final ccdrr evalaution and learning report ( nov 30) pdf

FINAL PROJECT EVALUATION AND LEARNING

Child-Centred Disaster Risk Reduction Project, Nepal

Dhruba Raj Gautam, Ph.D. Evaluated by

Executive Director National Disaster Risk Reduction Centre (NDRC) Kathmandu, Nepal

November, 2011

Final Project Evaluation and Learning of Child Centred Disaster Risk Reduction in Sunsari

(SUPPORTED BY IRISH AID)

Lead Evaluator: Dhruba Raj Gautam, Ph.D. Contact Details: National Disaster Risk Reduction Centre Nepal

Kathmandu-34, Sangam Chock, Nepal Phone: +977-1-4115619 / 98510-95808 Email: [email protected] Project Title: Child Centred Disaster Risk Reduction in Sunsari Implementing Agency: Plan Nepal Project Start Date: 01 July 2010 Project End Date: 31 October 2011 Duration of evaluation: 15 days Field visit dates: November 15-22, 2011 Goal: To protect the rights of children, young people and

communities during disaster-induced emergencies and reduce negative impacts of disasters and climate change through preparedness and mitigation.

Specific Objectives: To increase the capacity of Local Government and

government’s District Disaster Relief Committee to prepare for and respond to disasters using a Child-Centred Disaster Risk Reduction approach

To increase the capacity of children, youth and local communities to prepare for, respond to, and mitigate against emergencies

This report has been produced and financed at the request of Plan Nepal. The comments contained herein reflect the opinions of the Evaluators only.

mailto:[email protected]�

List of abbreviations AIN Association of International NGOs in Nepal BCC Behavioural change communication C/VDRMP Community/VDC-level disaster risk management plan CBO Community-based organisation CCA Climate change adaptation CCCD Child-centred community development CCDRR Child-Centred Disaster Risk Reduction CPiE Child protection in emergencies DDC District Development Committee DDRC District Disaster Relief Committee DEO District Education Office DLSA District lead support agency DPRP Disaster preparedness and response plan DRR Disaster risk reduction ECA Extracurricular activities HFA Hyogo Framework of Action HUDEP Human Development and Environment Protection Forum HVCA Hazard, vulnerability, capacity analysis I/NGO International/Non-governmental Organization INEE Interagency Network for Education in Emergencies LDMC Local disaster management committee LS&R Light search and rescue MDG Millennium Development Goals MoHA Ministry of Home Affairs MoLD Ministry of Local Development NDRC National Disaster Risk Reduction Centre NRCS Nepal Red Cross Society PTA Parent-teacher association PU Programme Unit PwD People with disability S&R Search and Rescue SMC School management committee ToT Training for trainers VDC Village development committee

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to all the people who contributed to this report in many different ways: by sharing their experiences, their thoughts and opinions about the DRR program, and by contributing time, advice and hospitality during the entire period of fieldwork in Sunsari District of Nepal. I want to acknowledge the hard work that is being done under the Plan Nepal Sunsari programme Unit by LDMCs and their respective leaders, mostly village people of different caste and ethnic backgrounds, youth and child clubs and youth-led cooperatives. Local-level stakeholders, VDC officials, and HUDEP (Plan partner) were valuable resource persons and fine company during my fieldwork. Their observations visits were extremely valuable sources of information. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Plan Nepal for entrusting me for this task. I am particularly grateful to Mr. Subhakar Baidya, Mr. Krishna Ghimire, Mr. Shyam Jnavaly, Mr. Nabin Pradhan, and Mr. Bhagwan Shrestha for coming up with a conceptual framework and providing me with illuminating insights from the outset of my work. I thank them all for all their support, critical observations and overall guidance. They have been instrumental in giving shape to this process and their inputs and insights, extremely valuable. At PU, I thank Ms Kalawati Changbang, Mr. Yogesh Niraula, Mr. Om Shrestha, Mr. Mitra Rai, Mr. Nabin Lamichhane, Mr. Lilam Bhandari and Mr. Shiva Thapa for their valuable support and suggestions. I am indebted to Mr. Sonu Shah for his painstaking support, particularly in ensuring that the study went smoothly and managing scattered data in good shape. I would like to express my sincere appreciation to HUDEP, who worked hard during the field consultation. Their support in facilitating the consultation process and in holding interaction meetings was very helpful. Thank also goes to all the teachers, students, youths, community people and government staff for their invaluable suggestions and feedback, which, in fact, constitute the foundation of this report. I am particularly grateful to the children and teachers and youth-led cooperatives for their ideas and information about the change observed at local level. They all made a special effort to ensure that they met me answered all my queries. Last but not least, my thanks go to the supporting agency, the central-level management team of Plan Nepal, which entrusted me with the task of conducting this work. Thank you all. Dhruba Raj Gautam, Ph.D. Executive Director National Disaster Risks Reduction Centre Nepal Kathmandu, Nepal

Executive summary Background Plan Nepal launched its Child-Centred Disaster Risk Reduction (CCDRR) Project under grant support from Irish Aid and Plan Ireland in Mahendranagar, Harinagara and Barahachhetra village development committees (VDCs) in Sunsari District. The objectives of the project were to increase the capacity of local governments and Sunsari District Disaster Relief Committee (DDRC) to prepare for and respond to disasters using a CCDRR approach and to increase the capacity of children, youth and local communities to prepare for, respond to, and mitigate against emergencies. The project directly benefited 30,892 people in 6121 households. Objectives, approach to and methods of evaluation, and limitation The overall objective of the evaluation was to assess the relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, impact and sustainability of the project, analysing its achievement of its objectives and identifying its limitations. The report is based on a field study conducted in the project communities. Project-related documents were reviewed and fieldwork was conducted to understand project’s key areas of intervention and major achievements. Focus group discussions and key informants interviews were conducted to find out the participants’ views about the project’s key achievements and learning and level of coordination, networking and resource-sharing. Fulfilment of project activities The project increased knowledge and skills through capacity-building initiatives. DDRC members are more accountable to right holders in DRR through SPHERE, the Interagency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) and child protection in emergencies (CPiE). SPHERE standards are duly considered during the construction. Sunsari DEO has started to prepare plan to reduce the likely impacts of emergencies on education. Key issues of INEE have been incorporated in school-based contingency plans. The project facilitated the mainstreaming a new solution-centric curriculum to reduce disaster risk. UNFCO shared the project’s major achievements at different levels. The project facilitated the formulation of seven preparedness and response plans and each plan, regardless of its scope, incorporates DRR issues and the concerns of disaster-affected people. Plans are modified as per the need. The school-based contingency plans adhered to the principle of 'DRR through schools' not 'DRR in schools'. In fact, DPRP helped the DDRC prepare for and respond to emergencies effectively and timely. Some parts of some plans were executed by the drafters, but most will execute their plans only next year. Schools have started to implement their contingency plans. While all the contingency plans are closely aligned with the school improvement plans developed with the support of the DEO. The project formed, capacitated and strengthened 12 DRR institutions which were developed using an inclusive approach which supported in amplifying children’s voice in DRR policy advocacy. The project’s various different capacity-building initiatives induced children and guardians to take an active role in addressing their vulnerabilities. The HVCA approach was very successful. People’s fatalistic ‘nothing-can-be-done’ point of view had been replaced by a ‘yes-we-can’ outlook. The project developed a variety of behavioural change communication material to build awareness about DRR. The project used local FM radios to disseminate CCDRR-based preparedness and response message and information. Since children respond positively to video stimuli, the CCDRR-related video was shown at schools to understand how people in similar situations manage disaster risks by mobilising local resources and, through their example, convincing the viewers to do so too. The light search and rescue and first aid training increased the skill and knowledge of youths and community members, boosting their confidence and their enthusiasm for engaging in DRM initiative. Locals are aware of the nature and number of materials they have and how to use them. Drills and street drama filled the gaps in people’s DRR knowledge and translated skills and knowledge into practice. Youths were included in trainings for trainers and later mobilised as facilitators of trainings

in climate change and its causes and effects and ways to adapt to them, thus putting to use the knowledge, skills and information they had acquired. The project provided support for constructing two safe shelters which are found SPHERE standards. The project conducted DRR-related extracurricular competitions among children. To reduce this possibility by making livelihoods more resilient and to make youths better prepared, the project facilitated the formation of youth-led cooperatives. These cooperatives are DRR-friendly: their by-laws spell out that a certain amount of money must be kept aside for emergency purposes and mobilised only in such cases. All these progress showed that project’s objectives are fulfilled. Relevance/appropriateness of the project design There is no question of the project’s relevance. First, the selection of VDCs ensured a diversity of target populations. Second, schools are virtually the only institution not affected by so called political violence and conflict, so it makes good sense that the project chose them as its entry point. Third, children and youths are effective both as drivers of change and as identifiers of risks. Fourth, the project’s design matched the goals and objectives of Plan Nepal’s CSP-III, and DRM Strategy and PU Long-Term Plan which complements child-centred community development (CCCD) approach. Fifth, the project fell nicely within the goals of the Three-Year Interim Plan and Local Self-Governance Act (1999). The project helped Nepal meet the second millennium development goal, fifth priority area of the HFA, and government of Nepal’s fourth flagship. Project efficiency At the operational level, the project is designed and managed well and the resources available are used efficiently. The project was executed by a comparatively small team with minimal operation cost. The project’s internal monitoring mechanism effectively kept an eye on objectively verifiable indicators for each objective. The management style is highly democratic, and there is a sense of team spirit and belonging. The project was efficient in that it was able to meet all its targets within the stipulated timeframe despite many hindrances. Good mobilisation of and cooperation among DRR stakeholders made it possible to establish a culture of resource-sharing. Project effectiveness The project was designed to accommodate a wide range of stakeholders from ministries at the central level to the DDRC, at the district level. The project designed all the capacity-building initiatives in a logical fashion that took into account the local seasonal calendar. It was also flexible in its plans and programmes. Coordination with UNFCO also helped to build a good working relationship among stakeholders. While making safe shelters and resource centres, local masons and materials were used to win the trust of the locals and to contribute in local environment. The project shared all its plans, programmes and mandates with project stakeholders for transparency. Sustainability Because of the project’s wide range of capacity-building activities, which provided both skills and equipment, locals are now able to confidently carry out search-and-rescue missions and develop small-scale early warning systems. Youth-led cooperatives focus their programmes on disaster-affected communities, meeting a real need for extra support. The provision of an emergency fund, discounted interest rates on and extended payback periods for loans for disaster-affected people means that people will get support even though the project has finished. Youth clubs are in the process of registering so that they will have a legal mandate and be able to lay claim to local resources to carry out DRR initiatives. They have also started to work together to make their voice heard. Because DPRPs are linked with government plans, they get extra support. Regular coordination and collaboration among DRR and education agencies at all levels built project ownership and promoted sustainability.

