also included in the program.

There were 1,467 families who benefited from disaster relief distribution (rice, canned goods, noodles, dried fish and sarong), 700 typhoon survivors received medical attention and 157 farming families accepted corn seeds and fertiliser to start their livelihood.

In this program, ARF-AMAN worked with a team of individual partners from Manila and Mindanao and their networks of organisations, government officials and private citizens. With the networks in place, resources were shared and mobilised.

Strategies used to implement the program were: 1) Activation of organisational and individual networks in government and private sectors; 2) Coordination with local Muslim leaders, local government officials and municipal social welfare officers; and 3) Formation of a group of volunteers.

BackgroundOn December 3, 2012, Typhoon Pablo (International Name: Typhoon Bopha) made landfall in Mindanao. It is the strongest Category 5 typhoon to ever hit the Mindanao Region, which also suffered the previous year from a similar fate because of Typhoon Sendong (International Name: Typhoon Washi).

Disaster Relief Program in the Philippines: “The Power of Networking and Partnership”By Mary Girlie Glen M. Tupas - Local Community Organiser, Philippines

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The damage Typhoon Pablo caused, according to the December 25 report of NDRRMC (National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council), was placed at almost P37 billion (P7.6 billion in infrastructure, P26.5 billion in agriculture and P2.8 billion in private properties).

1,067 people died, 2,666 were injured and 834 people are still missing. Based on the report, 711,682 families (6,243,998 people) in 3,064 villages of 318 municipalities and 40 cities in 34 provinces were impacted. The hardest hit areas were the provinces of Davao Oriental and Compostela Valley. The typhoon destroyed houses and infrastructure, created floods and landslides, disrupted communication, caused power outages, uprooted trees, wiped out crops and claimed lives.

More than a week after the disaster, ARF–AMAN with funding from Muslimhelfen, wanted to respond to the needs of the typhoon survivors. The program had the following objectives:

To provide basic goodsEnsuring at least a week’s supply of basic goods such as rice, canned goods, dried fish, coffee and milk. At least three sets of children’s shirts and sarong were provided for each family.

To administer basic medical servicesResponding to the medical needs of the survivors in order to prevent outbreaks of common diseases, medical missions and camps were conducted in various locations.

To supply basic agricultural needsAssisting the farmers to go back to their livelihood, a group of farming families were allotted corn seeds and fertilisers.

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Project implementationThe ARF-AMAN team decided to have Tagum City as its base of operation. It is the nearest city to the affected areas of Compostela Valley. The goods and other resources needed for the program were easily available.

The strategies of 1) Activation of organisational and individual networks in government and private sectors; 2) Coordination with local Muslim leaders, local government officials and municipal social welfare officers; and 3) Formation of a group of volunteers were key elements in guaranteeing success of the disaster relief program in Compostela Valley and Davao del Norte, Mindanao, Philippines.

Activating organisational and individual networks in government and private sectors provided options for the various resources (financial, human, venue, food, transportation and others) needed to deliver the services set out by the program within the timeline. Some networks provided human resources and manpower, others additional financial resources and other needs such as food and medicines. Some individual partners provided expertise and guidance in the administration and management of the different aspects of program preparation and implementation.

Coordination with local Muslim leaders, local government officials and municipal social welfare officers enabled the team to obtain accurate information and assessment of the number of families affected and their needs. The local leaders and officials organised the affected families ahead, determined the most accessible venue for the majority and provided community volunteers resulting in an orderly and speedy distribution of the packages and medical services. The local officials made sure of the safety of the relief and medical teams.

Formation of a group of volunteers both from Manila and other locals resulted in efficient and fast operations from packing to distribution. Team leaders were the ones managing the groups of volunteers and ensuring that their needs such as food and transportation were arranged.

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In implementing the program, there were three schedules within the timeline:December 14 – 18, 2012 RELIEF DISTRIBUTIONDecember 18 – 23, 2012 MEDICAL MISSION/CAMPDecember 22 – 24, 2012 RELIEF DISTRIBUTION

Networking with people enabled the ARF-AMAN-MUSLIMHELFEN program be carried out efficiently and effectively. It contributed to reaching more affected people and places.

