“WHEN OUR CHILDREN LEARN, WE LEARN”

Building Safer Communities through Child Centered Disaster Risk

Reduction in Bihar

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©2011 save the children Bal Raksha bharat This Publication is protected by copyright. It may be reproduced by any metheod with out fee or prior permission for teaching purpose, but not for sale. For use in any circumstances, prior written permission must be obtained from publisher First published 2011 Published by : Save the children Bal Raksha Bharat Bihar state office 224/E Pataliputra colony Patna-800013 Telefax : 0612 2274650 www.savethechildren.in

This report has been prepared by RedR India upon

invitation from Save the Children for documenting

good practices and innovative experiences of the Child

Centered Community Based Disaster Risk Reduction

Programme in Bihar. It has been jointly authored by

Mona C. Anand and Sheena Arora.

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Samrudhi Bungalow No.1,

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IndiaAuthor’s note:

The authors gratefully acknowledge the input of the village communities participating for their generous and

honest sharing of experiences as well as the time they gave the team for the various meetings organized

during the field visit. The authors are also grateful to the partners of Save the Children involved in the

programme for their support and input for this documentation.

Photo Credit:

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CONTENT

----------------------------Forward 05

---------------------------Introduction 06

--------------------------Innovative Experiences

-------------------------Child Protection in Emergencies and Disaster Risk Reduction 10

------------------------ Child-Centered Community-based Disaster preparedness 12

-----------------------Resilience Building through Livelihoods Intervention 17

----------------------Child Friendly Flood Shelters 20

-----------------------Discussion and Lessons for Policy 25

FOREWORD

It has been going to be three years the massive Kosi River floods of August 2008 caused unprecedented loss

to lives, livelihoods, infrastructure and property in north-eastern Bihar. Although floods have been a recurring

feature in parts of the state, the 2008 floods were not usual. The Kosi burst its embankments and changed

course, inundating areas of Bihar that had not experienced such flooding for half a century. About 1,000

villages in five districts (Araria, Madhepura, Purnia, Saharsa and Supaul and parts of Khagaria) were affected,

involving three million people, of whom about one million were evacuated.

Save the children and its partners responded immediately to reduce the negative impact the disaster which

was declared as the National Calamity by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India. The response start with the

cooked food in the relief camp, Family Tracing Reunification, providing child friendly spaces to the children

Non food Item, Intermediary shelter.. soon reached more than 10000 families in holistic approach

While immediately relief had reached affected communities, even if everything nature and scale, the

challenge is to meet the needs for intermediate rehabilitation and longer-term preparedness against future

disasters. The Hyogo Framework of Action (2005), of which the Government of India is signatory , calls for

Disaster Risk reduction to be made a national and local priorities . Moreover safety of children in school is

priority area.

As part of its strategy with the support from ICICI foundation and Civil Societies organization Partners, Save

the children designed and implemented a 2 years ( April 2009- March 2011) , Child-centered Community-

based Disaster Risk Reduction intervention in 100 villages of Araria ,Madhepura, Supaul, Khagaria districts in

Bihar affected by the Kosi floods 2008 .

This document is based upon the experience of Save the Children and its partner’s organization gained

through implementation of the aforementioned programme and reviewed by Red R. The purpose of producing

the document is to share with all relevant stake holders the good practices and lesson learnt that has

emerged and which can be either replicated elsewhere or which can act as cautionary reference for improved

KOSHI FLOODS map 24TH

August 2008

project in implementation in this thematic sector towards ensuring child rights . The idea behind this exercise

is not capture the achievements but also rigorous analysis for future reference.

Save the Children takes this opportunities to acknowledge the wonderful gesture and support of all the

individual contributor cum customers of ICICI , who contributed to ICICI foundation to support the survivors of

the flood victims in the state , Save the Children acknowledge the hugely successful initiatives of ICICI

foundation of mobilizing and distributing funds for a greater social welfare , Civil Society Organisation

Partners , no doubt have played a significant and dynamic role in channelizing these resources to further the

cause of child rights.

With Best Regards

Mr. Rayappa Knacharala Ms. Nitu Prasad

Emergency programme Manager State Programme Manager Bihar

Save the Children Bal Raksha Bharat Save the Children Bal Raksha Bharat

1. INTRODUCTION

Background

The Kosi flooding in Bihar affected millions in seven

districts of north Bihar:Supaul, Araria, Madhepura,

Saharsha, Purnia, Khagaria and Katihar. As a result

of the breach in the eastern Kosi embankment

upstream of the Indian border at Kusaha in

neighboring Nepal on 18th of August, 2008, the fury

of the swirling waters destroyed roads, bridges,

culverts, agricultural fields, houses, schools and other

public infrastructure.

As a result of the breach, the river changed its course

to what it had followed over 200 years ago.

Unprepared for flood-related calamities, over 3.3

million people were hardest hit.

Children and young people were severely affected,

not only in terms of loss of assets and loved ones, but

also in terms of increased vulnerability to a variety of

threats. This was the case as traditional protection mechanisms were affected with displacement into

temporary shelters, the diversion of parents‟ attention towards relief and livelihood options, and the shut-

down of schools for as long as 3 months. The education system was hard-hit with thousands of schools

destroyed and reports1 of around 75 per cent of teachers affected by the floods.

