dipecho v news letter 4th edition- january10
TRANSCRIPT
Inside this issue:
Action Aid:
Acuity, attitudes and
actions – transformation
2
Danish Red Cross :
Mass Sensitization for
Safer Communities
2
Handicap International:
Sensitization on disabil-
ity and to persons with
disabilities
3
Mission East:
Mass sensitization in
remote mountainous
areas
4
Oxfam:
Mass Media—Mass sen-
sitization
4
Practical Action:
Early Warning—Mass
sensitization
5
Mercy Corps:
Changing practices
through mass sensitiza-
tion
6
NSDRM Priority 3
7
Nepal has been classified as one of
the global ‘hot-spots’ for natural dis-
asters (World Bank, 2005). Reducing
the impact of Natural disasters in
Nepal is a big challenge for govern-
mental as well as non-governmental
institutions.
A wide array of measures has to be
taken, ranging from the development
of Disaster Management and Risk
Reduction legal framework, to overall
infrastructural interventions, coordi-
nation between agencies, research
and development of early warning
systems and capacity building and
strengthening of search and rescue
teams.
The National Strategy for Disaster
Risk Management (NSDRM) devel-
oped with support from UNDP under
the third and fourth DIPECHO Action
Plans recognizes the potential contri-
bution of local communities in disas-
ter risk reduction and preparedness.
The strategy further recognizes a
strong need for awareness raising
and dissemination of disaster risk
reduction information to build resil-
ience of the nation as well as the
communities to disasters.
The NSDRM in line with the Hyogo
Framework for Action (HFA) has iden-
tified five priorities for action, of
which especially the third priority for
action “Better Knowledge Manage-
ment for Building a Culture of
Safety” (please see page 7 ) focuses
on awareness raising.
The theme of this fourth edition of
the newsletter is “Mass Sensitiza-
tion” for awareness raising in the 19
districts supported under the fifth
DIPECHO Action Plan. Inside this
issue, DIPECHO Partners in Nepal
provides a brief of mass sensitiza-
tion activities implemented as part
of their contribution towards fulfill-
ment of the third priority of the
NSDRM.
These initiatives include among
others, radio and TV programs,
street dramas and community
meetings. The articles in this edition
provide only a brief of the various
sensitization activities carried out
by DIPECHO Partners in Nepal. For
further details of the different ini-
tiatives, please contact the
DIPECHO Project Managers directly.
DIPECHO Newsletter Nepal
MASS SENSITIZATION January 2010
Fourth Edition
ics. “Mass Sensitization” is one of the
approaches adhered in project im-
plementation to bring the people
together for better reinforcement.
The SAFE project supported by the
European Commission through its
Humanitarian Aid department has so
far experienced that Mass Sensitiza-
tion brings positive changes to atti-
SAFE- Safer Communities through
Multi-Hazard Risk Reduction project
of Danish Red Cross and Nepal Red
Cross Society emphasizes on the ca-
pacity development of poor & vul-
nerable communities so that they
are able to reduce their vulnerability
and withstand disasters. The entire
process of capacity development
encompasses behavioral & attitudi-
nal change of the target population.
While bringing positive change in
behavior is a challenge, envisaging
social change particularly in deep
rooted traditional and ethnic com-
munities have multifaceted dynam-
The The DIPECHO V project, Surak-
shit Samudaya II, implemented by
ActionAid in Nepal follows a logical
sequence to assist communities at
risk to build resilience to disasters.
This includes 1) community mobiliza-
tion and institutional development,
2) mass sensitization and capacity
building, 3) strengthening alliance
and collaborations and finally, 4)
policy and governance at various
levels. All those critical steps are in-
terrelated and have to go hand in
hand to achieve set objects.
Mass sensitization is crucial to organ-
ized development using awareness
and information at various levels to
bring about transformation. It
changes individual behavior and in-
fluences collective attitudes. In the
DIPECHO projects, AA is trying to
influence thinking and practices
within vulnerable communities to
adopt a risk-resilience culture.
Identification of risks and under-
standing vulnerability are crucial
primary steps in a sensitization proc-
ess, including physical, social, politi-
cal and economic causes of vulner-
ability. Situational assessment and
analysis of local capacities and re-
sources and probing ways and means
to reduce associated risks forms the
second phase of the sensitization
process. Once community is in-
formed, the third crucial step of mo-
bilizing collective action begins. This
is the phase when the informed peo-
ple start taking organized actions to
seek social, political and economic
measures to reduce risks and realize
their rights to eliminate factors that
threaten human security.