Outcomes, impacts and sustainabilityThe disaster relief program in Compostela Valley Province, Mindanao, Philippines was able to go to five municipalities in Compostela Valley (Laak, Monkayo, Mawab, Pantukan) and Davao del Norte (Asuncion). The program resulted in the following:

• 1,467 families or 7,335 people received basic goods.• 700 survivors were administered medical attention.• 157 farming families were given corn seeds and fertilizer.

The team of ARF-AMAN and the local network made sure that the areas targeted have not received any relief assistance yet or were underserved. The local documentation team interviewed the affected families and recorded their experiences and feedback.

The local network of volunteers, community leaders and local officials expressed their willingness to partner with the ARF-AMAN team again for possible future programs.

Lessons learnedNetworking and partnership with organisations and individuals results in:- Expanding the reach and impact of the program- Maximising resources- Providing more resources and options to implement the program

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Coordinating with local Muslim community leaders, local officials and social welfare officers provided:- Accurate information on places and people to respond to orderly

administration of the medical services and speedy distribution of goods. - Sound evaluation and analysis of the current situation.- Security for the relief and medical teams

Forming a team of volunteers had these outcomes:- Systematic flow of relief operations; from preparation to distribution- Well-organised execution of the program services- Time saving and time-efficiency in all aspects of the program- Important to learn the actual situation from people already on the ground

to best find out the needs and resources needed.

ConclusionsThe experiences in this program proved a very important point that there is power in networking and partnerships with organisations and individuals. This power brings people together to implement a program efficiently and effectively. This power stretches and maximises the mobilisation of resources at all levels and continues to revolutionize the implementation of development programs towards shared responsibility and sustainability.

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Situational Background Following the receipt of initial information from local counterparts regarding the outbreak of violence and displacement of thousands of innocent people in Rakhine state of Myanmar, ARF in cooperation with Methodist Church Yangon Society undertake a small scale emergency relief program in conflict affected areas of Myanmar. Following an analysis of this tragic situation, we realized that this conflict was not only a threat to the Muslim Rohingya but to the whole reform process of Myanmar.

It was clear that the implementation of relief work would not be easy, particularly to reach the most affected people, however, NGOs were willing to attempt this in order to not only aid those in need through the provision of essential items but to hopefully establish an entry point and an opportunity to work in Rakhine state; a state where people are overall deprived of participation in their own development. Ethnic cleansing is a very dangerous sign so it is not only relief work that needs to be undertaken but also to explore the possibility of preventive work so that conflict can be minimized and processes can be initiated for the transformation of conflict to peace in the long term.

Emergency relief work in disaster affected areas is always difficult due to remoteness, infrastructure damage and limitations in communication and transport. Generally governments of affected countries/communities welcome international support and it is facilitated despite such limitations. Again, following this outbreak of violence, the government has not at any stage invited international assistance. It has only recently that President Thein Sein expressed need for humanitarian assistance because it was costing USD 10,000 per day to feed the affected people. The government

By Ms. Lalliantawni-Methodist Church (Upper Myanmar) Yangon Society

Collaborative initiatives with local organization, an experience in Rakhine conflict

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is still not openly allowing International NGOs to work except UN and a few other agencies. Even after an initial agreement was made, the OIC is not able to open an office in order to undertake any relief work. This was due to a massive protest undertaken by the people of Sittwe under the direction of the Rakhine political party.

The state government did not ban outside agencies but at the same time did not encourage NGOs to work directly with the community. Government security forces guard IDP camps and does not allow others to enter Muslims areas; they say this is to protect the Rohingya people. Sittwe is the only gateway to Rakhine state; from Sittwe one has to take a boat to Budhidong, then either a car or small truck to localities and then onto Muang Daw. There are also restrictions and risks for foreigners travelling by boat.

NGOs and/or foreigners need to have meeting with the State Minister in Charge work and in most cases the government required small financial donation as a token to support their relief work initiatives. Once this was done NGOs was able to work as long as low visibility was maintained; the military had to be paid for the use of their trucks to transport goods and in some cases all goods had to be donated to local committees and then the committee would distribute the goods to IDP’s.

