PROMISE - Bangladesh
Building Capacity of the Vulnerable

A project titled “Program for Hydro-meteorological Disaster Risk Mitigation in Secondary cities in Asia (PROMISE)” is currently being implemented in 10 vulnerable Wards under Chittagong City Corporation with the financial support from USAID through ADPC. Bangladesh Disaster Preparedness Centre has been implementing this project since January 2006. The main goal of this project is to reduce vulnerability of urban communities through enhanced preparedness and mitigation of hydro-meteorological disaster in South and South East Asia.

Under this Program during the last two quarters (March-July), BDPC completed the Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment in 10 selected Wards and finalized the small scale mitigation projects. To accomplish this task, at the very outset training of trainers was conducted on ‘Community Based Disaster Risk Management’ as CBDRM is a very significant approach to identify community’s risk and vulnerabilities as well as to reduce vulnerabilities through buildings capacities of the community.

The purpose of the TOT training was to develop skill and knowledge of the selected change agents to enable them for assessing communities’ vulnerabilities and capacities and preparing community level action plan.

The ToT training was held on 14-16 March, 2007 in Chittagong. Mr. Moloy Chaki, Program Coordinator, BDPC facilitated the training program which was attended by 30 Change Agents, 3 from each Ward. Experience sharing, brain storming, lecture discussion, demonstration and other methodologies led to create an open, participatory and enjoyable environment in the sessions and helped the participants to acquire maximum output from the training. The training session mainly focused on:
- General concept of hazard, vulnerability, disaster;
- Hydro meteorological disaster
- Urban disaster and urban disaster management
- Community based disaster risk management
- Tools for vulnerability assessment
- Identification of stakeholders
- Development of community action plan
- Roles and responsibilities of change Agents.

After the TOT, 10 Ward level CBDRM course were held in the respective Wards. With the assistance of BDPC, three trained CAs facilitated each of the courses. All the programs were monitored by the members of the respective Ward Disaster Risk Mitigation Committee (WDRMC). In most of the cases, Ward Commissioner of the respective Wards was present during the closing session. Through these courses the Vulnerabilities and Hazards of the communities were assessed by using the following tools:
1. Hazard Matrix,
2. Time line
3. Seasonal Calendar
4. Focus group Discussion
5. Key informants interview
6. Venn diagram,
7. Transact walk,
8. Hazard and risk mapping.

At the end of the each course, an action plan with proposed projects for reducing the risk of the respective wards was prepared through participatory way. And the trained CAs prepared Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment report for their respective Wards highlighting the geo-physical and environmental, socioeconomic, infrastructural, available service, gender and health aspects.

In order to validate and compile the reports, a validation and compilation meeting was held
on 08 July 2007. A total 60 participants including Ward Commissioners, CAs, and members of the WDRMCs were present at the event. During the meeting the participants were divided into ward wise 10 groups and they validated their reports and identified 5 projects on priority basis.

Based on those identified projects, BDPC and other stake holders finalized 6 small scale mitigation projects
to be implemented under PROMISE project. The proposed projects are as follows:
• Installation of pond filter for ensuring safe drinking water at disaster shelter
• Improvement of drainage system through excavation of canal
• Increasing WATSAN facilities for school cum shelter
• Providing WATSAN facilities for slum dwellers to reduce health risk
• School based program for capacity building and disaster risk reduction
• Improvement of drainage system to address the problem of water logging.

Besides, beneficiaries from pilot project areas shared their experiences with the audience. A number of suggestions were made regarding the project and those were appreciated by the audience and the participants. The workshop ended with vote of thanks by Mr. Sadaruddin Ahmed, Director General of Relief and Rehabilitation.

For further information contact:
Sultana Afsari
Documentation Officer
Bangladesh Disaster Preparedness Centre
House # 52, Road # 13/C, Block – E, Banani, Dhaka
Phone: 8815074, 8816296
Fax: 8816296
E–mail: sultana@bdpc.org.bd, bdpc@bdpc.org.bd, bdpc@glinktel.com
www.bdpc.org.bd.