The Kosi disaster further highlighted the need for strategic interventions towards reducing disaster risk of

communities in the state, and risks of children in particular. It is important to note that 17 per cent of the

India‟s flood-prone areas are located in Bihar. 37 per cent of the total area in state of Bihar is vulnerable to

floods; resulting in 22 out of 38 districts and around 5000 villages are under grip of severe floods every year.

Further, the state is prone to earthquakes, droughts and fires. Children‟s vulnerabilites in Bihar are further

compounded by high rates of poverty in the state, calling for increased efforts towards realization of their

right to live in a safe environment.

Implementing Partners

Partner District Block Villages No of HH

Jan Jagaran Sansthan (JJS)

Madhepura 2 30 3467

Vikas Vihar

Araria 1 20 3515

SAKHI

Supaul 1 20 2805

1 Source

Nav Jagriti

Khagaria 3 30 3760

TOTAL 4 7 100 13547

Building Safer Communities: The Child Centered Community Based Disaster Risk Reduction

programme

The Child Centred Community Based Disaster Risk Reduction (CCBBDRR) Programme of Save the

Children and its partners works towards reducing the disaster risk of communities with children as the main

actors during the entire process. This approach is guided by Save the Children Fund‟s2 belief that „children

can play an important role in helping their families, villages and communities to reduce risks associated with

natural disasters.‟

After the immediate response phase after the Kosi floods in 2008, Save the Children worked to demonstrate a

model of child-centred approach to making 100 villages safer in four districts with the Building Disaster

Resilient communities in Bihar with focus to Child protection in emergencies were supported by CSO

partners fo

As a result of the initiative,100 CBCCDRR plans were prepared in100 villages and approved by Gram Sabha;

100 children's groups are formed and trained on Child Protection and disaster risk reduction (DRR); four

different types of Information, Education and Communication (IEC) materials were developed &

disseminated. Partner staff members and community volunteers were trained on Participatory Vulnerability

and Capacity Assessment and facilitating DRR Planning. 500 task forces on First Aid and Search and Rescue

were formed in 100 villages, of which 60% are children. 100 Village DRR Committees and Task Forces were

2 Source

equipped with search and rescue, first aid and shelter management kits, which include utensils. In addition,

safe evacuation routes were developed and shared with 100 village communities.

Farm and non-farm livelihood supports were extended to participating families for addressing emerging

issues of migration and child labour. Five Child Friendly Flood Shelters have been constructed for providing

shelter to children and their families in emergencies.

At the heart of all of these initiatives, there are community groups that comprise of chidren as well as adults

that have been trained to take up these challenges and lead the way towards safer and more resileint

communities.

Purpose of the documentation

The CC CBDRR Programme was designed to build upon the potential of child centred community

development mechanism created during the immediate response of the Kosi floods. These mechanisms clearly

underscored the opportunity for holistic development of communities at risk with child protection as an entry

point. While the programme is in its final stages of completion, there is enough evidence to indicate the value

of the processes that have been followed by the programme and its contribution to overall resilience building

in the communities. This report seeks to document good practices that contribute towards this goal.

UNESCO defines3 „Good practices‟ as initiatives, projects and/or policies that provide examples of practice,

generate ideas and contribute to policy development. In the context of social transformation, UNESCO

defines4good practices as creative and sustainable practices that provide effective response based on the idea

of direct knowledge utilisation, which can have potentials for replication as “inspirational guideline” and

contribute to policy development.

3 In a document by UNESCO on Education and Sustainable Development http://www.unesco.org/en/esd/publications/good-

practices/ accessed on 8th

March 2011, 9: 00 PM 4http://www.unesco.org/new/en/social-and-human-sciences/themes/social-transformations/international-migration/best-

practices/ accessed on 8th

March 2011, 9 : 20 PM

1Children from Araria district participate in the mock drill exercise

In this regard, there emerge „good practices‟ this program that can be adapted to different contexts to improve

the quality of programming, especially from the children and young persons perspective. This document aims

to highlight such elements of the programme that have been appreciated by the participating communities,

and recommended by them for replication with other communities that are at similar risks. This is intended as

a practitioner‟s document, therefore the sharing of experiences and good practices thus captured will

encourage further improvements. At the same time, a deeper exploration of these programs also provides

insights for policy. In view of this, the documentation will be shared with the State level Inter-Agency

platform, Disaster Management fora, state and national level Disaster Management Authorities and training

institutions.

Methodology

This review for documenting good practices was carried out through field visits in Khagaria, Supaul and

Madhepura for understanding from the participating children, their families and communities those aspects of

the programme that have been successful, their key outputs and processes. In addition to the field visits, this

report draws from the regional review5 of Save the Children's child centered disaster risk reduction programs

in South Asia. The team's past experience of interviews, focus group discussions and key informant

discussions with children, adult community members, local government representatives, volunteers and

emergency focal points at Save the Children and their partner staff in Araria, Bihar also informs this

document.

Further, this document draws extensively from existing programme documents – donor reports and process

documents. Through a corroboration of field observations and process documents, the good practices review

seeks to contribute to knowledge on child centred CBDRR programming.