ARF and other NGOs had two choices: (1) To donate all relief goods to the IDP camp authority for distribution or (2) reach out to the people directly. Option 2 was chosen with the help of friends and partners such as Methodist church Yangon Society. This approach has the advantage of meeting affected people and learning more about them, their other needs and their aspirations. It also ensured our goods did reach those most in need and to establish contact with key community leaders and learn about needs and to discuss what can be done in the future.

Program Implementation:A local Methodist Church as local partner organizations of ARF agreed to participate and help the distribution of food. It was then decided to send

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an advance team of two to talk to local churches and Buddhist Monks regarding relief work. Another three followed after two days. Some items such as cloth, dry shrimp, sanitary pads etc were purchased in Yangon and distributed during this consultation visit. It was decided to distribute relief goods to affected Buddhists, Muslims and other faith communities. We also explored the possibility of forming an inter-faith team in Sittwe for this work and to consider future work also.

After arrival of the second team, all members met and discussed with the advanced team, local churches, Buddhist monks and a plan was made; rice and other essential items were purchased and local volunteers hired. Together they prepared packaging and distributed relief items; primarily to Buddhists IDPs. They could not distribute to Muslim people as they had already been taken to camps which were inaccessible at that time.

In consultation with local friends the team then decided to travel to Budhidong by boat where many Muslim communities are located. In one community they were able to distribute food and other items; but in another community they were not allowed to carry food items. Under such conditions they distributed only clothes and provided a small amount of money so that people could buy food.

Short Impacts of the ProgramDespite the difficulties to assess the real impact, the short impact of the program can be measured from what local community members expressed as follows:

SittweLocal Buddhsit Monks, church leaders and workers and Hindu priests all appreciated these efforts and furthermore participated in the program. Affected Buddhist IDPs also appreciated the items because government support was not enough, particularly, besides the food items, the fact that the clothes can be used for many months was appreciated.

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Budidong Rohingya people were in tears when they received their relief items. They did not talk much as they were still traumatized. It was said however that it was a great help at a difficult time. It was asked if the team would come again.

Lessons LearnedDue to the security situation the first lesson learnt was the importance of undertaking a low profile program. It was only due to ensuring low visibility of our work that it was able to be implemented in any capacity. The importance of engaging with other locally faith-based organizations. This program would not have been able to be implemented without the aid of the Methodist Church in Myanmar.

Without knowing the seriousness and/or complexity of ethnic relations in Rakhine State the program was started and ultimately was successful. In future, further assessment of security situation would help in implementing the program in a smoother, timelier manner.

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Based on the past experiences of responding not only to natural disasters and calamities, but also to other emergencies, including insurgency, this piece is an exploration of a multi-sectoral response to destruction caused by nature. In the process, it is aimed to formalize operations of a multi-sectoral network by helping and empowering various sectors of society, especially those who have been mandated to respond to this kind of need. Moreover, the process hopes to invite a continued discussion on how to engage different groups in a concerted and sustainable effort towards a more effective and humane response to peoples’ crises and dangers. Multi-Sectoral institutions and organisationsIn the past seven years, the different stakeholders of Northern Samar have been discussing and looking for ways to tackle their multi-faceted problems. The discussions actually started at the Samar Island-level when in January 2005, the three provinces decided to address the issues of illegal logging and mining. These are things that inevitably cause natural calamities. The three bishops from the three provinces initiated the meetings and discussions. Representatives of various government agencies and civil society were invited to participate in the deliberations. After that 2005 historic meeting, each province started their own multi-sectoral dialogues involving the government (military, police and social welfare agencies), academe, non-governmental organisations, youth and other concerned citizens.

The province of Eastern Samar organised the Eastern Samar Peace and Development Forum (ESPDF), Northern Samar established the Northern Samar Peace and Development Forum (NSPDF, and the Western Samar

By Sr. Lydia M. Collado, RSCJ, Philippines

MULTI-SECTORAL QUICK DISASTER-RESPONSE TEAM

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province created its own Samar Partnership for Peace and Development (SPPAD). To enhance inter-province cooperation, the three province-level organisations formed an island-wide coordinating structure called Samar Island Partnership for Peace and Development (SIPPAD). In all this, the Sacred Heart Institute for Transformative Education (SHIFT) Foundation has been serving as the volunteer-Secretariat of SIPPAD and NSPDF.

