Building resilient communities: Community managed disaster risk reduction (CMDRR)

Communities around the world, especially in Asia, are facing a serious challenge towards establishing sustained progress due to the changing climate pattern. Farmers and pastoralists in Africa who are experiencing delayed rains are coping to bridge the gaps of food insecurity and adapting new ways to recover for the next season. Increasing frequency of flooding in South Asia and hurricanes in Central America are some of the manifestations of climate variability.

Disaster happens when a community with very low capacity cannot cope on their own when a hazard strikes their community. Over the years, disasters have always demonstrated its link to development. Disasters can automatically wipe our years of development efforts. On the one hand, unsustainable development patterns also expose more people and assets to disaster risk.

The Community Managed Disaster Risk Reduction (CMDRR) approach builds people’s capacities to prevent and mitigate the impact of hazards of communities at risk. This is achieved by enhancing individual survivability and community readiness. Building resilient communities means strengthening the foundation of safety and enhancing disaster risk reduction measures.

The course will follow four modules:

Module 1. Concepts, principles and practices in CMDRR
Module 2. Facilitating CMDRR: Methods and process
Module 3: Sustaining CMDRR
Module 4: Action planning