Structure of the report

The document has been divided into three broad sections. The first section introduces the community based

child centered disaster risk reduction program and places it in the context of the Bihar, with a focus on the

status of chidlren indisasters in this State. Section II highlights the key good practices emerging from the

CCCBDRR programme in Bihar. The last section discussing emerging themes, lessons for policy and

concludes.

2. INNOVATIVE EXPERIENCES

2.1 Child Protection in Emergencies and Disaster Risk Reduction

5 Save the Children, 2010 ‘Reducing Risks as Equals’, Regional Review of Child Centered Disaster Risk Reduction in South

Asia

Community institutions are a critical element of any community-based DRR program. Save the Children,

Bihar‟s program weaves the discourse of child protection into the DRR fabric through their investment in

community institutions. The Children‟s Groups and Child Protection Committees emerge as active entities for

monitoring risks in their communities and taking actions to reduce them.

Innovations

Creating Safe Spaces for Voice and

Action

The formation of children‟s groups (CG) in

communities has provided the children with

spaces for expression and exploration. By means

of careful situation analysis and resultant

targeting, the program reaches out to children

whose vulnerabilities to disasters are compounded

because of their social status in the society6.

Comprising of girls and boys aged 10-14 years;

the groups were formed through an election

process whereby children from 6 to 17 years of

age had voting rights. The groups meet twice a

month to discuss their past experience of

disasters, issues related to their rights and those of

other children in their village, and potential

solutions to the same. Like the children‟s group

mentioned above, CGs across the four program

districts bring stories of friends and neighbors

who are school drop-outs, being forced to engage

in child-labour, or forced to enter a child-marriage

to their meetings and plan the course of action to

improve these situations.

Strengthening support systems and duty-

bearers

6 More than 60 percent of the program villages are inhabited by communities who belong to Scheduled Castes and Other

Backward Classes.

Claiming our right to protection

Village Khoot in the Supaul district was ravaged by the

Kosi-floods. The primary school structure was completely

destroyed, disrupting even the minimal means of

education. Two years after the floods, while the official

recovery process was over, the school structure remained

conspicuous by its absence. Children were forced to study

in the blazing sun without a roof, while classes were

suspended on rainy days.

Belonging to the „musahar1‟ community, the children in

this village were engaged in the formation of a Children‟s

Group in 2009. During the meetings, the issue of the

school in their village would come up often. Finally, the

children took the issue to the Child Protection Committee

in their village and it was decided that they would ask for

these rights from the administration. Led by the children‟s

group, a group from the village visited the Block

Development Officer with their demands.After persistent

efforts on part of the Children‟s Group and the Child

Protection Committee, there now exists a temporary school

structure in their village, the mid-day meals are served on

time and two appointed teachers take daily classes. The

children are now working towards a permanent school

structure for their village, so that they are better prepared

in case of another disaster.

2Daily classes at the temporary primary school structure

Tools

While programmatic activities were carried to achieve

the desired goals, creative tools ensured that these ideas

and messages were retained.

IEC Material:Posters, information booklets and games

were used to share important messages.

Events: Convention on Rights of Children week was

organized for communities to share their experiences viz.

a viz child rights. Rallies, signature campaign, meetings

and workshops at district and state levels were organized.

Led by the children belonging to 100 children groups,

this campaign brought together 20000 children who

signed charter of demand which was submitted to District

Magistrates

3 CRC Week celebrations Play together day

Media Engagement: Throughout the program, the media

was pro-actively encouraged to participate in all the

events, and to publish best practices and achievements of

the children and their parents.

4A news feature in the local daily about DRR day workshop

With the recognition that protecting children from violence, abuse and exploitation has to be embedded in

institutions closest to the children, this program engaged actors from within these institutions through the

formation of Child Protection Committees (CPCs) in villages. The CPCs comprise of parents, service

providers (ANMs/ ICDS and Anganwadi workers) and PRI members and were trained on monitoring and

responding on child protection issues in emergencies.

Further, young people from the villages were trained from each village as honorary volunteers to ensure that

people across age groups were engaged in the process. Organizing and strengthening support systems and

duty bearers with facilitates the development of mechanisms within the communities to identify and address

child protection issues within the communities, this paving the way for creating resilient communities.

Encouraging Participation for Reducing Risks

Highlighting that children are key actors for reducing their own risks and that of their communities, different

activities in this program support their empowerment to this end. The participation of children in the CPCs,

Panchayat Gram Samsad meetings, and risk reduction activities not only ensures that cultural barriers to their

participation are broken, but also prepares them to be active risk reducers in their communities. Piloting of the

„Children‟s Social Audit‟ is one such pioneering example from this program whereby children and other

members of the community were organized into a committee to carry out an audit of the program as it was

conducted in their village.

Challenges and Way Forward

The value of engaging institutions in a

child‟s environment is gradually being

recognized. Yet, sustaining their active

participation and role, especially in the case

of service providers and other representatives

of the administration, still remains a

challenge. While establishing linkages with

administrative counterparts was embedded in

programmatic design, it has shown mixed

results.

There is a need for further strengthening of

the softer components of the programme and

closer monitoring of the effect of the

programme on the social issues in the

communities. For instance, is the program

weakening caste barriers to access and

control of resources for children in the lower

castes? What is the scale in reduction of child

5 Ramashish showing a fire-rescue technique

“Last month, we decided to act on our discussions

about children in our village who don’t have notebooks

and pens. We collected Rs. 150 and distributed

notebooks and pens to 10 students. We can’t expect

students to go to school if they don’t have any

notebooks and pens, and take action for helping them if

we can.”