Northern Samar Peace and Development Forum (NSPDF)The NSPDF is a partnership of Church, Government and Civil Society (NGO’s, Academe, Youth and other peoples’ organisations in the province of Northern Samar.) The forum provides a venue for partners to voice issues and concerns, lobby for support and follow through with the implementation of courses of action recommended by the meetings/dialogues. The NSPDF has created and mobilised the following task forces to thresh out problems, implement solutions, and monitor results on three specific areas of concern, as follows:

Task Force on Peace and Order (TFPO)As the action arm of the NSPDF on peace and order problems, the TFPO handles issues and concerns regarding human rights violations, forced disappearances, unsolved killings, trade of illegal drugs, land disputes, gambling, prostitution, pornography, human trafficking, insurgency and militarisation. This multi-sectoral task force has successfully implemented activities that contribute to an improvement in peace and order in the province, such as dialogues between rival political parties, forum on military operations, human rights education, statements of support against extra-judicial killings, training for empowerment of local government officials and communities toward crime prevention and mitigation, among others.

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Special Project of TFPO

Multi-Sectoral Quick Reaction Teams (MSQRT)MSQRT in the Philippines is a project conceptualised and implemented by the Ateneo Human Rights Centre (AHRC-Manila) and has generously shared in Samar Island through the NSPDF –TFPO. The concept of a multi-sectoral response, particularly, the MSQDRT, came from the concept of MSQRT that is now on operations.

Task force on good governanceThe Task Force on Good Governance has also initiated different programs and networking activities to reduce corruption and promote good governance at the barangay, town/city and provincial levels. Task force on environmentThe Task Force on Environment functions as the community watchdog on the protection and conservation of the natural environment of the province. The collaborative nature of the dialogue and activities of the above organizations and task forces have caught the attention of several national-level and high-profile institutions who are working for peace and justice. For example, the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP), Ministry of Interior and Local Government (DILG), The Asia Foundation, Ateneo Human Rights Center (AHRC) and the Regional Development Council (RDC), among others, have all decided to support and partner with the NSPDF in working for sustainable peace and development in the island. When the proposed MSQDRT is formalized and come into operation, it can very well qualify to be under the Task Force on Environment

Challenges and concluding reflectionsThe general strategy being described in this multi-sectoral approach is to institutionalize a system that cuts across national and local-level

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organizations. This can serve as a long-term institutional foundation for quick disaster response. The Institutional approach, if properly channelled, can be effective and sustainable.

The multi-sectoral organizations that we have established in the island of Samar have been recognized not only by stakeholders and constituents, but also by national agencies, as functional and generally effective in addressing community issues and problems. Notably, the evolution of NSPDF and SIPPAD is something that other provincial governments have wanted to establish but could not get the involved constituents together, regularly. This asset of Samar Island can be applied to a long term disaster management response. This can very well be the foundation and model of the MSQDRT. Given the above possibilities with their known and hidden realities, we would be the first to admit, however, that multi-sectoral institutions and dialogues are not a panacea or magic bullet that can solve all the problems of the communities in the island especially during emergencies. Extreme poverty, illiteracy, inequality in the ownership and control of lands and other resources and social injustices, among others, have deep-rooted structural causes that cannot be solved by immediate responses, dialogues and discussions, no matter how participative and collaborative those processes may be. This is the most daunting challenge we face.

For example, there are some hard questions that are worth taking as challenges: What are we doing even before a disaster occurs? Our people live so close to the seashores or riverbanks or in places of high risk because they have nowhere else to go, what are we doing about this reality?

When disasters occur, almost always, the poor become the victims, unless it is an earthquake where even the rich are hit. But in calamities such as typhoons, floods and landslides; it is the poor who are not protected in the areas affected. Natural calamities also have their bias for the poor, because the rich are almost untouchable in secure places where they have built their houses.

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Is there something such as geography or class fate or destiny that there are people who are almost, always, victims of disasters? Are disaster response and management also connected to the inequality of social structures? And therefore, the MSQDRT is just an initial step to really mobilise the different sectors of society towards a solution that does not leave the poor people at the receiving end because they are always the victims of natural or human-made disasters.