The above steps to inform and influ-
ence community to a larger social
transformation process are facili-
tated by various tools, techniques,
methods and products. The findings
and information gathered through
participatory vulnerability analysis
are feeding the community dis-
courses. Appropriate and cultural
friendly media like street theatre, FM
radio broadcast, video documenta-
ries and facilitated group discussions
have been initiated to disseminate
information. A pool of resource per-
sons, trained by the project, act as
local facilitators and change agents
in the community. The volunteers
facilitate the 18 REFLECT circles that
is held once in a week with average
30 participants. Thus, it is a combina-
tion of processes, tools and products
that ensures mass sensitization. It is
not just awareness, it is about social
transformation.
Inside Story Headline
Inside Story Headline
DIPECHO Newsletter Nepal Page 2
ACTION AID: Acuity, attitudes and actions – transformation through
sensitization
DANISH RED CROSS: Mass Sensitization for Safer Communities
mitigate identified problems. Mass
Sensitization is even more effective
in changing attitude and in motivat-
ing the target audience for active
participation in reaching the desired
goals and for their involvement in
addressing the problems.
audience conscious of changes. It
further brings into focus the positive
effects of changes, and possible
measures to be taken to address the
unmet needs of the communities.
SAFE has applied various tools such
as newsletters, posters, booklets,
films, pamphlets, folk music and
community meetings. These are used
by housewives in mothers’ meetings,
teachers and community trainers in
schools, as well as volunteers in
community organizations – in es-
sence, wherever teamwork is desir-
able and achievable.
Resources, both human and/or ma-
terial are continually mobilized
through Mass Sensitization, for more
holistic and systematic implementa-
tion of activities such as launching of
the project to conducting hazard
mapping; identifying small scale miti-
gation measures; formation of Disas-
ter Preparedness Units in the com-
munities and other DRR activities.
In vulnerable communities Mass
Sensitization is an effective measure
when analyzing the situation and
implementing potential solution to
month later another camp is organ-
ized for distributing and fitting of the
devices. These camps can also be
the opportunity to share information
on DRR.
Bringing people with disabilities and
their family members or caretakers
from different VDCs to meet in a
screening camp is in itself an event
of mass sensitization to disaster pre-
paredness and local organizations
are also motivated to involve people
with disabilities in their interven-
tions.
Sensitizing the individual person with
disability and their neighbours on
rights and duties for participation in
DRR interventions has an even
greater impact if combined with pro-
vision of assistive devices that will
enable the person with disability to
participate.
Mass sensitization on inclusive DRR
has two angles: (i) sensitization of
DRR stakeholders on the importance
of including persons with disabilities,
- their capacities and their vulner-
abilities the day of the emergency
will be a concern for all community -
and (ii) sensitization of persons with
disabilities on their right to partici-
pate in disaster preparedness activi-
ties and the importance as a mem-
ber of the community, to support the
preparedness process of their Ward,
VDC or District.
Often people with disabilities are not
visible, left behind or are unable to
participate in activities due to lack of
assistive devices. Thus, the DIPECHO
project also promotes appropriate
provision of assistive devices such as
hearing or walking aids for persons
with disability to participate actively
in orientation sessions, trainings on
early warning system, Disaster Man-
agement Committee meetings or
evacuation in times of emergency.
HI distributes assistive devices in
coordination with interested
DIPECHO partners through mobile
camps. Needs are assessed and
measurements taken for relevant
assistive or prosthetic devices. One
Inside Story Headline
Page 3 Fourth Edition
Folk music in a gathering for commu-
Community meeting for hazard mapping
HANDICAP INTERNATIONAL: Sensitization on disability and sensitization
to persons with disability.
Screening Camp
In remote mountainous areas of the
Karnali region, FM Radio is the only
available and possible media for
mass sensitization. Most households
have a radio tuned on the local FM
station or on the national Radio Ne-
pal station. In that perspective, the
majority of beneficiaries supported
by Mission East’s DIPECHO project
will be reached by a radio program
planned to be aired on Radio Karnali
(105.2 MHZ) from Jumla (covering 18
VDCs) for a period of 7 months. Ra-
dio Karnali, a project of Mission
East’s partner KIRDARC, has broad
experience of community-based ra-
dio programming. MISSION EAST will
thus benefit from their 5-years’ of
experience creating and broadcast-
ing interactive radio magazines on
contemporary issues such as pro-
moting peace, democracy, human
rights, good governance, and devel-
opment, during the time of conflict
and in the post conflict situation. It
also helps disadvantaged community
groups such as women, children,
IDPs, dalit, indigenous and conflict
affected people to bring forward
their own concerns and problems.