Ramashish, Education Minister, Village Khutah,

District Khagariya

6Vikram, with his mother and siblings, and his best friend from

the CG

From Training to Real Life:

Children‟s Group‟s member saves family members during

storm

An unpredicted cyclonic storm with a wind speed of 125

km per hour hit 11 districts of West Bengal, Bihar and

Assam just before midnight on Tuesday April 13th

2010. In

Bihar, over 90 people were killed, 125 injured approx 1

million people were affected. Vikram Kumar of Village

InderpurMashari, MajuhaAraria district was sleeping in his

house with his family when the Nor‟ester storm struck on

April 13th

.

He says, “The storm that came that night was the worst

storm I have ever seen. When it came I was sleeping with

my brothers and sisters but I woke up because the thunder

and wind were really loud. We were all really scared and

my sisters were crying. I told them all to get under the bed

“Choki”. I learnt this from going to the children‟s group.

We went under the bed and then the house fell down. We

were not hurt, but we got really wet from the hailstones.

As a member of the children‟s groups, he had learnt about

the safety during the meetings. When asked about the

trainings provided to children in his village, he says “I

liked the early warning training best and first aid; when a

friend of mine was hurt I used the first aid on him”.

marriages and children involved in hazardous labour? Has school enrolment and retention increased?

2.2 Community Based Child

Centered Disaster Preparedness

The importance of preparedness for disasters

cannot be emphasized enough. Save the Children,

Bihar‟s program has highlighted that when

children are actively engaged in risk reduction

activities, then they are able to communicate this

knowledge in their families and immediate

environments.

Innovations

Creating knowledge about risks in their

community

Community members come together to

collectively create knowledge about their

resources, vulnerabilities, capacities, socio-

political systems through the participatory

vulnerability and capacity assessment (PVCA)

process. Designed so as to be led primarily by

children, the PVCA creates spaces for community

members to be cognizant of their realities and to

plan for addressing some of the issues identified. This process laid the foundation for the development of

community-based plans for child protection in emergencies. These plans set out specific activities, roles and

responsibilities and the timeline for carrying those out.

7 Children’s Group in Khagaria, discussing their community’s Venn diagram

School Safety Initiatives

Children carried out a similar process for their schools as well.

They identified risks through a „hazard hunt‟ in the school and its

surrounding areas and then prepared school safety plans to ensure

their safety while in schools. Protection issues in schools such as

physical abuse and corporal punishment were identifying as risks

and also incorporate in the plans.

Task Forces: From Trainings to Life Saving Skills

Five task forces: Search and Rescue, First Aid, Early Warning and

Preparedness, Relief and Shelter Management and Psychosocial

Care were formed in communities, comprising of men, women

and children7. The program design ensured that trainings on these

themes were provided at multiple levels, creating networks of

disaster preparedness skills in these areas. 120 NGO staff and

volunteers were trained as master trainers, who then trained task

forces and other community members.

Towards Effective Preparedness: Mock Drills

7 Children are not a part of the Search and Rescue task forces because of concerns about their safety.

8Girl in district Khagariya administers first-

aid to a friend

Frequent rounds of mock drills on cyclone and flood

warning were conducted in all 100 project operational

villages. While the trainings provided knowledge and

skill based input, the drills provided an opportunity to

apply the same in a simulated context. Further, this

drill, under guidance of external resource persons, was

aimed to create understanding among partners NGO

staff and volunteers on the process, need based

preparation for the drill and the importance of

involvement and participation of the community and

children in the drill process.

9 Setting up a child friendly space during a mock drill in district Supaul

Tools

Material Support

In addition to skill-trainings, every community‟s preparedness mechanism was bolstered through

provision of task-force kits. Comprising of support equipment for shelter management, early warning,

search and rescue and first aid, the list of these materials was developed in consultation with

communities, and as per the AIDMA guidelines and sphere standards.

In most villages, community members have come together to make decisions about the use and

maintenance of these materials. For example, the utensils provided for shelter management are rented out

on occasions and the money is collected in a „disaster fund‟.

Wall paintings in the village

The risk-maps created by communities have been painted on walls of common spaces in the village. This

ensures that everyone in the village has access and is exposed to this information about their village at all

times.

Events

Challenges and Way Forward

There is a need to ensure that the skills on

preparedness, first aid and other capacities

that are needed in large numbers are further

spread to the larger community through the

network of trained individuals –

especially to younger children and

women

The task forces need to set up a discipline

for reinforcing their skills and servicing

their equipment so that the skills and

equipment – critical assets created

through the programme can be used

effectively in emergencies.

“Now we know how to collect information about a disaster that may

be useful to my village. We can read in newspapers and hear on the

radio and then make a phone call to the Sarpanch and cross-check

this information”

Children‟s Group Member, Khoota village, Khagariya

pictu

“The support we got for rebuilding our livelihoods was timely. People in our community have different skills which they were using to eke a living before the Kosi floods took away all we had. However the floods could not take away the skills we had. The programme helped us recognize our skills and provided us necessary support to stand up on our two feet. While this whole effort is still continuing and the result of our effort are yet to be seen, we are now very hopeful about the future. After all, we all have done everything that was needed. Insha’Allah Now we are eagerly waiting to reap the fruits of our hard work”

2.3Resilience Building through livelihood interventions

Considering the relatively low levels of achievement of economic development in Bihar and the fact that

North Bihar remains a less developed region within the state, the programme attempted to assist extremely

marginalized families to recover their livelihood.

