Elaboration of a DRR Project Proposal, German Red Cross (Philippines)
The project I elaborated within this 4 weeks consultancy mission seeks to establish and/or strengthen community based DRR structures on all administrative levels. The goal is that by the end of the project, government institutions and civil society organizations on national, provincial and municipal level as well as local communities and schools are able to apply, coordinate, replicate and disseminate DRR policies and practices and thus contribute to the consolidated implementation process of the DRRM law in order to achieve resilience of local communities and institutions.
At the same time, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) will improve its knowledge on DRR and CCA related issues through intensified networking with various technical and scientific stakeholders and thus contribute to the process of establishing SOPs for all future DRR activities in the country.
One project component comprises the national policy level and defines the overall framework for this project. Networks state an important means for effective advocacy and dissemination of information as stakeholders from all backgrounds (government, scientific, academic and technical institutions, NGOs & CSO, etc.) communicate and cooperate in order to share lessons learnt, exchange knowledge, define best practices, advocate for inclusive DRR and CCA standards, policies and strategies as well as assess new technical innovations. Through its intensified participation in these networks, PRC will augment its knowledge on best practices and technical innovations/tools as well as improve its advocacy role in the field of DRR and CCA.
Furthermore, PRC staff on national and provincial level will be capacitated to lead and implement this and future projects through trainings in DRRM, Planning and Program Management. Awareness on inclusive DRR will be increased through campaigns and action days at national and provincial level. Multi-sectoral workshops, cross-visits among selected PRC chapters and continuous M&E will lead to enhanced learning effects and by the end of the project best practices will feed into the establishment of SOPs and the policy process on national level.
A second component aims at establishing and enhancing DRR structures on municipal and community level and promote their linkages. In the communities themselves, DM Teams will be trained in First Aid and Basic Health to guide and mobilize the communities in preparedness activities and provide immediate relief for disastrous events and thus enhance the present rescue capacities in the communities.
A participatory Vulnerability and Capacity Analysis (VCA) will sensitize and increase understanding in the communities regarding the prevailing hazards, risks and vulnerabilities they are living with. Together with the local authorities they will develop Community Response and Contingency Plans, local EWS, which will be tested in regular drills, and define small scale mitigation measures.
The link between the municipalities and the communities will be tightened through multi-stakeholder networks for advocacy and capacity building and multi-sectoral workshops, which will secure continued support for inclusive DRR activities and mitigation measures after this project.
The third component of the project aims to reinforce DRR structures at school level and capitalizes on the fact that children are known to be excellent multipliers to disseminate knowledge. For this purpose, PRC Chapters, DepEd, headmasters and teachers will work together on standardized approaches for effective DRR dissemination in schools. DRR and CCA topics should by law be included in all school subjects, which is not yet always the case. By integrating these topics in curricular and extra-curricular activities and linking schools and communities through joint social activities, involving students, teachers, parents and community leaders in drills and simulations, information and dissemination campaigns or mainstreaming disability and gender, DRR structures will be tightly anchored in schools and communities and contribute to a culture of resilience.