 |
|
|
The project, “Learnings from Tsunami” is an attempt to understand and analyze efforts undertaken by several stakeholders including governments, international aid agencies, donor agencies, individuals and communities in response to tsunami, a disaster, which affected eight countries, thousands of people and animals, destroying entire villages, and wreaking havoc in an already depleting and degrading environment. A disaster that made past natural disasters seems almost pale in comparison. The responses were tremendous, swift and overwhelming. Many organizations which came in to help with relief and rehabilitation have left/ about to leave and there are some whose work would continue at least for few more months or even years. Those who worked, their experiences have been life-changing, the learning has increased, and many a mistakes made again. It is here that stories of success and failure both exist side by side.
- To develop a ‘learnings’ document that could feed into the training of relevant agencies involved in work related to disaster, disaster mitigation as well as disaster preparedness.
- To compile an Analytical report of identified rehabilitation efforts in Asia after the 2004 December Tsunami.
- To develop Guidelines for different sectors contributing to rehabilitation efforts.
- To develop a ‘Tool kit’-this will be which will be used in rehabilitation and other training programmes.
A literature review of initiatives and documentation undertaken by various agencies is being done and this includes understanding of Needs assessment and targeting, Monitoring, evaluation, learning and accountability practices, Livelihood and habitat restoration strategies and implementation, Government-NGO; NGO-NGO Coordination, Documentation, communication and dissemination, Integration of long term development and disaster preparedness in the process of relief rehabilitation, and Fund Raising. Within these are cross cutting issues like education, age, gender, infrastructure, logistics, volunteers and staff, which will find space in the study.The documentation would include:
- Anecdotal case studies of NGO Volunteers, Government officials, community members, youth groups and International agencies which have made unique contribution in the response and recovery process.
- Disaster management related efforts focusing on planning and preparedness undertaken by communities, institutions, Government and NGOs to help communities prepare better for such future disasters.
- Learnings/ suggestions from different stakeholders regarding disaster preparedness, planning and management.
- References from some out side tsunami hit areas of good practices of integrating disaster preparedness in disaster response and long term reconstruction programs at the community level would also be identified and included as case examples.
- India
- Indonesia
- Sri Lanka
- Maldives
The first step will be to meet with a Resource group which will consist of experts from INGOs, Humanitarian Groups and other key agencies. Simultaneously there will be a web-based consultation with the various Central Coordinating Agencies-sharing or passing and receiving information about other organizations. The Resource Group will play an advisory role and create ownership amongst other project members and will be an active part of the entire process from the documentation of practices to the development of the tool kit (learnings document, analytical report and guidelines). Each country will have a Country coordinator who will oversee the information gathering process being conducted by a team of around four youth who will undergo a week of training focusing on Disasters- sustainable development, and skills in documentation and leadership in each country. An Advisory Committee comprising of representatives from OXFAM, and CEE will closely monitor, evaluate and advice on the progress of the project. CEE India will coordinate the work in all four countries and will be in close interaction with a Country Coordinating agency in each of the four countries. The outputs are a concrete collation of a variety of perspectives analyzed and synthesized to create a resource that will be useful not only to people in the field but governments and future generations interested to work in the field of disaster management. The project itself will be a capacity building opportunity for the youth who will take part in the information collection process. The project will emphasize on the necessity for the integration of preparedness and a long term perspective for rehabilitation of people and communities affected in disaster.
|
|