Innovations

Attention to most vulnerable families

The programme followed very clear and transparent

criteria for selection of beneficiary families. While care

was taken to identify and work with the most

vulnerable families care was also taken to minimize

duplication of assistance to the same family. The

criteria for selection of beneficiary were developed

with the community by the project volunteers. Priority

was given to based on these criteria, a list of families

for assistance was developed by the CPC using the

baseline and PVCA data to ensure transparency, this

list of families was shared with local administrative as

well as the gram sabha.

The criteria for selection of families for livelihood

assistance were determined jointly with the volunteers

and village community as follows:

- Child headed or managed families, women

headed families, families whose head was

differently able, migrant labour if the family

has land up to 1 acre.

- Landless Share croppers

Building resilience through diversity in livelihood strategies

The programme has not only pursued strategies for minimizing losses due to emergencies bit it has also

proactively sought to build family and community resilience. The programme interventions were designed

such that there was no conflict with existing livelihoods strategies but coping mechanisms were improved.

Once the list of participating families was finalized and shared through the Gram Sabha, a one to one meeting

was organized by the project staff with each benefitting family to develop a precise list of livelihood

assistance material- both non-farm as well as farm based.

Non-farm support: This resulted in a standardized list of materials and equipments for the following trades:

Bangle &Bindi Kit, Vegetable selling kit, Basket Making Kit, Blacksmith, Fishing Net, Masonry Kit,

Laundry kit, Handpump Repairing kit, Tea Shop, Egg Stall Kit, Hand pump installation and maintenance,

Wood Cutter, Tailoring Machine, Sewing Machine,

Painter Kit, Bicycle Repair, Barber Kit, Carpenter

Kit, Construction Labour Kit, Cobbler‟s kit.

Grain-Bank: For those families that were involved

in farm based livelihoods, family resilience

building has been attempted by promoting a habit

of saving a handful of grain everyday. The grain

thus stored in deposited in the community grain

bank that not only reserve s grain for emergency

situations but also sells the collected grain as

required by the members. Against grain deposit,

cash loan is also available to members at an interest

much lower than normally charged by local money

lenders. Therefore the families participating in the

initiative not manage to save but can also access

easier loans.

Migration Training: Training courses were conducted in all the four districts on the issues of migrant‟s

worker risks, rights and skills required for safe migration. The labour resource department at the district level

also joined and explained the different schemes and provision in the act for the migrants. Further all the 100

villages were provided with ID cards and registers to record migrations and facilitate the safety of migrants.

“I have been a barber all my life, thats all the work I

know. Before I got the help from JSS/ Save the children I

did have the basic kit for shaving and cutting but very

little of my income was cash. I used to operate in a

“community service” mode (Saamaajik) where most of

the my earning was in the form of grain with only a basic

kit in my jhola (sling bag) I was not in a position to

negotiate a better deal. As a result, my earning was

subject to the time and quantity of harvest and cash

income was negligible. Now with this new kit, I am able

to set up a stall at the village market (haat) that happens

every fourth day. In addition to my income in the four of

grains, I am also able to earn cash income from people

visiting the haat from other villages. I not only have

better income, I also have better status in the community

now”

Karpoori Thakur, village Pokhraan, distt. Madhepura

Assessing Needs before Intervening: The Livelihoods Survey As part of the CC CBDRR programme, it was planned to support non farm labourers of the most marginalised households in the project villages. As a first step, different livelihood options being pursued in the nonfarm sector were identified. Towards this end, a formal study was undertaken with AFPRO. The following aspects of were examined:

Seasonality Survey was carried out to understand different aspects of local livelihoods such as seasonal variation and

their linkages with food, employment, workload, coping strategies and diseases over the four seasonal cycles.

Wealth Ranking was conducted to understand the different wealth group residing in the villages and the community

perception for different wealth groups, their linkages with different households in the villages.

Focus Group discussions (FGDs) were conducted with different groups to understand local livelihood patterns practiced

prior to the disaster and the coping strategies after the disaster. Discussions were held withchildren to understand the

impact of the disaster on them. 10 % of the project villages were selected for the FGD. Different village contexts were

represented for instance, one nearer to the township or market, one village in the interior and one village in middle to it

in each district.

Sourcing the necessary expertise

For farm based livelihoods, it was clear in discussion with

the participating families that the choice of seeds was a

key determent in achieving the desired outcome. The

national seed corporation of India was engaged in

providing advice on the type and quality of seeds as well

as supplying the sane. It was decided that non- hybrid

(pure) and high yielding varieties for anyone crop would

be provided. As a gesture of partnership the entire cost of

transporting the seeds to the village/ was borne by the

corporation.

Challenges and the way forward

Kosi floods led to serious damage to the livelihoods of the

community. Nearly everyone, irrespective of their earlier

financial well-being, struggled to make a living. The

livelihood intervention s of the programme was therefore

very timely. However, given the resources available, the

programme could only reach the most marginalized and

not a larger group of families that could have benefitted.

