Introduction

Disasters disproportionately impact vulnerable communities, and the most effective solutions often arise from local knowledge and engagement. Community-Based Disaster Risk Reduction (CBDRR) emphasizes the empowerment of communities to identify, assess, and manage their own disaster risks. By integrating community participation and local capacities, CBDRR enhances resilience and creates more sustainable disaster response strategies. This 5-day course will provide participants with the tools and strategies needed to implement community-driven disaster risk reduction activities, fostering resilience and preparedness at the grassroots level.

Course Objectives

By the end of the course, participants will:

1. Understand CBDRR Concepts: Gain an understanding of the principles and frameworks that underpin community-based disaster risk reduction.
2. Conduct Community Risk Assessments: Learn how to involve communities in assessing local hazards, vulnerabilities, and capacities.
3. Design CBDRR Programs: Develop strategies for implementing effective community-based disaster risk reduction programs.
4. Promote Community Engagement and Ownership: Understand the importance of local ownership in disaster risk reduction efforts and how to ensure meaningful community participation.
5. Enhance Community Resilience: Identify strategies for strengthening the resilience of communities, focusing on disaster preparedness, early warning systems, and mitigation activities.
6. Collaborate with Stakeholders: Learn how to engage local authorities, NGOs, donors, and other stakeholders to support CBDRR initiatives.
7. Monitor and Evaluate CBDRR Activities: Understand how to monitor and evaluate the impact of CBDRR programs, ensuring sustainability and continuous improvement.
8. Apply CBDRR to Specific Contexts: Customize CBDRR strategies for different disaster risks, including floods, earthquakes, cyclones, and conflict-related crises.

Who Should Attend?

This course is ideal for:

• Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) professionals, humanitarian workers, and program managers involved in disaster risk management and resilience-building efforts.
• Community-based organizations (CBOs) and local development workers who wish to integrate CBDRR into their programs.
• Government officials and policy makers responsible for disaster management at the local or regional level.
• NGO staff working in emergency preparedness, climate change adaptation, and sustainable development.
• Community engagement specialists, advocacy officers, and communications professionals focused on building community resilience.
• Field coordinators and program officers involved in multi-stakeholder disaster response initiatives.

Course Outline

Day 1: Introduction to Community-Based Disaster Risk Reduction

• Morning Session: The Need for CBDRR
  • Definition and principles of CBDRR.
  • The role of community engagement in reducing disaster risks and building resilience.
  • Key concepts in disaster risk reduction: Vulnerability, capacity, risk, and resilience.
  • Overview of global frameworks for disaster risk reduction, including the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015-2030).
  • Case study: The role of local communities in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami recovery.
• Afternoon Session: Understanding Disasters and Vulnerabilities
  • Types of disasters: natural vs. man-made.
  • Hazard analysis: Identifying and mapping hazards such as floods, earthquakes, droughts, and conflict-related risks.
  • Assessing community vulnerabilities: Social, economic, environmental, and cultural vulnerabilities.
  • Introduction to vulnerability and capacity assessments (VCA).
  • Group exercise: Mapping hazards and vulnerabilities in a local community context.

Day 2: Conducting Community Risk Assessments and Vulnerability Analysis

• Morning Session: Participatory Risk Assessment Tools
  • Tools for community-led risk assessments: Participatory rural appraisal (PRA), community risk mapping, and historical trend analysis.
  • Involving vulnerable groups (e.g., women, children, elderly, disabled) in the risk assessment process.
  • Integrating local knowledge and traditional practices in risk assessment.
  • Case study: Community risk assessments in flood-prone areas in Bangladesh.
• Afternoon Session: Identifying Community Capacities and Resources
  • Assessing local capacities: Social capital, local infrastructure, early warning systems, and emergency response networks.
  • Techniques for identifying and strengthening community resilience and local response mechanisms.
  • Building partnerships with local authorities and other stakeholders.
  • Group activity: Conduct a community risk assessment exercise based on a real-world disaster scenario (e.g., flood, earthquake).

Day 3: Designing and Implementing CBDRR Programs

• Morning Session: Developing CBDRR Strategies
  • Key components of a CBDRR program: Risk reduction activities, community preparedness, mitigation, and response planning.
  • Integrating climate change adaptation (CCA) with CBDRR to address evolving risks.
  • Disaster preparedness planning: Developing action plans for community-level preparedness.
  • Case study: Implementing early warning systems in disaster-prone areas.
• Afternoon Session: Ensuring Community Ownership and Participation
  • Strategies for ensuring active participation and community ownership in program design and implementation.
  • Building local leadership and community-based decision-making structures.
  • Ensuring gender inclusivity and participation of marginalized groups.
  • Group activity: Design a CBDRR action plan for a local community based on identified risks and vulnerabilities.

Day 4: Strengthening Community Resilience through CBDRR

• Morning Session: Enhancing Disaster Preparedness
  • Building community resilience through preparedness measures: Emergency drills, stockpiling, community-based early warning systems, and evacuation plans.
  • Strategies for mitigating risk: Infrastructure improvements, land-use planning, and disaster-proofing homes and schools.
  • Case study: Building resilient communities in the Philippines: Disaster preparedness and infrastructure improvements.
• Afternoon Session: Collaboration with Stakeholders
  • Engaging local authorities, NGOs, private sector, and donors in supporting CBDRR initiatives.
  • Leveraging community assets and resources for risk reduction: Local knowledge, networks, and support systems.
  • Developing multi-stakeholder partnerships to scale CBDRR efforts.
  • Group discussion: Best practices for cross-sector collaboration in CBDRR initiatives.

Day 5: Monitoring, Evaluating, and Scaling CBDRR Programs

• Morning Session: Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) of CBDRR Programs
  • Importance of M&E in CBDRR: Tracking progress, ensuring accountability, and improving program effectiveness.
  • Tools for participatory M&E: Community scorecards, focus group discussions, and impact assessments.
  • Case study: Monitoring the impact of CBDRR programs in Haiti post-earthquake.
• Afternoon Session: Scaling and Sustainability of CBDRR
  • Ensuring the sustainability of CBDRR efforts: Integration of programs into local governance and development planning.
  • Strategies for scaling CBDRR: Replicating successful models, building on community strengths, and leveraging donor support.
  • Group activity: Develop a scaling-up strategy for a CBDRR program in a disaster-prone area.