Impact The project developed youths as local DRR resource persons and, under their instigation, children and adults, are debating and discussing preparedness and preventive initiatives. People used to wait for relief and rescue after a disaster, but now, because of the project's capacity-building initiatives, they are taking the initiative. Through drills and simulations, individuals are now very familiar with what to do (and not do) before, during and after disasters. People have started to raise plinth levels and to build two-storey houses so they can store grain and live upstairs during floods. People have begun to make earthen dikes around villages to hold back flood waters, constructed elevated earthen roads and identified safe places to live during emergencies. People are now more vocal and confident with “we-can-do-it” attitude. Because of project's rights-based approach and focus on empowerment, and inclusive HVCA helped those who have never been heard to speak up. Major learning First, trust is built when major roles are given to DRR-led institutions. Because most training was directed at these institutions, a positive environment was created. Second, DRR knowledge is disseminated broadly if schools are seen as a means not an end. Knowledge built among students at schools is disseminated to a large numbers of families. Third, participation increased if student-led capacity-building initiatives are organised on weekends. With this simple adjustment, it found that children were better able to concentrate on both the training and their formal studies. Fourth, training is more effective if it addresses children issues. The trainings were highly effective because the standard training curriculum was modified to suit children’s interest in hand-on activities. Because the content of the project’s trainings suits their needs, the knowledge and skills children acquired from the trainings are now deeply rooted in their minds. Fifth, drills, street theatre and video documentary dispelled the false belief that mitigation activities alone would suffice. When they discovered that preparedness activities cost one-fourth of what mitigation activities cost, they were even more convinced. Sixth, learning is greater when capacity-building initiatives are seen as a process, not an event. Training, facilitation, and orientation were effective because they were organised in a logical way. As a result, rights holders started to claim their rights from duty bearers. Seventh, the provision of life-saving equipment increases the value of trainings. Providing essential equipment not only increased participants’ interest but also enhanced their confidence and self-esteem. Eighth, effective and timely emergency response was possible when capacitated DDRCs and well-considered DPRPs were in place. Because DDRC members play a key role in DRR, they were capacitated with a series of trainings. Ninth, an inclusive approach to DRR-led Institutions and programmes helps address the needs of the most vulnerable. The community mobilisation and empowerment process was facilitated precisely because DDR-led institutions are gender-balanced and socially inclusive. Tenth, addressing multiple hazards captures the interest of people. Though the project’s focus was largely on flood and earthquake, it heightened the interest of the project communities by disseminating information on other hazards. Recommendations for immediate actions to secure and reinforce good initiatives • Sunsari PU should help draft operational guidelines for DRR-led institutions, safe shelters and

resource centres which emphasises interconnectivity among institutions and rules and regulations and keeps both structural and non-structural aspects in mind. PU should borrow good ideas from its core programmes too.

• The modification of HVCA mappings should be taken as a continuous process rather an event. An updated HVCA map makes people feel positive as the improvements they make are clearly visible. Considering how effective the HVCA process is, Plan Nepal should use this approach for conducting baseline and end-line surveys. Its use does not have to be limited to disasters.

• Nascent youth-led cooperatives need some sort of technical backstopping. The ‘micro finance plus approach’ of BRAC Bangladesh is a good one to adopt. A one-day orientation should be organised for resource persons of DEO and members of the Private and Boarding School Organisation of Nepal to share the project’s good practices including mainstreaming DRR education in the school curriculum.

• The learning derived from the CCDRR project should be replicated in different projects and programmes. At the same time Plan Nepal’s crosscutting issues like birth registration, total

sanitation, and child protection should be replicated in the CCDRR project areas for mutual sharing and learning.

Recommendations for actions to be considered while designing new projects in the future • The present structure of LDMCs, which has VDC secretaries serve as chairs, leaves a vacuum

when, as happens frequently, these secretaries are transferred. It would be better if VDC secretaries were to serve as member secretaries instead and if a member of the community were elected as chairperson. Members of water and forestry-related community-based institutions should serve as ex-officio members.

• The project should promote child-friendly, elevated, and arsenic-free hand pumps with platforms and good drainage systems as well as raised toilets and community/school-led total sanitation campaigns. Child-friendly recreation facilities should be included on the premises of safe shelters to help reduce fear and trauma. Basic infrastructural modifications should be made following a multiple-hazard risk assessment. To secure the long-term interest of people in DRR initiatives, climate-smart agricultural patterns should be introduced on agricultural land on river banks.

• Building on the success of the facilitation trainings conducted after the training of trainers, more youths should be trained and mobilised in schools and child clubs. In the long-term, Plan Nepal should employ these youths as trainee researcher.

• Since its partners can be effective vehicles of change, Plan Nepal should build their capacity in DRR. Visits between groups should be encouraged in the name of mutual sharing and learning and Plan Nepal should design and implement a 'right-to-safe-schools’ campaign, advocating in coordination with local health posts and PTA for first aid boxes and fire extinguishers in each school.

• Building codes should be shared among DRR stakeholders and model school retrofitting work should be designed for demonstration in strategic location. Plan Nepal should provide them with training in earthquake-resistant techniques for application in new buildings.

• Safe school contingency plans should include crisis response plans to save time during emergencies. To get more support from district-level government agencies including DDRCs and DEOs, Plan Nepal should sign a memorandum of understanding at the ministry level.

• Plan Nepal should establish school- based meteorological stations at which students record temperature, wind speed and direction, and rainfall and develop an idea of weather patterns and, by inference, climate change. Plan Nepal can borrow some ideas from Canadian Cooperation Office-funded and NDRC-led project of Kapilvastu District.

• As the DSLA of Sunsari and key member of protection, education and WASH humanitarian clusters, Plan Nepal should share the project’s good practices and key learning at cluster meetings in the regular basis. It should also share the project initiatives and preliminary reflections with other networks of which it is a member, including AIN-TGDM, DPNet and Nepal DRR Platform in order to solicit feedback that can improve future efforts.

• Though Plan International’s DRM Strategy mandated that all countries work on DRR and Plan Nepal has included it in its CSP-III, DRR projects run on grant money and allocate core budget only for emergency response. There is a need for more core budget-funded CCDRR projects. Resources should be allocated equitably rather than equally across the Plan PUs so that the most most-at-risk VDCs and populations get the most help.

• While many child-focused organizations across the world promote children’s involvement in CCDRR projects, Plan International uniquely advocates children’s leadership. In generating resources, it should stress this vastly different approach, one that is rooted in CCCD and which stresses the cognitive development and wellbeing of children.

• Programmes are more effective if they are run in all nine wards of a VDC rather than in a few as the VDC will be more inclined to provide resources. The project should be extended to other wards within the project VDCs as well as to additional VDCs. To ensure that the child-centeredness of DRR project design and subsequent implementation is not overlooked, activities also should be designed using the child-led indicators used by Save the Children Sweden.

Table of content

List of abbreviation and acronyms ....................................................................................... 3 Acknowledgement ................................................................................................................ 4 Executive summary .............................................................................................................. 5 1. Introduction .................................................................................................................... 10

1.1 The context ..................................................................................................................................... 10 1.2 The CCDRR Project ........................................................................................................................ 10

2. Background to the Evaluation ........................................................................................ 11

2.1 Objectives of evaluation ............................................................................................................. 11 2.2 Approach to and methods of evaluation ................................................................................. 11 2.3 Limitations ....................................................................................................................................... 11

3. Evaluation Findings and Analysis ................................................................................. 12

3.1 Key achievements ......................................................................................................................... 12 3.2 Deviation from plan ...................................................................................................................... 25 3.3 Relevance/appropriateness of the project design ................................................................. 25 3.4 Project efficiency ........................................................................................................................... 27 3.5 Project effectiveness ..................................................................................................................... 28 3.6 Sustainability ................................................................................................................................. 29 3.7 Impact ............................................................................................................................................. 30

4. Major learning ................................................................................................................ 31 5. Recommendations .......................................................................................................... 36

5.1 Immediate actions to secure and reinforce good initiatives ................................................. 36 5.2 Actions to be considered while designing new projects in the future .................................. 36

Appendix 1: Terms of Reference ........................................................................................ 39 Appendix 2: Target vs. achievement, and benefited population ....................................... 41

Final Project Evaluation and Learning: Child-Centred Disaster Risk Reduction Project, Nepal

1. Introduction 1.1 The context Around the globe, predictable and extreme weather is increasingly causing upheaval in the lives of children who are vulnerable to either sudden- or slow-onset climate-related disasters or both. Disasters threaten the very lives of children, violate their rights, and prevent them from meeting their needs. Children’s vulnerability to disasters is expected to increase as the frequency and intensity of natural hazards rises due to the effects of global warming. In light of this fact, building resilience in children and the communities in which they live and reducing their vulnerability to disasters has, therefore, become ever more imperative. Because Nepal falls in a monsoon climate zone, its southern Terai region, a low-lying plain, experiences annual flooding and inundation, whereas the hills and mountains in the north (the Mahabharat Range and the Himalayas) are subject to annual landslides. Both phenomena exact a heavy toll in lives and property, and that impact is only slated to grow worse as global warming causes heavier monsoon downpours to occur more often. After the Koshi River breached its embankment in Sunsari district in 2008, displacing 7000 families and creating a great humanitarian crisis, Plan Nepal assumed the role of one of the lead agencies in the response effort. It is committed to implementing disaster risk reduction (DRR) which keeps in mind the perspective of children and draw upon their unique talents as agents of change in order to provide succour to this most vulnerable of populations. 1.2 The CCDRR Project Plan Nepal launched its Child-Centred Disaster Risk Reduction (CCDRR) under grant support from Irish Aid and Plan Ireland. Though project focused on four flood-prone wards1 of three village development committees2

(VDCs)− Mahendranagar, Harinagara and Barahachhetra−in Sunsari District (see Figure 1), some of its capacity- building activities and policy advocacy took place at the district and central level. The project directly benefited 30,892 people in 6121 households.

The goal of the project was to protect the rights of children, youths and local communities during disaster-induced emergencies and to reduce the negative impacts of disasters and climate change through preparedness and mitigation. More specifically, its objectives were to increase the capacity of local governments and Sunsari District Disaster Relief Committee (DDRC) to prepare for and respond to disasters using a CCDRR approach; and to increase the capacity of children, youth and local communities to prepare for, respond to, and mitigate against emergencies.

1 Ward No. 2 of Barachhetra-2 (Pulthegauda), Ward No.6 of (Terahaddi), Ward No. 4 of Mahendranagar (Tirtigachhi), and Ward No. 7 of Harinagara (Dastole and Netatole) 2 VDCs are the lowest administrative unit units in Nepal. Each VDC has nine wards.