Community consolidation processes such as the support to

the newly formed children‟s groups and CPCs had an

empowering effect on the people. In many villages,

families who had received livelihood assistance from the

programme distributed small quantities of seeds to those

who were not eligible for programme support. In addition,

the agricultural implements are also being lent within the

community as a result the programme has managed to

“Yes, we had some issues within our community

where only 46 families were chosen for

assistance for agri-based livelihoods. There were

more families that needed assistance as the

floods had caused severe financial stress to

everyone- even those who are not marginal

farmers. But we managed the situation amongst

ourselves. Those of us who received 50 kg seeds

from the project gave 5-15 kgs of seeds to some

others who needed help too. In the small patch of

land that was left uncultivated, we planted

mustard and some vegetables. We could do this

because we knew that the seeds are of extremely

high quality and even if we gave away some of

our own seeds we would still be better off

compared with the period prior to flooding .

In addition to the seeds, we also received

agricultural implements for working our lands.

We are sharing the kits with other farmers who

did not get the assistance and do not have the

implements. As a community, we are better able

to help each other in normal times for improving

our lives and livelihoods as well as during

disaster times to face them.”

-SudishtaYadav, father of Vikas aged 3

Working of the Grain Bank

- Contribution: Each member family contributes an equal share every week- typical a hand full of

grain. It may include maize, wheat and rice.

- Meetings: Meetings are organized every week, during which everyone making a contribution brings

their share and the group takes stock of total grain collected, storage and management.

- Management:The Grain Bank is managed by DRRcommittee of the village, selected by the

community. Keeping the necessary reserve for emergencies, the collected grain is sold to within /

outside the village. The money collected is deposited in the bank account of the grain bank.

- Emergency stock: The Grain Bank maintains an emergency stock for at least 15 days to feed all

households during post -disaster.

- Loan: Loan is provided if a member needs a loan of food grain or cash. The date for returning the

loan and the interest is decided by the community.

- Storage: the grain is stored atthe highest point in the village to prevent flooding or any other risk

during disaster, and to ensure accessibility during and after disaster.

strengthen and nurture the existing social capital within the community.

2.4 Child Friendly Flood Shelters

Five Child Friendly Flood Shelters (CFFS) have

been constructed under the programme in

partnership with local stakeholders to provide

emergency shelter to children and their families

as well as a community asset that can be used

for community functions during non-emergency

situations.

Innovations

Comprehensive/holistic design for use

by children and their families

The flood shelters have been designed as a

double-storeyed structure with support facilities

such as a medical room and the office of the

incharge on the ground floor; ladies and gents

dormitories on the first floor with an attached

play area for children. The structure has a flat

roof that can also serve as a raised surface

escape floods.

All the flood shelters have been located within

the compounds of the school in the village. This

was a strategic decision so that the buildings are

used and maintained regularly. During non–

emergency times, the flood shelter have been

designed to be used as ICDS centre and

extension class rooms. The CFFSs in Khagaria

and Supaul are also proposed to be used for

marriages and community functions.

CFFS - „Creation Of Community Assets For Disaster

Risk Resilience

The recently constructed Child Friendly Flood Shelter in

Purvi Thatha village in Khagariya district, Bihar is the first

concrete building of the community. Located on the lower

side of an embankment, this village is exposed to water

inundation almost every monsoon season. For this reason, it

was selected as one of the 11 villages to have a CFFS.

Having been built to accommodate 1000 people, to provide

water, sanitation and first aid facilities, and to face multi-

hazard risks, this structure would be inclusive in providing

for the needs of children, the disabled and the elderly.

The community has formed a CFFS-committee that will look

after the building. They also plan to rent out the CFFS for

private functions to generate revenue for its maintenance.

The CFFS has brought fresh hope to the people of Purvi T

hatha. A “pucca” building has come to the village to give

them shelter during floods. In the process of accessing this

facility they have, through sheer persistence, managed

government support for the facility: the PHED for

installation of a handpump, the Rural Development

department for the toilets and the revenue department for use

of government land for construction of the building. The

entire experience has made them more confident and hopeful

for the future.

The people of Purvi Thatha finally have a safe space to take

shelter from the recurrent floods. But what they also have is

a structure for their community and family needs, a place for

women‟s self help groups and children‟s group to meet, and

a place they can truly call their own.

Appropriate details for lending child friendly character to the building

The CFFS initiative takes cognisance of the fact that children are often the group most traumatised by a

disaster. Besides the sheer trauma of haring been through a disaster, the loss of a home, safety of care givens

loss of school and distribution of daily routine can add to the disasters.

Thus the layout and design details have been disclosed to restore a sense of comfort for children. Some of the

features that have been attempted towards this end are:

Children’s play room accessible both from ladies as well as gents dormitory- children and their

mother/father can maintain visual contact even through children are engaged in play. The sill level of the

play room is safe yet low enough to allow children to get an outside view.

Anthropometrically suitable design of toilets – A smaller lower wash basin have been installed in both

ladies and gents toilets for accompanying children.

Attractive treatment of walls and floor- the internal and external surfaces of the building have been

rendered with bright colours and interesting patterns to appeal children. In addition writing surfaces of

interesting shapes eg common fruits and animals have been provided as green/blue boards. Similarly

lattice work ( Jaali) with bricks have been used to make the building attractive.