MISSION EAST assumes – based on
lessons learned from similar actions
– that active communities informed
through broad FM radio dialogues
will improve the possibilities of long-
term and sustainable mitigation of
adverse disaster effects on liveli-
hoods and development processes.
By initiating two-way dialogue on
disaster and disaster preparedness
issues, MISSION EAST aims to in-
crease positive participation in DRR
decision-making at community, VDC
and district levels. Such initiative is in
accordance with the Hyogo Frame-
work for Action that considers active
community participation a key ele-
ment in reducing the effects of natu-
ral disaster.
The 30 minutes radio magazine aired
every week is expected to reach out
to an audience of 70,000 people. It
will include field testimonies, vox box
calls, guest interviews, recall of disas-
ter situations and will as well focus
on disasters in a national perspec-
tive. The content will be adapted to
the local context in order to address
people’s daily concerns.
Inside Story Headline
Inside Story Headline
DIPECHO Newsletter Nepal Page 4
MISSION EAST: Mass sensitization in remote mountainous areas.
Interview for radio magazine
© KIRDARC
Listening to the radio magazine
© KIRDARC
OXFAM: Mass media – Mass sensitization
For Oxfam mass sensitisation aims
both to create and sustain support at
the government level for the integra-
tion of DRR into development plan-
ning as to raise awareness among the
communities on the nature of disas-
ters. Throughout its programming,
Oxfam uses mass media such as tele-
vision, radio programmes, monthly
awareness on DRR.
Under the DIPECHO III action plan,
Oxfam collaborated with ActionAid
and ECO Nepal to develop the Disas-
ter Knowledge Series, a 15 booklets
series covering all aspects of DRR.
These booklets aimed at schools,
local partners and social mobilizers
continue to prove useful both for
ness raising.
The school component consists of
training a DRR focal person in
schools within the target communi-
ties. These focal persons are also
equipped with reference and IEC
material which will continue to be
used for DRR sessions in the schools
also after completion of the
DIPECHO V project. The school com-
ponent aims both to develop general
awareness of DRR concepts among
students and teachers alike.
awareness raising and capacity
building purposes.
Under the DIPECHO V action plan,
mass sensitisation consists of radio
programmes, street theatre and
folksong competitions and the
school programme. The radio pro-
gramme consist of two elements:
• short radio jingles with
practical, applicable
messages on risks and
how to reduce them
• longer broadcasts with
case studies of DRR
approaches and voices
from local officials, com-
munity members and
program staff
Both will be aired on FM radios se-
lected after radio surveys within the
target communities to ensure the
programmes will reach them.
Street theatre spreads messages on
DRR directly to the target communi-
ties. Local theatre groups deliver key
messages to the communities in the
local language. They are effective as
both a form of popular entertain-
ment and as a strategy for aware-
the community’s role in establishing
early warning systems. The shows
disseminated mainly early warning
experiences, benefits and impacts of
early warning systems supported
under previous Practical Action sup-
ported projects. Door to door cam-
paigns and mass rallies are other
means used to create awareness on
early warning.
The SEWIN (Scaling up early warning
systems in Nepal) implemented by
Practical Action supports a wide
range of activities to improve knowl-
edge and create awareness among
the wider population towards Com-
munity Based Flood Early Warn-
ing Systems. To popularize the con-
cept of early warning systems two
slogans have been introduced:
Purbasuchana: Sabai Ka Lagi Sabai
Marphat (Early Warning for all from
all) and
Purbasuchana Ko Bistar: Jokhim
Nyunikaran Ko Aadhar (Promotion
of early warning: the basis for re-
ducing risk)
Practical Actions’ local partners have
in collaboration with the districts’
Communication offices, the FM and
Community radio stations developed
39 jingles in four local languages and
7 radio programs on flood prepared-
ness and early warning. The jingles
and programs were broadcasted
before, during and after the mon-
soon season. Reporters and the peo-
ple in-charge of the FM and Commu-
nity radio stations in the project dis-
tricts have attended trainings on
how to analyze and interpret flood
forecasting data available on the
Department of Hydrology and Me-
trology’s website in order to provide
relevant flood forecasting informa-
tion through their radio channels.