Figure 1: CCDRR Project VDCs

2. Background to the Evaluation 2.1 Objectives of evaluation The overall objective of the evaluation was to assess the relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, impact and sustainability of the project, analysing its achievement of its objectives and identifying its limitations. The evaluation documents the key learning of the project and makes recommendations for Plan Nepal's future support for DRR interventions. 2.2 Approach to and methods of evaluation The report is based on a field study conducted in the project communities as guided by the terms of reference (see Annex 1). The project proposal; progress, intermediate and final reports; and other project-related documents were reviewed before preparing checklists and guidelines for use in the field. The fieldwork was conducted after consulting the field staff of Plan Nepal and the Human Development and Environment Protection Forum (HUDEP), Plan Nepal’s partner, about the project’s key areas of intervention and major achievements. Focus group discussions were carried out with three local disaster management committees (LDMCs), three youth clubs, three child clubs, and three youth-led cooperatives and key informants interviews were conducted with VDC-level stakeholders, including members of community-based organisations (CBOs), school management committees (SMCs) and parent-teacher associations (PTA) to find out the participants’ views about the project’s key achievements and learning. Transect walks were used to observe the extent and benefits of the project’s structural mitigation work, including safe shelters and resource centres. In addition, meetings with school teachers and students were held to determine school-level and extent of awareness about preparing for and responding to disaster risks. All the major DRR actors in the district, including representatives of Sunsari District Development Committee (DDC), Sunsari DDRC, VDCs, and Sunsari District Education Office (DEO), were consulted in order to assess the level of coordination, networking and resource-sharing. Afterwards, a separate meeting was organised with Plan Sunsari and the HUDEP to validate the information collected from the various sources. Towards the end of the fieldwork, a debriefing meeting was held at Plan Sunsari Programme Unit (PU) to share preliminary findings and solicit feedback and suggestions. Finally, all the information collected from the various sources was analysed and interpreted to produce this report. 2.3 Limitations The project faced several challenges and hindrances. First, conduction of some training was delayed because no local resource persons with the necessary skills could be located. Second, because there is no elected local government, the project initially found it extremely difficult to establish functional coordination and linkages with the concerned VDCs and Sunsari DDC and to build rapport with the leaders of various political parties. Third, the fact that the project included more than 46 distinct activities made for several problems: carrying out periodic review and reflection was a burden, there were too few district-level staff to provide adequate technical backstopping and monitoring and the staff there was under constant pressure to implement activities. The fact that festivals reduced the actual tenure of the project to nine months further complicated the difficulty in implementing such a wide array of activities. Fourth, it took time to arrange for land on which to construct shelters and resource centres as reaching a consensus involved several rounds of discussions. Fifth, in the initial days of the project, mobilising people for DRR was not greeted with enthusiasm as the majority of people favoured relief and response, not DRR.

“......We didn’t plan for disaster preparedness activities. To be frank, it was a new idea for us. We just concentrated on emergency response. Plan is the one that brought the idea of DRR to us when we attended a workshop they organised in Itahari, Sunsari. There we realised that even though disaster response is necessary, disaster preparedness is more crucial for saving lives.....” (From focus group discussion with children, aged 14 to 17, in Sunsari District of Nepal)

3. Evaluation Findings and Analysis 3.1 Key achievements Objective 1: To increase the capacity of local governments and DDRCs to prepare for and respond to disasters using a CCDRR approach a. Increased knowledge and skills through capacity-building initiatives DDRC members are now more accountable to right holders in DRR because they participated in, technical trainings in SPHERE, the Interagency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) and child protection in emergencies (CPiE), acquiring essential knowledge and skills. They, as well as members of VDCs, and DDRCs were also taught about hazard, vulnerability, capacity analysis (HVCA) and climate change adaptation (CCA) issues. DDRC and LDMC members and DEO representatives were learned what the minimum standard for education in emergencies is through the INEE. Members of the HUDEP, VDCs, DDCs, and DDRCs began to understand and internalise child protection issues following the CPiE training (see Table 1 for details about the participants). Training of last year to Plan and its partner’s staff like CCDRR, contingency planning, emergency management, and SPHERE standards supported by National Disaster Risk Reduction Centre (NDRC) Nepal added the values. The SPHERE training taught participants minimal standards at the local level, particularly in terms of water sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and safe shelter construction. Today, SPHERE standards are duly considered during the construction of safe shelters, resource centres, and child-friendly toilets and the installation of child-friendly hand pumps which supply drinking water. Such infrastructure ensures that the displaced, including children will have adequate living conditions after a disaster. Questioning revealed that people were aware of educational issues during emergencies: they were knowledgeable about and skilled in dealing with physical damage (including the collapse and destruction of school buildings, damage to furniture, and obstructions of routes to schools) as well as psycho-social repercussions (such a loss of books and stationery, fear, trauma, and anxiety). Sunsari DEO has started to prepare and plan to reduce the likely impacts of emergencies on education, and its resource centres have collected data useful for this endeavour, including the number and location of disaster-prone schools, the time students take to get to school, and likely hazards between home and school. Key issues of INEE have been incorporated in school-based contingency plans. As an outcome of CPiE training and the CCDRR effort as a whole, Plan, the HUDEP, and DDRCs have addressed child protection issues in policy and practice, thereby promoting the principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. b. Facilitated the mainstreaming of DRR education in school curriculum Because schools are a critical setting for transmitting knowledge about DRR, it is essential that DRR become a part of school curriculum. As a result of INEE training, a symposium, and a series of interactions and discussions among SMCs, PTAs, DEOs, including the HUDEP, education-related stakeholders are convinced of the need to incorporate DRR into curriculum and are starting to work on making a change. Under the leadership of the DEO, interactions among government officials, experts in various school subjects, and disaster professionals were held to promote a new solution-centric curriculum that will help to reduce disaster risk. Much effort is still needed.

Table 1: Number of participants in different trainings Training Events Duration Male Female Total D J M PW O SPHERE 1 3 day 28 9 37 1 12 2 1 22 INEE 3 3 day 79 22 101 10 24 0 3 66 CPiE 3 2 day 31 6 37 4 8 1 0 24

Source: Project records, 2011 *D = Dalit, J = Janajati, M = Minorities, PwD = People with Disability, O = Others (Madheshi, Brahmin and Chhetri)

c. Increased visibility through disaster preparedness and response plans Project has invested time and energy in making its good practices and learning visible in the East. More particularly, it took an active role during a pre-monsoon preparedness workshop3 conducted for the DDRC members of 16 districts in the eastern region (see Table 2) which enabled most districts to update their disaster preparedness and response plan (DPRPs), to address prominent hazards and to align them with other humanitarian work so that they could be translated into action. The workshop participants reviewed the performance of each cluster and laid out further plans of action in a coordinated fashion. Such consultation among DDRC members helped integrating DRR into development policy and planning and thereby to contribute to the achievement of the first priority of action of the Hyogo Framework of Action (HFA)4

. Further publicity was achieved as UNOFCO shared the project’s major achievements at the district, regional and national levels by sharing information, documents and uploading community-and-VDC-level DRMPs (C/VDRMPs) on its website. The fact that, the under-secretary of the MoLD, UNDP representatives, and DDRC members made monitoring visits to the project area not only generated crucial feedback from different sources but also raised the profile of the project among multiple stakeholders. The key issues these visitors raised at “lessons- learned” workshops were disseminated among DRR stakeholders for further planning.

d. Increased visibility in the region In recognition of Plan Nepal’s efforts in response and preparedness in Sunsari District following the Koshi flood of 2008, the Association of International NGOs in Nepal (AIN) made it the district lead support agency (DLSA) for Sunsari and Makwanpur in 2010. As the DLSA, Plan contributed to the damage-and-needs assessment conducted in the East after the earthquake of September 2011 as part of a team formed under the regional directorate of education and lead by the government. It also successfully facilitated the formulation of DPRPs in coordination with political parties, DDRC members, the Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS) and I/NGOs. These DPRPs have been endorsed by DDRCs and disseminated by UNOFCO, government agencies and other DRR-related stakeholders in the interest of providing the interested with information and advocating for their execution.

e. Translated VDRMPs and CDRMPs into practice The project facilitated the formulation of seven preparedness and response plans: one for Sunsari District, three for VDCs5 level, and three school-based contingency plans after carrying out HVCA. Each plan, regardless of its scope, incorporates DRR issues and the concerns of disaster-affected people and was made with the active participation of political parties, schools, LDMCs, VDC-level stakeholders, the NRCS, and journalists.

Plans are instrumental “.........The plans have been widely shared among VDC- and district-level stakeholders to promote resource mobilisation and their execution and there are indications that resources from next year’s budget will be allocated to them. The DDC is convinced that it should invest some proportion of the budget from the upcoming DDC Council.........” (From district focus group discussion with government official, in Sunsari District of Nepal)

3 The Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA), AIN, UNFCO, and Plan Nepal supported the workshop. 4 Ensure that disaster risk reduction is a national and local priority with strong institutional basis for implementation. 5VDRMPs and prepared following the operational guideline of the MoLD and national strategy of MoHA.

Table 2: DRR stakeholders oriented at different workshops Workshop Events Duration M F T D J M PwD O VDC-level DPRP 3 3 day 79 22 101 10 24 0 3 67 Pre-monsoon preparedness

1 2 day 53 3 56 0 13 0 0 43

Source: Project records, 2011 *M=Male, F=Female, D= Dalit, J= Janajati, M= Minorities, PwD= People with Disability, O= Others (Madheshi, Brahmin and Chhetri)

It is a DDRC that is responsible for the execution of a DPRP. Each plan includes an assessment of the disaster situation, an analysis of the resources and capacity available, a description of the roles and responsibilities of DRR-related institutions, and a statement of the commitments of DRR- related stakeholders to execute the plan. Plans are always dynamic, so the Sunsari DPRP was amended based on the project’s learning. The school-based contingency plans adhered to the principle of 'DRR through schools' not 'DRR in schools' so that they could accommodate a wide variety of issues, all of which, unlike in the past, put children at their centre. In the new scheme of things, however, children, youths and families are engaged and empowered through the participatory planning process and, thus convinced of the need for DRR, more effectively reach out to local authorities to influence policy responses and secure long-term financing for the execution of the plans. The Sunsari DPRP helped the DDRC prepare for and respond to emergencies effectively and timely through the mobilisation of all 10 clusters. Plans are also instrumental in drawing the attention of duty bearers and thus getting them to provide resources. Indeed, simply making a plan had benefits: it encouraged communities to come up with creative solutions for their own problems, to understand their roles and duties, and to solicit resources from VDC and district agencies. Some parts of some plans were executed by the drafters, whether the DDRC, VDCs or schools, during the floods of 2011, but most will execute their plans only next year using VDC and DDC budgets. However, they were still hailed as an achievement: at celebrations of the International Disaster Reduction Day they were presented to their respective VDC secretaries. Children and youths also organised rallies with DRR-related placards and presented each VDC secretary a request to allocate budget for DRR. Not only did such awareness campaigns, rallies, and mass demonstrations raised confidence about the value of DRR and the self-esteem of participant. Because the planning process was highly participatory, all concerned VDC secretaries are very positive about addressing parts of the plans in discussion with the VDC Council in the new fiscal year (April-May 2012). The MoLD, in coordination with some INGOs, is piloting a guideline on community- and VDC-level DPRP. Plan Nepal tested it in its CCDRR project area. Though there was some controversy over the guideline, which was developed by the MoHA and the MoLD, the issues in dispute were resolved. The concept of a DRM Council is spelled out and, as per the new provisions, the MoLD focuses on preparedness, the MoHA on response and the Ministry of Physical Planning and Works on recovery and reconstruction work. f. Made school contingency plans complementing school improvement plans Thanks to the project, each school in the project area developed a contingency plan after conducting an HVCA which assessed potential losses in terms of school infrastructure and learning material, time lost to closure, and recreational activities due to disaster and the impact of a disaster on a school’s examinations and educational calendar.