Let us take a closer look at Northern Samar, Philippines for the reason that our realities may not be far from the situation of other areas that we are all serving.

Considering the geographical and socio-economic setting, Samar Island is located in Central Philippines, and consists of three provinces: Samar Province, Northern Samar and Eastern Samar. The island is the country’s third largest in area, after the islands of Luzon and Mindanao. The population of the island is estimated at about 1.7 million, about 90% of which are Catholic.

The island is generally homogeneous in terms of culture, language, resource endowments, poverty incidence, economic problems and potentials. The three provinces are considered to be among the poorest in the country.

The major social problems of the island’s provinces are as follows:• Unemployment and poverty;• Low level of quality and access to education;• Low level of nutrition and access to primary health care facilities;• Communist insurgency;• Relatively frequent natural disasters (typhoons, landslides);• Poor infrastructures;• Social and economic inequalities: most of the agricultural lands,

mining resources, and tourism potentials are under the control of a few families.

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At the end of all our experiences, and after all the proposals and discussions, we can only choose to continue and go through the process that will generate appropriate response and manage disasters. Our common efforts can alleviate further suffering. Even if the multi-sectoral response will not produce concrete results, there is something dignifying and fulfilling in speaking out one’s concerns and grievances and knowing that other more capable people from different sectors, agencies and walks of life are listening and doing their best to respond to the needs.

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Emergency responseIn the aftermath of natural or human-caused catastrophe, our Emergency Response Program (ERP) helps disaster affected-communities to survive, recover and rebuild their lives. The program consists of three phases:

• Relief – Providing health assistance, food, tents and utensils. • Recovery – Build temporary shelter, health facilities and schools.• Rehabilitation – Construct permanent housing, schools, hospitals and

water supply schemes. Provide livelihood support through provision interest free micro credit, skills development, orphaned children

By Arif Khalil - Pakistan Helping Hand for Relief and Development

Helping Hand for Relief and Development

Helping Hand for Relief and Development (HHRD) timeline

Tsunami Relief Indonesia Bangladesh Sri Lanka Japan

Emergency Response Health Seasonal Program In-Kind Gifts Program

Earthquakes Pakistan Iran Haiti

Empowerment Orphan Support (welfare based…) Interest Free Micro Finance Skills Development Education Support Public advocacy and social justice Comprehensive Physical Rehabilitation

Drought Kenya Somalia

Capacity Building Internships Volunteer Engagement Community engagement

Manmade Disasters Palestine Iraq Pakistan Afghanistan Libya Syria

Development Water for Life Construction & Infrastructure Development

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support, support to schools and students, and other long term initiatives.

Health programOur health program promotes the basic principle of equity in healthcare services without any discrimination. The program responds widely in emergencies through medical camps, mobile medical and surgical units, free medicines, and ambulances.

Rehabilitation programThe rehabilitation program serves people with disabilities from the disaster by providing physiotherapy, occupational therapy and orthotics/prosthetics. HHRD has three physical rehabilitation centers in Pakistan.

Before physical rehabilitation and after physical rehabilitation.

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Construction and infrastructure developmentThe program focuses on improving access to essential infrastructure in disaster-affected areas through construction of permanent homes, schools, hospitals, residential areas for students, water management structures, retaining walls and bridges.

The program aims to give a sense of security and home, generate employment and overall short-term and long-term benefits to the community as a whole.

Capacity-building programThis program aims to strengthen and enhance the capacity of development professionals and volunteers in order to bring effectiveness and efficiency in their work and to enable them to cope with the challenges of a dynamic world. For this purpose the program conducts training for staff, community workshops, youth initiatives and internships.