Video shows and street dramas on
early warning have helped communi-
ties internalizing the importance of
effective and on time warning and
PRACTICAL ACTION: Early Warning—Mass Sensitization
Page 5 Fourth Edition
Early Warning Bicycle Rally
Early Warning Students Rally
district.
To further enhance awareness on
DRR options and modalities for local
conditions, KDRRI promotes cross
visits and facilitates interactions be-
tween different communities and
stakeholders. Furthermore, to impart
DRR knowledge and information, IEC
materials are disseminated using
household visits by a trained team of
40 young community facilitators.
Various techniques as games, essays,
arts, simulations and DP awareness
campaigns are used to fill gaps in
knowledge about DP and DRR among
teachers and students in the project
areas.
Mercy Corps has undertaken differ-
ent media for effective mass sensiti-
zation and dissemination of DRR in-
formation among various segments
of the communities, students, and
government organizations. Mercy
Corps’ Kailali Disaster Risk Reduction
Initiative Project (KDRRI) creates
awareness on floods and their risks
as well as protection mechnisms and
coping strategies among the local
people in the project area and in
neighboring communities.
Street drama is an important tool
used by KDRRI to sensitize and com-
municate key messages to commu-
nity members who are unable to
read and write. Dramas are pre-
sented in the local Tharu language by
two teams of local youth one trained
under the previous DIPECHO project
and another under the current pro-
ject. That the street dramas are ef-
fective in sensitization can be seen as
stated by a community member say-
ing that his community was able to
evacuate and rescue all community
members because of what they have
learned from the street drama.
Electronic media are another effec-
tive tool used for raising awareness
and changing practices. The project
uses video documentations to galva-
nize viewers into reducing disaster
risks and documentary films to show
various coping mechanisms adopted
by people in high risk situation. En-
forcement of rules like zero grazing
on the river banks and soil conversa-
tion are some of the particular risk
reduction activities that are commu-
nicated effectively through the vid-
eos and are emulated on the ground.
Furthermore, during the monsoon
seasons short disaster preparedness
messages and radio magazines are
broadcasted by local FM stations and
published in the daily newspapers in
two languages to raise awareness
among a wider audience in Kailali
Practical Action has observed a sig-
nificant change in practices among
the local governments tracked from
the DIPECHO-III to the DIPECHO-V projects due to sensitization initia-
tives. The Village Development Com-
mittees (VDC) allocated at the end of
the DIPECHO-III project a tiny budget
for flood preparedness out of their
annual budget, for the DIPECHO-IV
project this happened in the middle
of project period and for the
DIPECHO-V project the VDCs have
allocated funds for preparedness
right from the beginning of the pro-
ject.
MERCY CORPS – Changing practices through mass sensitization
DIPECHO Newsletter Nepal Page 6
Street drama for mass sensitization
Radio magazine being produced
This thematic newsletter has been produced by DIPECHO projects in Nepal with support from European Commission
under its Humanitarian Aid department. While the work of the projects is supported by the European Commission the
views expressed in the newsletter are those of the partner organizations alone.
The contents and information has been provided by Action Aid; Danish Red Cross; Handicap International; Mercy
Corps; Mission East Nepal; Oxfam GB and Practical Action. This issue is edited and circulated by Mercy Corps on be-
half of DIPECHO partners in Nepal.
To know more about DIPECHO projects, please contact Luc Verna for DG ECHO/DIPECHO at hoo@echo-
kathmandu.org and respective project managers at [email protected] (Action Aid), [email protected]
(CARE), [email protected] (Danish Red Cross), [email protected] (Handicap International),
[email protected] (Mercy Corps), [email protected] (Mission East-Nepal), svanleuf-
[email protected] (Oxfam) and [email protected] (Practical Action).
Page 7 Fourth Edition
NSDRM PRIORITY ACTION 3: Better knowledge management for
building a culture of safety
Strategic Activity 12:
Develop/modify the National Policy on education and implement it so that it gives recognition to schools as important
centers for propagating disaster awareness.
Strategic Activity 13:
Implement disaster education
Strategic Activity 14:
Develop curricula on DRR training for different target groups and implement training prgrammes for all stakeholders
Strategic Activity 15:
Develop and implement a comprehensive national programme for disaster awareness
Strategic Activity 16:
Develop plans, programmes and facilitate for use of mass communication media for dissemination of information on
disaster risk and risk reduction
Strategic Activity 17: Develop/strengthen and encourage awareness raising programmes on DRM at the local level