“....We drew a map of what a safe community looks like, undertook a transect walk, prepared a risk and resource map, and drew up a timeline and seasonal calendar after interviewing adults. We then prepared a disaster matrix ranking diagram and prioritised our responses to the most likely of disaster. We are happy that our issues and concerns are incorporated in the plan…..” (From focus group discussion with student, aged 11 to 21, of Harinagara Higher Secondary School, in Sunsari District of Nepal)

School contingency plans include an assessment of the risks posed by different hazards to available infrastructures and the improvements needed to reduce risks. The project successfully integrated and scaled up DRR into school infrastructure, teacher training and curricula. Schools have started to implement their contingency plans, renovating and improving toilets, organising sanitation campaigns around the school to reduce the risk of snake bites, levelling school grounds to reduce the likelihood of accidents, and fencing school grounds to reduce the incursions of domestic and wild animals. SMC and PTA members listened to children and provided them space to voice their

opinions while formulating DRR and contingency plans. While all the contingency plans are closely aligned with the school improvement plans developed with the support of the DEO, not all teachers are fully familiar with their provisions. To promote awareness, the activities of the plans can be displayed on school walls, jogging the memories of teachers and students and prompting them to implement them. The project took a lead role in organising training on and sensitisation to the HFA. It also organised joint celebrations of IDRD at the national level, an effort which saw the government commit to the HFA and to disaster reduction strategies, allocate resources for DRR, and prepare a national development plan. Plan Nepal extended its support toward executing the national development plan to achieve the main objectives of the HFA. To sum up the project’s achievements with respect to Objective 1, the project successfully increased knowledge and skills through capacity-building initiatives, facilitated the inclusion of DRR education in the school curriculum, enhanced the visibility of the project through the formulation of DPRPs, increased the visibility of Plan Nepal in the East, translated VDRMPs into practice, made school contingency plans congruent with school improvement plans, and disseminated the project’s major learning among DRR stakeholders. In short, Objective 1 was achieved. Objective 2: To increase the capacity of children, youths and local communities to prepare for, respond to, and mitigate against emergencies a. Formed inclusive DRR institutions and encouraged participation and cooperation The project formed, capacitated and strengthened 12 DRR institutions: three LDMCs, three youth clubs, three child clubs and three youth-led cooperatives to make them CCDRR pioneers and agents of change (see Table 3). All 12 institutions were developed using a participatory, inclusive approach which invites genders, all ages, and all social groups to belong. For this reason, they amplify children’s voice in DRR policy advocacy, demonstrating that they have unique perspectives on risk developed, in part, by learning by observing. The formation of LDMCs and youth groups in communities and child clubs in schools gave support to and created momentum for the project’s work. These institutions served as platforms for capacity-building, experience-sharing, advocacy and resource mobilisation. Forming groups of children allowed the youth to take a leading role, bringing to DRR creativity, sense of ownership and enthusiasm not generally seen among adults. The approach also helped locals better understand the importance of social solidarity and promoted a culture of helping which has seen communities support the vulnerable. For example, the LDMC in Harinagara started to settle local-level conflicts, mediate in cases of domestic violence, and handle border issues and Barachhetra has allocated more local resources for river bank protection and bioengineering works along the sections of the Gauri and Karam rivers which run through it. Children have been sub-divided into thematic or task-wise groups, including first aid, search and rescue, and early warning.

“......Children have started be considered an essential part of communities. Once they were taught disaster preparedness, they were able to bring about a revolutionary change in the society as they are the future keepers of villages and schools. Besides, the children of today will become the parents of tomorrow, which will ensure that they pass DRR knowledge on to their children, making disaster preparedness a societal practice, which will keep on passing from generation to generation.......”

Table 3: DRR institutions in the project area DRR Institutions Male Female Total D J M PW O LDMCs (3) 38 13 51 7 12 0 1 32

Youth groups (3) 24 11 35 2 10 0 0 23

Child clubs (3) 22 15 37 2 9 0 0 26

Total 84 39 123 11 31 0 1 81 Source: Project’s records, 2011 *D = Dalit, J = Janajati, M = Minorities, PwD = People with Disability, O = Others (Madheshi, Brahmin and Chhetri)

(From focus group discussion with student, aged 12 to 16, of Basanta Ritu Secondary School in Mahendranagar School, Sunsari District of Nepal)

Age is not a stand-alone category; it interacts with many other factors that affect vulnerability to DRR, including gender6

, knowledge, culture, and morality. These factors, too, were addressed by the project’s inclusive approach. Socially inclusive institutions fostered the culture of voluntarily helping others during emergencies, fostered harmonious relationships between hill migrants and Madhesis, and empowered communities and networks to become more resilient. Women and girls are now more vocal, confident, and able to interact with outsiders. On their own, they have come up with ideas about how to get extra resources from VDCs and other government offices. Transformative action carried out by children on their own or by adults and children working together is a natural next step once children have engaged in advocacy. The project’s inclusive participatory approach helped formalise local networks, enabled children to be better monitored and protected in a disaster, and made it easier to mobilise children and their families to respond to disasters.

In addition to the entire community, inclusive participation in DRR embraced local governments. LDMCs are considered the nodal DRR institution. The fact that each is chaired by the concerned VDC Secretary7

has established a culture of resource-sharing and will secure the continuity of the DRR initiatives even after the project ends. The transfer of the VDC Secretaries of Barachhetra and Mahedranagar VDCs hampered social mobilisation and mitigation works for some time, until his authority was transferred to the vice-chairperson, who had been nominated by the community itself.

Inclusive participation saw children begin to effect change. The project’s various different capacity-building initiatives induced children and guardians to take an active role in addressing their vulnerabilities. Children became more willing to speaking up about issues that affect their wellbeing and guardians started to see children not merely as victims of disasters but as active players in preventing, preparing for, mitigating and responding to disasters. It was clear that children who are aware, involved and empowered are potentially effective agents of change within communities; equipped with the right information, tools, and support system, they can foster DRR and resilience in the face of climate change.

“……..The project established and strengthened institutions to carry out DRR. If visits among them were organised, opportunities to learn from each other would increase.........” (From focus group discussion with teachers, .Harinagara Higher Secondary School, Sunsari District of Nepal)

b. Empowered children, youths and adults through the HVCA approach The HVCA approach was very successful: it empowered people by seeing disaster awareness and promoting action for DRR through the right lens—the people’s lens—and thereby gave them the voice they needed to speak up in community, district and national forums for influencing policymakers. HVCA helped people identify various forms of vulnerabilities, and make plans for immediate action in a logical, straightforward manner involving both primary and secondary stakeholders, including DEOs. Training in (see Table 4) and conduction of HVCA and CCA promoted understanding of the disaster context and the need to act promptly and to mobilise external

6 Girls are often denied the basic privileges and opportunities that would foster their resilience to disaster risks. In Madhesi and Muslim cultures, discrimination starts at birth, with a newborn son more valued than a newborn daughter. The disappointment a family feels in having a girl is manifested in a systematic denial or grudging fulfilment of girls’ rights to survival, development and protection. 7 Other members of VDMCs included vulnerable communities, national-level political parties, Dalits, persons with disabilities, women, local experts in DRR, and one representative from a youth or child club.

Table 4: HVCA and CCA trainings Training Events Duration Male Female Total Ethnicity

D J M PwD O HVCA 3 2 days 66 55 121 15 14 7 3 85 CCA 2 3 days 31 2 33 3 9 1 0 20

Source: Project’s records, 2011 *D = Dalit, J= Janajati, M= Minorities, PwD = People with Disabilities, O = Others (Madhesi, Brahmin and Chhetri)

resources. The outcome of each HVCA was analysed and displayed on notice boards erected at schools and in public places. HVCA mapping identified community hazards and vulnerable area, most-at-risk populations (PwDs, pregnant women, lactating mothers, the elderly population), and community capacity (different types of capital and assets) and listed the contact numbers of DRR service providers/organisations. Information derived from HVCAs was used to formulate community- and school-based DRMPs. The level of confidence children and youths showed during the evaluation consultation showed that their fatalistic ‘nothing-can-be-done’ point of view had been replaced by a ‘yes-we-can’ outlook.

HVCA helped explore the root causes and effects of vulnerabilities HVCA helped us explore the root causes and effects of vulnerabilities as well as to come up with solutions using a participatory approach which results in a plan of action with defined roles and responsibilities. For the first time, we (teachers and youth) were involved in HVCA training and follow-up activities. We realised that, without HVCA, actions are not effective. (From focus group discussion with student, aged 10 to 13, of Kausika Lower Secondary School in Barachhetra, Sunsari District of Nepal)

CCA training for teachers and youths yielded pool of local resource persons who actively disseminated key messages about CCA and DRR not just within but outside of schools. Teachers who participated in CCA trainings were motivated to spread awareness about the concept of climate change and its likely impacts among schoolchildren and in their neighbourhoods. The resultant changes seen in children demonstrated the value of making children the primary audience for awareness-raising and education. Youth groups trained in CCA advocacy skills went a step further: they increased the demand from rights holders for funds to support small-scale CCA initiatives at the community and school levels. c. Increased awareness using BBC materials The project developed a variety of behavioural change communication (BCC) material to build awareness about DRR (see Table 5 for types and quantity). BCC materials, mostly posters and leaflets, focused largely on flood and earthquake preparedness and response; children and youths were the major audience.