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The Participants

Mr. Abdullah Al Mohiuddin – Bangladesh / AntarMr. M. Abdus Sabur - Bangladesh / Asian Resource FoundationMr. Ahmad von Denffer – Germany / Muslime HelfenMs. Anastasia Maylinda – Indonesia / YakkumMr. Andhika – Indonesia / Aksi Cepat Tanggap (ACT)Mr. Arif Khalil – Pakistan / Helping Hand for Relief and DevelopmentEng. Alam Gul Ahmad – Afghanistan / Agency of Consultancy for TrainingMr. Emranul Haq – Bangladesh / UddipanMs. Htar Htar Ei – Myanmar / Network Activities GroupMr. Jarryd Stokes - Australia / Asian Resource FoundationMr. Kallol Ghosh – India / Society for Harvesting FutureMr. Kiran Bohara – Nepal / Asian Resource FoundationMs. Kokaew Wongphan – Thailand / Local volunteer in Southern ThailandMs. Laliantawni – Myanmar / Methodist ChurchMs. Lisa Schenk – Australia / Asian Resource FoundationSr. Lydia M. Collado – Philippines / SHIFTMs. Mary Girlie – Philippines / Local Community OrganiserMr. M.I.M Iqbal – Sri Lanka / Sewalanka FoundationProf. Mohiuddin Ahmad – BangladeshMr. Mohd. Shahrulazilan Bin Said – Malaysia / Malaysian Relief AgencyMr. Muhammad Sabeth Abilawa – Indonesia / Dompet DhuafaMr. M. Fikri Pido – Indonesia / Asian Resource FoundationMr. Nadeem – Pakistan / Asian Resource Foundation Pakistan Mr. NaseerMemon – Pakistan / Strengthening Participatory OrganisationMs. Noi Ton – Thailand / Asian Resource Foundation Prof. Ohashi Maasaki – Japan / Shapla NeerMr. Raihan - Sri Lanka / Asian Muslim Action NetworkMs. Rubyanti Kholifah – Indonesia / Asian Muslim Action NetworkMs. Sukorini – Indonesia / Aksi Cepat Tanggap (ACT)Dr. Yunus Yasin – Malaysia / Asian Muslim Action Network

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Profile of Participating Organizations

Asian Resource Foundation (ARF) was established in 1996 as an Asian initiative to respond to the needs of vulnerable communities particularly in the areas of children education, child rights, women empowerment and youth leadership development. ARF was also conceived as a mechanism to mobilize human and financial resources to respond to the emergency needs of the people affected by natural disaster which includes emergency relief and reconstruction programs

Asian Muslim Action Network (AMAN) is a network of progressive Muslims in Asia seeking to respond in a small way to the numerous challenges that people in Asia are currently facing: elite corruption, materialistic lifestyles, increasing ethnic tensions, violence against women and children, natural disasters and ever-increasing environmental degradation. The overall objective of AMAN is to build understanding and solidarity among Muslims and other faith communities in Asia and develop programs that lead to people’s empowerment, human rights, justice and peace.

Network Activities Group (NAG) is a non-profit, non-governmental local organisation dedicatedly working for the emergencies of a society of Myanmar people which is sustainably developed and prosperous. The main approaches that NAG applies are building the capacity of the people and community-based and civil society organisations, creating economic opportunities and promoting good governance in target issue areas.

ANTAR is an NGO established in year 2000 as a national level voluntary development organisation in Bangladesh. ANTAR works for establishment of human rights through planned and systematic development initiatives. Specially designed programs are implemented by ANTAR for children, women and men from under privileged families as the key target partners. All segments of development stakeholders covering representatives of government, civil society, development practitioners, and grass-roots inmates including minorities irrespective of age, culture, class and gender

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are participating regularly in ANTAR initiatives for positive changes in the society. The vision and mission enforces ANTAR to develop as a unique development actor in achieving excellence for a just society where the people including disadvantaged lead a dignified life.

The United Development Initiatives for Programmed Actions (UDDIPAN) made its mark in the development arena of Bangladesh in 1984. UDDIPAN is pursuing its goal to reduce the number of people below poverty line by fifty percent by the year 2015 in the targeted communities through implementation of such community demand driven activities such as social mobilisation, community institution building, human resource development, micro finance for sustainable livelihoods, disaster management, advocacy, legal aid, etc. and thus, contributing to the poverty reduction objective of the government as envisaged in the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP).

Sewalanka Foundation is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation that was incorporated in 1992 and is based in Sri Lanka. Sewalanka Foundation enhances the capacity of disadvantaged rural communities to identify and address their own development needs. The foundation coordinates training and support services that contribute to the economically viable, socially just and ecologically sustainable development of Sri Lanka.