Site Selection

The following village and site selection criteria were considered for location of the CFFS:

- Govt. or community land, preferably within the school premises, so that it is regularly cleaned and

maintained.

- Besides the Village where the CFFS is located, the it should serve attest one more in the vicinity.

- The site should be within the village settlement close to habitation.

- The size of the land should be about 80 ft. x 60 ft.. It should be compact and not loose.

- The land should be little higher land (elevated) within the settlement

- There should be no legal disputes regarding the ownership of the land

- In emergency cases, everyone irrespective of caste, religion etc. with preference to women and children

should be permitted to take shelter.

Structurally sound design and construction to with stand milt -hazard conditions of north Bihar

The CFFS building was designed and constructed under the technical guidance of Development

Professionals Forum a professional consultancy firm based in Orissa.

- Assuming 2 sq. ft. /per person during emergencies as recommended by NDMA guidelines, the CFFS

buildings have been designed for a capacity of about 1000 people under covered roof area with

another 500 on the roof. The Flood Shelters has been designed flood Cyclonic wind pressures (for

example, in coastal Orissa and West Bengal) and the Seismic tremors.

- Flood considerations include a plinth height of minimum 0.3 M above the Highest Flood Level [HFL]

and the First Floor level has been designed according to maximum Storm Surge Heights.

- The ground floor has been left open without any partitions/ walls to avoid hydrostatic pressure on

walls leading to erosions and scour in case of inundation. Due to the possibility of high inundation,

the plinths have been protected by a mound. The stilted floor with adequate plinth height will help in

keeping the livestock safe. Considering the safety for the differently abled a ramp with a slope of

1:10, with railings has been provided so that children, the differently abled and the aged can climb up

safely.

Children led, community based planning, execution and sustainability

The prototypes of the CFFS were developed in consultation with children, parents and PRIs to accommodate

the diverse needs of each group. The child protection committees (CPCs) formed in each village have been

made responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the CFFS. In cases where the CFFS caters to more than

one village, CFFS committee- special committee representing all the villages has been formed. Each of these

committees includes some children as members.

Each committee has a bank account for transparent functioning and upkeep of the CFFS. The funds generated

by letting the CFFS for use during weddings and community functions are deposited in the account. Similarly,

each committee has been landed a set of large size pots pans & utensils for large gatherings.

The utensils are also given out on rent which is deposited in the committee account. The committees were

trained for supervision of the CFFS construction, regular monitoring & reporting of the programme resulting

in ownership of the CPC/ CFFS committee to the initiative.

Institutional leveraging

The CFFS initiative was undertaken by save the children

and its partners but much of the success of the initiative can

be attributed to strategic collaboration & leveraging from

local institutions.

For instance the entire cost of earth-filling for the CFFS

foundations as well as plinth protection amounting to

approximately INR 300,000 was leveraged from the

respective departments. All of this was made possible

through consists liaison with the local administration.

Direct purchase and on site delivery of cement from the

manufacturing company was helped in cost optimization,

given the remoteness of the project villages.

Challenges and the way forward

While some villages included in the programme

experienced severe floods in 2008 as an „unusual‟ event,

most villages experience floods almost every year. Thus

“living with risk” in flood and earthquake prone areas

without the necessary measures for structural strengthening

of building has been a „ way of life‟. Constructing CFFS

buildings in these areas where contemporary construction

methods, materials & skills had to be deliberately brought

in, was one of the main challenges. Through on the job

training of local workforce, the necessary capacities were

created to accomplish this task.

3. Discussion and Lessons for Policy

An exploration of the different components of the

community based child centered disaster risk

reduction program has reasserted the importance

of addressing children‟s vulnerabilities in disasters

and the vital roles they can play in reducing their

own risks. Providing brief insights into impacts of

engaging with children and their communities for

child-centered DRR, it highlights the need for

creative ways for ensuring the prioritization of

children‟s needs and participation in disaster

management. This indeed has been one of the key

elements of success of the programme.

A thematic analysis of the innovations made in

different components of this program reveals

some common approaches and practices

underpinning the program, that facilitate action

towards this end.

These are discussed below:

Adopting an integrated approach

The understanding that the factors influencing the

well-being and protection of children are situated

at different levels in a child‟s environment has

been translated into practice through this program.

The protection of the community‟s children has

been the binding force behind all the activities

carried out with different members of the

community, including children themselves.

This approach deeply impacts children‟s lives by

building a constituency for child protection in

emergencies in the community. Members of the

community across ages and positions are engaged

in activities under this program, thus, creating a

network of people for monitoring and ensuring

children‟s protection in future. Further, different

picture “In one of our children’s group meetings, the children

discussed the story of a boy who worked as a child labour.

This issue was discussed and taken to the child protection

committee of the village. The CPC members approached

the boy’s father, a landless labourer with no fixed income.

The father claimed that there is enough food in their

household only because the boy works; if he stops, his

family will go hungry. The CPC members nominated this

man to receive non-farm support under Save the

Children’s CCDRR program. While the father now has a

regular source of income, the son had been enrolled in

and attends school instead of working.”