“........BCC materials target students attending school, out-of-school children, and community members, educating them about the risk of disaster and the ways they can prepare themselves. As far we know, each material was gender-and culture-sensitive and field-tested to ensure that no points would be misunderstood. Any misleading text or illustrations were corrected. All the BCC materials were used at the local level.........” (From focus group discussion with teachers, Kausika Lower Secondary School of Barachhetra, in Sunsari District of Nepal)

Because the materials were designed in consultation with LDMCs, youths, children, and project staff, they were readily understandable. In fact, even the illiterate appreciated their message about the need for preparedness. People said that the project’s BCC materials had definitely helped them to develop knowledge of and experience in hazards and disasters and their relationship as well as actions required at the local level. BCC materials were used in meetings, discussions, consultations, drills, simulations and trainings to increase the practice of sharing knowledge about and skills in CCDRR.

Table 5: BCC materials Types Theme Quantity Target Poster Earthquakes and floods 1000 1000 Pamphlets DRR 1000 1000 Video DRM Cycle 1 1 Source: Project’s records, 2011

d. Disseminated DRR information through the mass media The project used local FM radios like Radio Paribartan Itahari and Popular FM Inaruwa to disseminate CCDRR-based preparedness and response message and information. A total of 18 episodes, including discussions with children on DRR and child rights, a live discussion with policy actors and stakeholders, and a presentation of the project’s major achievements were broadcast. The radio programme was especially effective as it was broadcast in the local language of Maithili, not just in Nepali, and because it reached a population far larger than that in project VDCs, including residents in other VDCs of Sunsari District as well in Saptari, Morang, Dhankutta and Udaypur districts in Nepal and even in the Saharsha, Supurl, Purniya districts of Bihar, India, where Maithili is spoken.

“.........We designed all the programmes with the support of an experienced radio announcer. The experience increased our confidence and self-esteem. Though listener clubs were not formed to garner feedback and judge the effectiveness of the programmes, child and youth clubs collected valuable information on listeners’ responses. The timing of the show--7:30-8:00 pm--was set following consultations with children, youths and FM Radio. We got a very good response in the project areas and as well as in communities in India.....” (From focus group discussion with youths, aged 13 to 21, Barachhetra, Sunsari District of Nepal)

Information, knowledge and skills are more important than material support

In the beginning, we were quite unhappy with project authorities. They kept inviting us to trainings and orientations, but our interest lay in getting project resources to build gabion spurs to protect the riverbank from floods. However, with the project’s persistence in building our knowledge through trainings and exposure, we learned a lot about actions we can take locally to reduce the disaster risks. Because of the project’s continuous facilitation, very good practices like sharing knowledge after attending training, ensuring equity in resource sharing, and translating community-agreed rules and regulations into action have been ingrained in us. In the long run, information, knowledge and skills are more important than material support. We have planned to visit our VDC to request some resources. We don’t think we need to worry about funds for the VDC either as its plan will automatically be linked with the DDC plan. We now know that making such a request is our right. (From focus group discussion with youth aged 13-21, in Harinagara, Sunsari District of Nepal)

FM radios are successful in making children’s voice heard, thereby increasing the visibility of their needs, increasing their analytical abilities, and prompting recognition of their potential to serve as agent of change. The radio programme provided spaces for children to live, learn and play.

Children are agents of change We can prove. Children are better than the adult to respond disaster. We are agents of change. We are part of society, so we should be involved in whatever is affecting us and our communities. We must participate in assessing, apprising, designing and executing plans for risks reduction. It is because we are innocent and we have no interest in party politics that we are ignored. Individuals and agencies working in DRR should know how to deal with and respond to us so that they can use our knowledge and understanding in the best way possible.

(From focus group discussion with children, aged 10 to 14. in Barachetra, Sunsari District of Nepal)

Since children respond positively to video stimuli, the CCDRR-related video developed by Plan Nepal and DIPECHO was shown at schools in order to reach a large audience. The video addresses issues like education preparedness for emergencies and preparedness before, during and after disasters. All the children interviewed during the evaluation said that they had enjoyed the video and that, along with street theatre, was one of the best tools for teaching as it provides the opportunity to learn by seeing. The documentary also generated awareness among the illiterate, helping them to understand how people in similar situations manage disaster risks by mobilising local resources and, through their example, convincing the viewers to do so too. Before and after every showing, sharing and interaction was encouraged in order to promote review and reflection. The documentary inspired children to improve the safety and sanitation of their school environment, in particular by trimming old and tall trees that could pose a threat during a windstorm, and villagers to conserve riverbanks by controlling grazing and implementing agro-forestry-based income-generating activities.

Street dramas were helpful to explore local resources We were impressed by the street drama. Its subject touched our heart. Our eyes were filled with tears when we saw how the irresponsibility of one character increased his/her own vulnerability and that of his/her family. For me, street drama is much more interesting than movies as it provides more information and is easier to understand. Plays depict the real situation in our communities. I, like many of my peers, wish that street drama could be a means of teaching school curriculum as messages are so easy to remember that we could get good marks on our exams. We still remember the key message about flood preparedness that the plays we watched communicated. (From focus group discussion with children, aged 10 to 14, in Barachhetra, Sunsari District of Nepal)

e. Increased the confidence and leadership skills of youth and children The project created an environment conducive to increasing the leadership and confidence of youths and children in the project communities. The administration of base-line and end-line surveys to 364 people in selected wards gauged the differences in knowledge, attitude and practice and community risk assessment between when the project started and when it finished. The results of the surveys demonstrate that children and youths are now more familiar with different types of hazards and risks and their underlying causes. Using peer educators or getting children to interviews adults in the process of assessing risks reduced the workload of adults and allowed for the communication of messages in new ways often more powerful than traditional ones.

We realized that students also contribute in reducing disaster risks

We never realized that the project would consider children as a potential beneficiary to contribute in the risks reduction work. However, it was otherwise. They are able to get skills, knowledge and information through trainings, orientations and short sessions. The art, easy and speech competitions were particularly important for us for knowledge building. (From focus group discussion with children, aged 10 to 16, in Mahendranagar, Sunsari District of Nepal)

f. Increased knowledge and understanding through capacity-building initiatives Children and youths attended CCDRR, light search and rescue (LS&R) and first aid training (see Table 6). Following the CCDRR training, students have started to advocate for safer toilets and drinking water facilities in their schools. The existing toilets are not child-friendly---the latches are too high for children to reach--and there are too few, so students are forced to defecate in the open. When floods submerge open defecation areas and household latrines, there are no alternative toilet facilities.

We learned how to be safer both in school and at home For us, the most impressive training was first aid as the skills and knowledge we learned are of direct use at home and at school. The child clubs set up in our school have carried out visible changes, including renovating toilets, and improving sanitation around the school. Students compete to be the child club member who contributes more to DRR. For the first time, we can identify which areas of our village are most at risk. We learned a lot from the trainings and orientations on how to be safer both in school and at home. (From focus group discussion with youth, aged 16 to 22, in Harinagara, in Sunsari District of Nepal)

The LS&R and first aid training increased the skill and knowledge of youths and community members, boosting their confidence and their enthusiasm for engaging in DRM initiative. The fact that material support was provided will make their efforts sustainable. More specifically, under the direct supervision of LDMCs, search-and-rescue materials--seven life jackets, one big first aid kit, eight helmets, seven whistles, ropes, shovels, and buckets--were provided to each youth club. There is, however, still a need for additional tools and equipment for immediate response, such as carabineers, inner tubes, hand-operated sirens, and stretchers. Each set of materials is kept securely in a resource centre which was established and is managed by youths and the LDMC. The project supplied each with two tables, 15 chairs and one cupboard to facilitate meetings and interactions. Locals are aware of the nature and number of materials they have and how to use them. In fact, they put some to good use in rescue efforts carried out in 2011.

We are equipped with skills and equipment In our opinion, the S&R training and equipment is the most essential part of the project as it will help us save the elderly and the disabled as well as our personal belongings. We discovered that previously we had not known enough to reduce the risk. Though some initially opposed the training, we are now happy that we are equipped with both skills and materials. (From focus group discussion with student, aged 10 to 14, in Barachhetra, Sunsari District of Nepal)

The first aid training and provision of first aid equipment helped teach project staff and students how to cope during emergencies. Each participant was provided a first aid kit with some supplies8

8Kit bag-1, gauge pads-5, soap-1, small scissors-1, Dettol 50ml-1, Handiplasts-12, and Betadine-1

to promote DRR from his or her home.

Table 6: Various life skills training programmes Training Events Duration Male Female Total T B C J M LSAR 1 3 day 22 11 33 1 4 2 0 26 First Aid

3 2 day 63 30 93 6 13 2 0 72

Source: Project’s records, 2011

“…..People used to spend NRs. 150 to travel to Dharan, the nearest city, even for minor cases because health posts do not have the necessary essential drugs. Now trainees, because they have a kit at home, have the confidence to help neighbours in need. In the past, the lack of information meant that much improper assistance was provided in the name of first aid, but now student and teacher first responders can skilfully treat bleeding, fractures, and shock as well as provide artificial respiration, make stretchers, and carry patients safely…….” (From focus group discussion with LDMC members, Barachhetra, in Sunsari District of Nepal)

g. Translated the skills acquired during drills and simulation into practice The project held six drills in earthquake, fire and flood procedures; six street drama performances; and three documentary shows to make sure that the knowledge and skills people acquired during trainings could be translated into action as well as to increase people’s confidence in their capacity to manage disasters. Earthquake drills saw students and teachers identifying areas with high, medium and low risk; estimating the number of persons that could occupy each safe space within a school compound; and drawing arrows to indicate the escape route and assembly area. They also discussed how to exit a classroom after the shaking had subsided.

“........The project's decision to make schools safe first makes good sense as if a house collapses then one family will be affected but if a school collapses then many families are affected once.....” (From focus group discussion with student, aged 11 to 16, Basanta Ritu Secondary School of Mahendranagar School, in Sunsari District of Nepal)

The simulation increased our confidence

Now that people have tested the early warning in real life, they understand its benefit and that of a proper response to warnings. Learning is a continuous process and we learn more by doing. The simulation was very effective as it increased our knowledge of disaster management and provided us with the chance to test our plans. We are now quite capable of warning about flooding using drums and announcements on local radio. (From focus group discussion with youth, aged 15-23, in Harinagara, Sunsari District of Nepal)

These drills and simulation filled the gaps in people’s DRR knowledge and translated skills and knowledge into practice at the individual, family and community levels and, in doing so, enhanced the self-confidence and self-reliance of the participating communities. They have increased the resilience of communities to disaster risks and boosted their conceptual and practical knowledge.