Asian Resource Foundation Nepal (ARF Nepal) is a not-for-profit organisation based in Kathmandu, Nepal. It is registered under Society’s act 2034, Nepal Government as a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) in Kathmandu. It is also affiliated with the social welfare council and has its own permanent account number (PAN).Established in September 2008, ARF Nepal works in the fields of women’s empowerment, health and hygienic education, HIV/AIDS prevention and humanitarian assistance to victims of natural disasters.

Strengthening Participatory Organisation (SPO) is a non profit company registered in 1994 with core focuses in areas of democratic governance,

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social justice and peace and harmony. In addition, SPO has a component of special projects that deals with disasters and emergency situations. SPO’s mission is to strengthen and support community organisations and public interest institutions of Pakistan for the benefit of poor and disadvantaged sections of society for sustainable development through a participatory approach.

Helping Hand for Relief And Development is a global humanitarian relief and development organisation responding to human sufferings in emergency and disastrous situations anywhere all over the world regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, class, location, religion, colour, cultural diversity and social background; with special focus in countries where the massive population living below the poverty line like Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Kenya, Sudan and many others. The vision for Helping Hand for Relief and Development is to work with poor and excluded people to eradicate poverty and injustice and to strengthen the bond of humanity by serving all in need anywhere all over the world.

Muslime Helfen is the independent humanitarian relief organisation established by Muslims in Germany in 1985 to assist the needy affected by emergencies, war, famine and natural disasters. Muslime Helfen also supports public welfare and health through medical programs, clinics, construction of water wells, classrooms, providing teaching materials, supporting agricultural and other income generation projects for the poor. Regular projects further include provision of food in Ramadan, sacrificial animals for Kurban and orphans care. Funds come from individual donations raised among Muslims in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. All projects are done in cooperation with implementing local partner organisations.

Malaysian Relief Agency (MRA) is a registered humanitarian organisation under the Prime Minister’s department. MRA assists in providing relief assistance to countries struck by natural or man-made disasters and social programs locally and internationally.

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Dompet Dhuafa is a non-profit organisation that serves to empower the less fortunate society through the management of social funds and other funds that are halal (lawful and permissible), obtained from individuals, institutions and companies. The vision for Dompet Dhuafa is to materialise an empowered global society through service, advocacy and empowerment based on a just system.

Aksi Cepat Tanggap (ACT – means quick response action in Indonesian language) was established in April 2005 with the commitment to provide effective total disaster management, from prevention, emergency and relief to post disaster full recovery. The vision of ACT is to become a pioneer in society-driven volunteerism (currently over 500,000 registered volunteers) to enhance life sustainability among the communities.

Christian Foundation for Public Health (YAKKUM) is a health care facility for healing ministry, founded by the Synod of Javanese Christian Churches and the Synod of Indonesian Christian Churches in 1950. The strategic mission of YAKKUM is to; 1) Manifest a hospital network in a professional, affordable, love-based and a people’s choice. 2) Organise higher education of health which is qualified and a top choice of national and international society based on Christian values. 3) Fight for the compliance of the holistic health rights which is sustainable through the synergy of human services and a transformative community development based on CBO, accountability and quality.

Shapla Neer, a “Citizens’ Committee in Japan for Overseas Support” have been working as a voluntary international non-governmental organisation for 37 years. Shapla Neer means “House of Waterlilies” in Bengal, the native language of Bangladesh. Shapla (waterlily) is also the national flower of Bangladesh. The mission of Shapla Neer is to improve the living conditions of underprivileged communities in South Asian countries through domestic and international activities and services that focus on solving current social economic issues.

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DOCUMENTATION

Mr. Abdus Sabur delivered welcoming speech

Panel discussion on sharing past experiences

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Prof. OHASHI of Shapla Neer during his presentation

Panel discussion on Trans-border cooperation

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Mr. Mamangarajah of Sri Lanka shared the experience in Eastern Batticaloa

Focus group discussion on resource sharing

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Focus group discussion on policy advocacy for humanitarian purpose

Group picture of participants in the workshop