Inception Report - CDEMA

project design and implementation. For example, community training programmes are developed based on
capacity needs that community members have identified.
e) Establishing or working with existing local governance mechanisms in communities
The success of community-based programmes depends, in part, on good governance systems. The BDRC
project in Jamaica is working with and through local government and parish structures to target 28
communities. Jamaica’s local authorities and their Parish Disaster Coordinators are an important element of
the project’s implementation arrangements, with key activities and some local level decision-making being
done in association with and through them. Indeed, working with the guidance, buy-in and at the pace of
personnel at this level has proven to be a critical factor in the smooth and uninterrupted roll-out in communities.
The Red Cross National Societies are another important institutional mechanism for the roll out of DRR and
CC programmes at community level. They have recently been placing greater emphasis on community level
disaster preparedness, testing and applying different methods to support and implement local level
interventions. As a consequence they add to the effectiveness of regional and national disaster management
systems, whilst ensuring they are informed by, and are more responsive to, community needs and situations of
vulnerability.
The governance mechanism at the level of the community itself is also critical. In CANARI’s experience, it is
almost always preferable to work with an existing community-based organisation than to try and establish a
new one as the results tend to be evident earlier and prove more sustainable. However, whether the
organisation is an established or a new one, there is likely to be a need for initial and ongoing identification and
management of internal community conflicts (generally requiring an external, independent facilitator) and
capacity building in aspects of organisational and project management. This has implications for the timeframe
of any successful initiative and, in practice, there is often a mis-match between short donor project funding
cycles and the desired long-term outcomes, resulting in disappointment and frustration for all parties.
CANARI has found the use of mentors to be a particularly successful strategy in supporting the development of
community-based organisations, particularly in the early stages when they may be developing proposals and
implementing projects for the first time. It is also important to consider all the options available for structuring
the organisation, rather than relying on the traditional, hierarchical structures with highly formal meetings that
have been prevalent in the region and that tend to deter the participation of key stakeholders such as young
people (and particularly young men) and those with low literacy levels or low self-esteem or confidence. If the
initiative intends to have an entrepreneurial component, a for-profit or cooperative organisation may also be
considered as an alternative or adjunct to a non-profit structure.
f) Participatory monitoring and evaluation of community-based DRR and CC programmes
Participatory monitoring and evaluation (PME) involves the local community, development agencies, local
authorities and other stakeholders in measuring the progress made and the effectiveness of the processes
employed, and in identifying the necessary follow-up actions to ensure that community vulnerability is
consistently reduced. None of the current programmes in the region fully include this component. The Asian
Disaster Preparedness Center (APDC) developed a Participant’s Workbook 4 on ‘Community-based Disaster
Risk Management for Local Authorities’ which has a short module on ‘Monitoring and Evaluation’ (M&E), which
provides an overview of what M&E is and some processes that can be used.
M&E can be a costly exercise, contributing to the widespread failure to evaluate the long-term outcomes of
programmes, projects, tools and methods (i.e. beyond the project timeframe) even though it is these long-term,
sustained changes in knowledge, attitudes and behaviour that will be necessary for effective community
4 Asian Disaster Preparedness Center, 2006. Participant’s Workbook: Community-based Disaster Risk Management for Local
Authorities.
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