“……We conducted a classroom observation activity, drew a floor plan of the classroom (showing student’ desks, the teacher’s table, cabinets, etc.), explored the safe spots in the classroom (under tables and desks and in doorframes), and identified danger zones (windows and other glass objects, furniture that may topple or slide, and all hanging and heavy objects like fans) to reduce the risk of injury or death. These activities are new for us but very important for saving lives. The plight of children in the aftermath of the September 2011 earthquake in Eastern Nepal showed that children’s voices need to be heard……..” (From focus group discussion with student, aged 11 to 16, of Basanta Ritu Secondary School in Mahendranagar School, in Sunsari District of Nepal)

In the project region, however, the community said that both students and parents reacted to that earthquake calmly, without panicking, in marked contrast to their reaction to the August 1988, which resulted in chaos and terror. The school-level awareness campaigns and safety drills and the integration of DRR in life skills education programmes have clearly taught students, school officials and communities how to reduce risks. In particular, they said that during the earthquake they had

executed the same ‘duck, cover and hold’ technique that they had learned and practiced a month earlier. Drills were organised in schools and communities with the full involvement of children and youths after they had participated in a simple orientation on the activities to carry out before, during and after drills and planned their roles. They learned how to react in various disaster situations and which evacuation routes to use. Drills were initiated with the ringing of a special bell and responses were carried out according to preparedness plans. The project trained a street theatre team from Itahari, Sunsari to incorporate pressing DRR issues explored during HVCA exercises. People liked the dramas very much and were inspired by them to develop rules and regulations to protect riverbanks and control grazing, plan for community sanitation to reduce the risk of epidemics, work on safe drainage to reduce water-logging, and launch other similar initiatives. Informants said that it was easy to evacuate and rescue people during the flooding of 2011 (though it was very small-scale) because of what they had learned from the dramas. Dramas were particularly popular and successful in getting people to think differently because they were performed in Maithali, the local dialect; because their content was based on local realities; and because the actors were trained and qualified local people. Life skills education also helped develop a culture of peace and respect for human rights among students. h. Developed youths as DRR ambassadors Past experience demonstrates that (i) learning in peer groups can be more effective than formal, or classroom, learning because there are no social boundaries to cross or formal protocol to adhere to, (ii) once children are knowledgeable about DRR, they readily disseminate that knowledge to their parents, thereby reinforcing their own understanding and increasing their parents’, (iii) extra-curricular activities and BCC materials further cement DRR knowledge, especially if they are entertaining, and (iv) the child-to-parent approach is effective in change the accepted practice of not exchanging DRR knowledge between parents and children. With these experiences in mind, youths were included in trainings for trainers and later mobilised as facilitators of trainings in climate change and its causes and effects and ways to adapt to them, thus putting to use the knowledge, skills and information they had acquired. Such school-level initiatives are instrumental in seeing that information about underlying risk factors and preparedness initiatives are shared at the local level. When trained youths were used as facilitators, their confidence grew and they were keen to continue sharing similar messages in the future.

“……We are very happy that we were given the responsibility to disseminate the information, skills and knowledge what we learnt at the training for trainers. Our confidence level is high now and we have learned so much that we are no more expert in the local context and issues than outsiders are. Some children in the local haat bazaar now call us by the honorific ‘Sir’. We are very proud that we did something for our peers…….” (From focus group discussion with youths, aged 15 to 23, Harinagara, in Sunsari District of Nepal)

i. Increased knowledge about and understanding of child protection Natural disasters exposes children to risks like sexual abuse and exploitation, trafficking into prostitution or hazardous labour, injury due to accidents, abduction for ransom, and increase in domestic violence due to family tensions that threaten their right to protection. In the experience of the children of Harinagara VDC, psycho-social distress, including trauma, anxiety, and fear; the interruption of schooling due to displacement and school closures; and insecurity are common. Child protection trainings also saw parents resolve to address these issues and SMCs and PTAs commit to taking a more active role. j. Constructed safe shelters and resource centres Drawing upon the results of the HVCA, the project provided support for constructing two safe shelters in the upstream VDCs of Barachhetra and Mahendranagar and one resource centre in

Harinagara VDC. The shelters were built with steel trusses and CGI sheeting whereas the resource centre is made from wooden trusses with CGI sheeting (see Table 7). The safe shelters meet SPHERE standards: they are linked to a safe evacuation route and have direct access to two toilets and a hand pump supplying adequate drinking water at the same elevation they are at. While the shelters are outfitted with ramps for the physically disabled, there are no handrails in the toilet for their convenience and the fact that the verandas have no railings means that children and elderly might fall. Rainwater can be harvested in a large tank for non-drinking purposes. People have to travel around one to one-and-a-half hours to reach the safe shelters, each of which can accommodate 60-72 people (i.e. 10-12 families).

An emergency evacuation plan is essential We heard that there is a lot to do to make our school safe. We should have disaster task groups for search and rescue, first aid, early warning and evacuation. In addition, an emergency evacuation plan is essential. We are surprised that such initiatives have not been adequately implemented at our school. The fact that we are surrounded by rivers means that we are surrounded by risks. A big river flows right side of the school grounds. Given that this is the case, how can we be safe from flood disaster? In our opinion, the project, school, VDC and government should allocate some resources to build the capacity of students as well as to improve the physical condition and thereby the safety of the school. (From focus group discussion with children, aged 11 to 16, in Basanta Ritu Secondary School Mahendranagar, in Sunsari District of Nepal)

The people of the VDCs where the two safe shelters and the resource centre were constructed were motivated to establish and disseminate a code of conduct for their operation and maintenance. LDMCs are responsible for them. Since one is in the premise of a school and the other of a VDC office, their security is assured. The buildings are multi-purpose rarely left standing idle: when they are not needed as safe havens during an emergency, they are used to conduct health check-ups, host community feasts and festivals, conduct training and orientation sessions, and run extra classes for students. In the past, due to a lack of foresight among policy planners and decision-makers, schools were often used as shelters for the community, thereby violating children's right to uninterrupted education. To address these problems, shelters which served as relief centres for displaced families were built. The construction of the safe shelters and resource centre was not free from problems and their completion was, as a result, delayed. First, it took a great deal of time to find plots of land free of dispute and for the VDCs to supply the timber that constituted their contribution. The fact that VDC secretaries were transferred in the midst of the process meant that the project had to be re-explained to newcomers from scratch, further slowing progress. Local politics also saw the VDC offices closed for several days and administrative processes coming to a standstill. The building of the resource centre at Haringara VDC faced an additional problem: grievances over resource allocation. This was resolved after explaining that a resource centre serves a different purpose than

Table 7: Shelters and resource centres Shelter/Resource centre Area

(m2) Capacity (families)

Contribution (In NRs.) Project Community Total

Shelter (Barachhetra) 75 10 1,213,144 160,500 (12%) 1,373,644 Shelter (Mahendranagar) 75 10 1,213,144 160,500 (12%) 1,373,644 Resource centre (Harinagara) 20 NA 99,954 24,981 (20%) 124,935 Source: Project’s records, 2011

a shelter. Now, however, because of the project’s continuous efforts, all three buildings are almost complete. k. Allowed children to express thoughts and emotion about DRR in extra-curricular activities The project conducted DRR-related extracurricular activities, including art, song, debate and quiz competitions among children and youths (see Table 8). Such activities were instrumental in increasing children’s understanding of disasters and providing them an opportunity to share their knowledge with their peers, families and communities. Debate helped children to develop their increasing oratory skills and promoted cognitive and emotional development. Murals in local languages were painted on the walls of schools and of communities to make people aware of the CCDRR approach and process. After the project held extracurricular activities, SMCs and PTAs were more convinced about the role that children can play in DRR. DRR information could be disseminated more frequently through other means, such as assemblies, prayers, parades, sports-related activities, and scouting. Because all the competitions were organised at big gatherings of parents, teachers and community members, the messages were readily disseminated. Inspired by the extracurricular activities, the child clubs of the project schools have continued to hold drills and talk programmes on the last Friday of every month. We are acting to reduce the risk at school

In the beginning, to be frank, we were a bit apprehensive when the project introduced discussions about disaster issues. We didn’t know much so I wasn’t very confident. But when we actually formed the child club and got the opportunity to be trained and to participate in extracurricular activities, we learned a lot of interesting information about disasters. We also prepared a school contingency plan. We have changed some of our practices. For example, the bushes around the school were cleared and the compound is cleaner. More work has to be done, but we will do it. (From focus group discussion with student, 10 to 14, in Kausika Lower Secondary School, Barachhetra, in Sunsari District of Nepal)

l. Increased resilience by establishing youth-led cooperatives Disasters can devastate livelihoods and reduce people’s ability to cope with further stresses. Impacts such as the loss of assets can increase the vulnerability of poor people and lead to a downward spiral of deepening poverty and increasing risk. To reduce this possibility by making livelihoods more resilient and to make youths better prepared for the disasters of tomorrow, the project facilitated the formation of youth-led cooperatives. The project gave each cooperative NRs.15,000 as seed money to use during emergency.

Table 8: Extracurricular activities Activities Events Beneficiaries Total

Boys/Men Girls/Women Art 3 212 107 319 Folk song 3 172 134 306 Quiz 3 240 133 373 Debate 3 180 128 308


Table 9: Details about youth cooperatives in project VDCs Cooperatives Rate of

interest Total saving

Bipad Saving and Credit Cooperative Ltd, Harinagara 20% 273,000.00 Samabesi Saving and Credit Cooperative Ltd, Mahendranagar 20% 40,000.00 Toribari Saving and Credit Cooperative Ltd, Barachhetra 18% 25000.00


In addition, each cooperative collects and saves funds to enhance their emergency fund. This savings scheme will grow the amount of money they have and fulfil the needs of the community in the long term. These cooperatives are DRR-friendly: their by-laws spell out that a certain amount of money must be kept aside for emergency purposes and mobilised only in such cases. The majority of loans these cooperatives give are for local market-based micro enterprises. Only a small proportion of the loans are invested in agronomy and animal husbandry. Though the rate of interest is quite high (to be consistent with that of other cooperatives within the VDC), it is lower for the disaster affected (14% versus 18-20%) and the disaster-affected people are given a longer and more flexible payback period (see Table 9). This innovative initiative promises much hope to all, but especially the disaster-affected people. Because the rate of migration for foreign employment and further education is high, there is some risk in the passing on of leadership. Fortunately, this possibility can be easily averted by developing and training a second-tier of leadership.