Community Volunteer, SAKSHI, District Supaul, Bihar

“When our children learn, we learn; as they are evolving

so are we. Children do not understand the difference of

caste and creed; they are free of social biases and greed.

By working with children, you are waking everyone

around them from their stupor. ”

CPC Member, district Araria

activities nurture resilience through strengthening of coping mechanisms in case of emergencies.

Leveraging multiple-stakeholders

Unique public-private partnerships emerge through

different aspects of this program. Funded by ICICI

Foundation and CSO partners, the program sought to

leverage government and administrative

representatives at every step of their program – events,

during the construction of the child friendly flood

shelters, preparedness measures in the community or

strengthening of child protection committees.

The current situation of vulnerabilities to disasters calls

for sustained multi-sectoral investments towards

disaster risk reduction. One of the first programs for

risk reduction to be funded by a private-sector enterprise, it sets a good example for such partnerships in the

future. Relationship with the media was yet another positive step for disseminating information for

knowledge-building and advocacy purposes.

Prioritizing children‟s participation

Theories8 on the level of participation of young people highlight that the highest level of participation is

reached when children are able to initiate, lead and act on their plans and when decision making is shared

between adults and young people. This program created spaces for ensuring the highest level of children‟s

participation by laying the foundations for and strengthening mechanisms in the community to facilitate this.

Their engagement with disaster risk reduction issues through the children groups, child protection groups,

school-initiatives, mock-drills and other events and discussions ensured that they become active agents in the

discourse of risk reduction. The engagement of children further provides opportunities to highlight their

capacities and roles in strengthening the resilience of their own communities.

Lessons for Policy

The imperative for building resilient communities

and nations has now been recognized

internationally and nationally. India is a signatory

to the Hyogo Framework for Action and the

National Disaster Management Act 2005 of the

Government of India mandates the state

governments to set up mechanisms and systems

for managing disasters at the state, districts and

panchayat levels.

8 See Robert Hart (xxxx) for example

HFA in the context of children*

1. Ensure that disaster risk reduction is a national

and a local priority with a strong institutional basis for

implementation – promoting and supporting children’s

rights

2. Involve children and young people to Identify,

assess and monitor disaster risks and enhance early

warning.

3. Use knowledge, innovation and education to

build a culture of safety and resilience at all levels,

because children are our future

4. Involve children and young people to Reduce the

underlying risk factors.

5. Strengthen disaster preparedness for effective

response at all levels, particularly at community level,

concentrating on children and young people.

*Plan International

While much still remains desired to be done for recognizing children‟s vulnerabilities and roles in disasters,

renewed efforts are being made in this direction. Initiated during discussions at the Second India Disaster

Management Congress (IDMC), a National Dialogue on child centered disaster risk reduction was organized

in 2009. Similarly, representatives from the SAARC nations came together in 2011 to share experiences about

Children in Disasters and are in the process of formulating a framework for the same. The practice of child

centered disaster risk reduction provides deep insights on children in disasters, and the lessons learnt from this

practice should inform these processes.

While Save the Children‟s CCDRR program in Bihar merits a deeper analysis into the impacts of the different

activities and interventions, even an exploration at this scale provides lessons that can inform national policies

on children and disasters. Some of the key entry points could be:

Integrated Child Protection Scheme

The Integrated Child Protection Scheme9 concretizes the Government/State responsibility for creating a

system to protect children in the country, bringing together multiple vertical schemes under one

comprehensive child protection programme and integrates interventions for protecting children and

preventing harm. At a stage when components of this scheme are being rolled out by different state

governments in the country, the practice of CBDRR in communities can inform this process. Specifically, this

program throw light on the nature of investments that need to be made in community institutions who play a

vital role in monitoring and ensuring children‟s protection. More importantly, the program highlights the

importance of addressing children‟s protection issues in emergencies. The ICPS emphasized that “child

protection needs dedicated sectoral focus as well as strengthening protection awareness and protection

response from other sectors outside the traditional protection sector including in emergencies”. Lessons learnt

from this program can facilitate this process.

National Disaster Management Act 2005

The approved NDM Act provides legal succor for providing systems and mechanisms for disaster

management at the state, district, block and panchayat/ward levels. Many states, including Bihar, are currently

in the process of formulating their State Disaster Management Plans. However, the key document guiding

disaster management efforts in the country does not mention specific ways of managing risks of children and

including them meaningfully in the disaster management process. By strongly highlighting the active roles

children can play in the risk reduction process, this program reasserts the need to incorporate and apply this

knowledge at the policy level.

CONCLUSION

This review has sought to document Save the Children Bihar‟s community based child centered disaster risk

reduction program and consolidate innovative experiences and good practices. This process has provided valuable

insights into the merits of adopting an integrated approach with children at the centre, engaging multiple

stakeholders for disaster risk reduction and prioritizing children‟s participation for building resilience. Further, it

9

has highlighted lessons for policy regarding children‟s needs and capacities in disasters. Finally, in the words of a

CPC member, it has highlighted how “when our children learn, we learn”.

Bihar State Programme Office Head office

224/E, Pataliputra Colony 3rd Floor, Vardhaman Trade Centre Patna -800013 Bihar 9-11 Nehru Place,

Phone: 0612-2274650 New Delhi -110 019

Fax: 0612-2274650 Phone: +91-11 -42294900

Fax : +91-11-42294990