Rays of hope in difficult times The establishment of emergency fund funds promoted solidarity and the desire to help each other. The fund not only increased the sense of togetherness but also created opportunities for villages to get assistance from the government. This fund provides rays of hope in difficult times. We are thinking of increasing the size of funds so that there will be no need to rely on support from outsiders. Thus far, we have had no difficulty in raising the agreed upon amounts for our fund, mainly because our rules and regulations are flexible. We operate our fund based on a community decision-making. People are ready to pay because the risk of flooding is very real. (From focus group discussion with student, 10 to 16, in Basanta Ritu Secondary School Mahendranagar, in Sunsari District of Nepal)

To sum up the achievements under Objective 2, the project has formed inclusive DRR institutions, identified local risks through HVCA, and built awareness by enlisting the mass media and disseminating BBC materials. It also increased the confidence, leadership skills, knowledge and understanding of youth and children through capacity-building initiatives and enabled them to translate newly acquired DRR skills into practice through drills and simulations and to express their ideas about DRR through extracurricular activities. Serving as DRR ambassadors, youths boosted awareness about child protection and founded cooperatives to increase resilience. Two safe shelters and a resource centre provide an important sense of wellbeing. Clearly, Objective 2 has been achieved. 3.2 Deviation from plan The project was initially supposed to run for 15 months, from 1 March, 2010, to 31, May 2010, but the starting date was postponed till July 2010, reducing some budget and the total time to 11months. Then, preparations were delayed as key human resources were put in place. Thus, full implementation began only in October 2011 though preliminary activities were carried out from July. Despite these changes, except for the final touches on the safe shelters and resource centre, the set targets (see Annex 2 for details) were met within the project tenure and before the 2011 monsoon, during which time the villagers’ newly-acquired skills and knowledge were put to the test. 3.3 Relevance/appropriateness of the project design There is no question of the project’s relevance: it met a need and made a contribution.

a. Selection of project areas and programme themes The selection of VDCs ensured a diversity of target populations. Barachhetra and Harinagara VDCs are upstream VDCs on the banks of the large Saptakoshi River dominated by hill migrants, while Mahendranagar VDC is a downstream VDC on the banks of small Sunsari River dominated by Madhesis. The former two were already Plan working VDCs while the latter was new. Stakeholders appreciated the fact that the balance provided ample opportunities for comparative studies based river size, association with Plan, ethnicity, and flooding versus water-logging/inundation. Though Narshing, Babia, and Bhokraha VDCs of Sunsari District are highly flood-prone, the EU-funded DIPECHO project had just ended there when this project was designed. Similarly, Koshi flood-affected VDCs were not taken into consideration because the large-scale Post-Flood Recovery Project is still in operation. As DDRC members, VDC secretaries and major stakeholders selected the project VDCs using the participatory approach, there was no dispute over the selection. The relevance of the project is further justified as over half of the project’s total resources were invested in capacity-building and preparedness activities (see figure 2). b. Schools as an entry point In Sunsari District, especially in downstream VDCs, including Harinagara, there are still some residual impacts of the decade-long armed conflict. Though the Maoist rebels and the government signed the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2006, a number of politically-motivated and purely criminal gangs intimidate the public in the eastern Terai, extorting money and the like. Schools are virtually the only institution not affected by such violence and conflict, so it makes good sense that the project chose them as its entry point. Not only do they provide a physical space for children to learn about disaster preparedness and response but they are often used as temporary shelters for displaced populations. c. DDRC members, youths and children as agents of change Children and youths are effective both as drivers of change and as identifiers of risks; besides, they provide a different perspective and have different priorities than adults do and can thereby contribute toward making a more holistic DPRP. They are also risk communicators who share information about DRR with their peers, families and local government. Children and youth are often better educated than their parents and better informed about disaster issues. Because of children’s unique ability to spread the word about how to prepare for, mitigate against, and respond to emergencies and the intensive training provided to VDC and DDRC members, the project, though implemented directly in only three VDCs may, in fact, cover the entire district indirectly. d. Congruence with the Plan Nepal CSP-III and DRM Strategies The project’s design matched the goals and objectives of Plan Nepal’s CSP-III (2011-15) and DRM Strategy (2009), both of which focus on maintaining education during disasters, minimising disruption to education systems, and restoring education services after disasters. The project also complements the Sunsari Programme Unit (PU) Long-Term Plan (2011-15) as it focuses on awareness and develops the capacity of children, youths and their families to carry out CCDRM; establishes child and youth groups; and enhance the capacity for practicing DRM activities at the community and school levels. The CCDRR process also strengthened the community’s resilience, an achievement which complements Plan International’s child-centred community development (CCCD) approach in that it provided an avenue for children to utilise their knowledge and skills to create a safe, child-friendly and resilient environment in collaboration with adults.

Figure 2: Theme-wise resource distribution


e. Dovetailing with existing plans and policies The project was relevant in both the national and international contexts. At the national level, the project fell nicely within the goals of the Three-Year Interim Plan (2007/08-2009/10) as it advocates for developing disaster resilience communities. The project also fostered the goal of the Local Self-Governance Act (1999) in that the safe shelters and resource centres were handed over to VDCs for their smooth operation. At the international level, the project helped Nepal meet the second millennium development goal, decreasing the child mortality rate; the fifth priority area of the HFA9; and the UN’s Education-for-all campaigns by 2015. The construction of safe shelters and a resource centre contributed to the UNISDR’s Safer Schools Campaign. Indirectly, it contributed toward a decade of sustainable development (2004–2014). It contributed mostly to the government of Nepal’s fourth flagship10

, but indirectly toward other flagships too.

3.4 Project efficiency a. Good design At the operational level, the project is designed and managed well and the resources available are used efficiently. Different operational strategies were adopted in upstream and downstream VDCs as the disaster context is different. The project's methods included forming gender- and socially inclusive DRR-led institutions (see Figure 3) and different project activities, building people’s capacities and mobilising them to reduce disaster risks at the micro level as well as to build good coordination and linkages with local-, district- and national-level stakeholders at the macro level. Because of the project design was good, it was possible to coordinate with many agencies, including DDRCs and VDCs in formulating and executing DPRPs, engaging in policy advocacy and carrying out some mitigation efforts. Interventions at the community level were designed to have a spiral effect at the macro level. The project used tried-and-tested approaches, thereby saving time, energy and resources and reducing the risks of failure. b. Efficient project management The project was executed by a comparatively small team with minimal operation cost. Plan’s country office-based WES Coordinator successfully ensured that coordination was good and that policy advocacy was carried out. The Sunsari PU CCDRR Manager ensured that project implementation and monitoring was good quality and the Sunsari PU WES Manager ensured that the technical quality was good; both worked under the direct supervision of the PU Manager. The HUDEP, which ran with minimal operational cost, demonstrated excellent results. The project’s internal monitoring mechanism effectively kept an eye on objectively verifiable indicators for each objective. Because implementation was so effective, many learning was identified even within the short tenure of the project (see Section 4). As all the HUDEP staff were locals familiar with the local dialects, customs and culture, mobilisation was easy. Project management was highly participatory, giving space for each stakeholder to build on his/her existing strengths and to learn new ideas. Cross-checking by

9 The fifth priority area of the HFA stipulates that in times of disaster, impacts and losses can be substantially reduced if communities in hazard-prone areas are well prepared and ready to act and are equipped with the knowledge and capacities.they need to do so. 10

(1) School and hospital safety,; more particularly, the structural and non-structural aspects of making schools and hospitals earthquake-resilient; (2) emergency preparedness and response capacity; (3) flood management in the Koshi River basin; (4) integrated community-based DRR and DRM; (5) policy and institutional support for DRM.

Figure 3: Involvement of various ethnic groups in DRR-led institutions

Source: Project records, 2011

HUDEP board members at the peak of the implementation period ensured good quality work. The management style is highly democratic, and there is a sense of team spirit and belonging. c. Adherence to plans and timeframe The project was efficient in that it was able to meet all its targets, particularly with respect to community contribution and acquiring land for shelter and resource centre construction, within the stipulated timeframe despite many hindrances. The efficiency of the project can also be seen in the good correlation between the inputs allocated and the outputs generated. However, because a huge number of activities were scheduled to take place in just 11 months, the time for review and reflection was extremely short. Still, effective monitoring systems at multiple levels—the DDRC and district, the VDMC, the project, and the community levels—ensured that all plans and programmes were executed when specified in the agreed plans and project timeframe. d. Promotion of a culture of (human and financial) resource-sharing Good mobilisation of and cooperation among DRR stakeholders made it possible to establish a culture of resource-sharing. VDCs contributed timber to build the two safe shelters and the resource centre. Schools provided the space to show the video documentary and, in Harinagara VDC, local elites provided generators for power supply in free of cost to show the video. Plan Nepal tapped into its core funding, providing NRs 177,065 (2214 USD) to Barachhetra for first aid training. Plan’s Morang PU contributed NRs. 150,000 (1875 USD) to co-fund a for pre-monsoon preparedness regional workshop with Plan’s Sunsari PU. For value of money and promote knowledge management, the project invited the staff of other PUs to its trainings. The project paid only for a project CCDRR Manager, but benefited from the fact that Sunsari PU mobilised its human resources voluntarily11

. In fact, Plan’s Sunsari PU incorporated the CCDRR project as part of its core programme.

3.5 Project effectiveness The project was effective, as is illustrated below. a. Engagement and capacity-building of multiple stakeholders The project was designed to accommodate a wide range of stakeholders from ministries such as the MoLD and MoHA at the central level to the DDRC, district child welfare board, police, and political party leaders at the district level. In particular, it provided effective mechanisms for information-sharing

“........The establishment of an information desk at the Sunsari District Administration Office to back up DDRC, though it has to be strengthened, nonetheless enhanced trust among stakeholders and the DPRP formulated in the lead role of Plan’s Sunsari PU added value and encouraged progress.......” (From district focus group discussion with government officials, Sunsari District of Nepal)

At the project level, VDCs, SMCs, and PTAs are mobilised, while children and youths were mobilised at the community level. The project designed all the capacity-building initiatives in a logical fashion that took into account the local seasonal calendar. It was also flexible in its plans and programmes. For example, it allocated some budget to celebrate ISDR and to facilitate joint monitoring visits by the DDRC and MoLD even though they were not originally planned. Training in CCDRR, contingency planning, emergency management and SPHERE organised last year for the staff of Sunsari and Morang PUs with technical support from the National Disaster Risk Reduction Centre (NDRC) Nepal (Plan Nepal’s Capacity Building Project under the financial assistance from the German National Office) had provided them with a strong grounding on which to build. Coordination with UNOFCO also helped to build a good working relationship among stakeholders;

11 The number of person-days allocated to the WES Manager and PUM were minimal in comparison to their contributions. The accountant, administrative coordinator, programme manager, and development coordinators contributed to the project voluntarily.

in fact, every UN and government high mission which came to eastern Nepal visited the CCDRR project and provided good feedback.

b. Participatory process and approach and a culture of trust Because the project adopted a participatory process and approach, it was easy to mobilise children, youths and teachers. The fact that every activity, from the very first introductory meeting through forming DRR-led institutions to holding HVCA exercises to make VDC- and community-level plans, was participatory heightened trust among project stakeholders and beneficiaries. While making safe shelters and resource centres, local masons and materials were used to win the trust of the locals and to contribute in local environment. c. Programme and financial transparency The project shared all its plans, programmes and mandates with project stakeholders. Key project-related decisions and transactions were displayed in public places to ensure that locals had adequate access to programmatic and financial information. Even though social auditing was not carried out formally, all stakeholders consulted during the evaluation expressed their satisfaction over the project‘s financial transparency. 3.6 Sustainability While it is too early to claim for sure that the project is sustainable, the following initiatives made a considerable contribution to its likely sustainability. a. Greater knowledge about and skills in search and rescue and early warning Because of the project’s wide range of capacity-building activities, which provided both skills and equipment, locals are now able to confidently carry out search-and-rescue missions and develop small-scale early warning systems. LDMC members, youth groups and volunteers have sufficient skills and information about the principles and processes of search and rescue (including lifting and stabilising loads and surface extrication), safety and security, situation assessment, and mapping to feel confident about facing a variety of hazards, including floods, earthquakes, and fires. They are, as a result, less vulnerable. Sharing information among peers (the child-to-child approach) and between children and adults will support people in learning about, testing, and refining DRR knowledge and use and in developing new, more effective approaches in the future. b. Youth-led cooperatives In all project VDCs, youth-led cooperatives are developing as per their plans and mandate. These cooperatives focus their programmes on disaster-affected communities, meeting a real need for extra support. The provision of an emergency fund, discounted interest rates on and extended payback periods for loans for disaster-affected people means that people will get support even though the project has finished. c. Youth networks Youth clubs are in the process of registering so that they will have a legal mandate and be able to lay claim to local resources to carry out DRR initiatives. They have also started to work together to make their voice heard. For example, the youth groups of Devangunj, Harinagara and Madhayharsahi VDCs of have formed a youth network. Vice-chairperson of this network is chairperson the youth group of Harinagara. Because of the Plan Nepal presence in Barachhetra and Harinagar VDC through its core programme, it is likely that some resources and technical backstopping would support in the institutionalization of youth groups and their endeavours. d. Recognition of DPRPs at the district and community levels Because DPRPs are linked with government plans, they get extra support. School contingency plans, for example, are closely aligned with school improvement plans, and as DEO provides funding to execute the latter, it likely that some DRR initiatives will also be executed using DEO budget. Some project communities have received support from VDCs and others are in the process of receiving it.

Involving district-level government officials as resource persons in some trainings, like those for INEE and first aid, helped promote linkages with them in long-term. The involvement of the NRCS in the first aid and LS&R training promoted a good working relationship. Regular coordination and collaboration among DRR and education agencies at all levels built project ownership and promoted sustainability.

“.........The project has supported us in mainstreaming DRR in the district development planning process. It has successfully tested the community and village DRMPs developed by the MoLD. All the preliminary work is ready for implementing the CCDRR approach in DDC planning in the future. I think these efforts are very important for acquiring regular resources to execute DPRPs.........” (From district focus group discussion with government officials in Sunsari District of Nepal)

e. Strengthening of local institutions in project communities Since the project set clear expectations for community involvement and emphasised self-reliance, the formation of local institutions, the mobilisation of local resources, and joint social action, it is likely that, to varying degrees, the activities started by this project will continue after the project is phased out. Project interventions enhanced organisational and leadership capacity among HUDEP staff, LDMC members, teachers and child and youth clubs. As LDMCs are chaired by VDC secretaries, it is likely that local-level issues will be linked with Sunsari DDRC and vice versa. As the HUDEP is a local NGO whose area of focus is the project VDCs, it is likely that it will provide technical backstopping for the project initiatives. Building the capacity of local institutions and linking them with other DRR actors is a sensible exit strategy, but it will take time for the project’s good initiatives to mature and for local institutions like LDMCs and youth groups to become institutionalised. 3.7 Impact After just 11 months, it is difficult to suggest what the project’s long-tem impacts may be but there are indications of a positive future and substantial changes. Though most of the results of the interventions were simply effects or outcomes, some were impacts. a. Development of local CCDRR resource persons The project developed youths as local DRR resource persons and, under their instigation, children and adults, for the first time, are debating and discussing preparedness and preventive initiatives. People used to wait for relief and rescue after a disaster, but now, because of the project's capacity-building initiatives, they are taking the initiative. Trained volunteers taught people how to act for themselves at various DRR trainings and orientations. b. Preparedness practices at the individual, family and community levels The project’s capacity-building activities and other interventions have made people safer. Through drills and simulations, individuals are now very familiar with what to do (and not do) before, during and after disasters. In fact, the majority used their new knowledge and skills during the earthquake of September 2011. Students no longer leave the classroom during a thunderstorm and do not cross torrential rivers without careful consideration. They also know not to dash out of a classroom during an earthquake but to take cover until the earth stops shaking and then file out systematically. At the household level, too, changes have taken place. People, especially those living in Harinagara VDC, where inundation is a problem, have started to raise plinth levels and to build two-storey houses so they can store grain and live upstairs during floods. They have begun to keep valuables, including jewellery, cash, and important documents like bank passbooks, cheque books, citizenship cards, birth registration cards, and land ownership certificates in safe places. Instead of wooden bhakari they use clay vessels to store their grain and some have exchanged their thatched roofs for CGI sheeting or tiles to reduce the danger of fires. Because of the project’s continuous advocacy, LDMCs have begun to stock both food and non-food relief including beaten rice, sugar, noodles, dried vegetables, blankets, bandages and other medical supplies before the onset of the monsoon season. At the community level, especially in Harinagara VDC, people have begun to make earthen

dikes around villages to hold back flood waters, constructed elevated earthen roads and identified safe places to live during emergencies.

c. Replication of good initiatives Some of the project’s good practices have been replicated in and around the project VDCs. For example, child and youths groups were formed in Shree Jaldevi Primary School, which lies in Ward No. 6 of Barachhetra. Also in Barachhetra, Kausika Lower Secondary School has constructed its compound wall by mobilising local resources. The Barachhetra LDMC has advocated using 35-50% of the revenue generated at the local level for DRR activities and the VDC has allocated NRs 200,000 to execute VDC DRMPs (though the final negotiations with the DDC are pending). Family- and community-level preparedness practices have been replicated in neighbouring VDCs. More specifically, the radio programming has seen children in neighbouring villages change their ill practices and headed towards safer practices. Plan’s Rautahat and Banke PUs have also begun to replicate project good practices. Emulating the planning process and the final VDRMPs, 16 municipalities of eastern Nepal are preparing municipal DRMPs with funding from the Urban Development through Local Efforts (UDLE)/IG (formerly GTZ). d. Changes in beliefs and increase in people’s confidence People no longer see disaster as being the will of God and not something whose effects could be minimised and their understanding about the causes of disaster has increased. Thanks to the capacity-building, preparedness and mitigation activities, and coordination and linkage with government agencies, people are more vocal and confident. They have a ”we-can-do-it” attitude. People have identified vulnerable and high-risk areas and understand what strategies and actions are needed to minimise risks. The project increased people’s belief in the power of teamwork and fostered a culture of helping each other during emergencies; as a result, social solidarity and neighbourliness are stronger. e. Increases in linkages, voice and influence Because of project's rights-based approach and focus on empowerment, participatory and inclusive HVCA helped those who have never been heard to speak up. Indeed, the project served as a platform for making voices heard. Engaging in advocacy and campaigning for DRR boosted the confidence of children, strengthening their voices and encouraging them to demand their rights from relevant stakeholders. In Barachhetra VDC, for instance, children initiated child-led sanitation campaigns and garnered VDC resources for toilet construction. Children’s outspoken participation in DRR was increased through policy advocacy because of advocacy established good linkages with duty bearers. In response to advocacy efforts, Sunsari District Agriculture Development Office, the lead agency of the food cluster, and Plan Sunsari PU worked together to manage food worth more than NRs. 1 million (12500 USD) and distributed it to disaster-affected families. Because the project helped to increase its visibility, the HUDEP also managed to acquire some resources and, as a result, was able to distribute some relief materials during the 2011 monsoon.

4. Major learning Though the project was just an 11-month pilot project, because of its good processes and approaches, it has generated learning and good practices that could be replicated within Plan PUs and elsewhere. However, most learning is still emerging and some immediate inputs are still necessary if activities are to mature. a. Trust is built when major roles are given to DRR-led institutions Transparency and accountability are necessary to win the trust of communities and districts. In the past, however, people’s faith in many institutions was eroded either because their operational structure was weak or they were not transparent. In contrast, the project’s DRR-led institutions were given significant roles and developed as DRR ambassadors by involving them in the entire DRM cycle. In fact, they bore full responsibility for the success or failure of activities. It is because they

had full authority that they came up with an innovative solution to every problem and that a culture of trust emerged among CBOs.

“.........Frankly, because of the trust, the issues that arose were sorted out amicably without any future implications. This good practice in inter-CBO cooperation and coordination demonstrated that the project has paved the right way. This is the first time that many CBOs in the project VDCs have acknowledged the lead role of DRR-led institutions. Such faith cultivated the notion that DRR initiatives could be continued locally...........” (From focus group discussion with teachers of Harinagara Higher Secondary School, in Sunsari District of Nepal)

Because most training was directed at these institutions, a positive environment was created. Project transparency also resulted in the meaningful participation of district-level DRR stakeholders in project endeavours. b. DRR knowledge is disseminated broadly if schools are seen as a means not an end Schools are the centre of knowledge sharing and dissemination. Knowledge built among students at schools is disseminated to a large numbers of families. When students share what they learn at school and home with their guardians, that knowledge is refined and returned to school for further validation. As children are willing to share whatever they learnt with their peer and seniors, investing in building the capacity of children has good returns. Because of two-way informal learning processes at school and home, learning opportunities have been cultivated and parents’ perspectives towards their children have changed.

An emergency evacuation plan is essential "We heard that there is a lot to do to make our school safe. We should have disaster task groups for search and rescue, first aid, early warning and evacuation. In addition, an emergency evacuation plan is essential. The fact that we are surrounded by rivers means that we are surrounded by risks. A big Saptakoshi River flows right side of the school. So in our opinion, the project, school, VDC and government should allocate some resources to build the capacity of students as well as to improve the physical condition and thereby the safety of the school." (From focus group discussion with teachers ...Secondary School in Harinagara in Sunsari District of Nepal)

c. Participation increased if student-led capacity-building initiatives are organised on weekends In the initial days of the project, some of the student-led capacity-building initiatives were organised on school days.

“.......We were in dilemma. For us, both formal and informal education is important. However, when our education performance was weak, our teachers and parents often blamed us, saying that we roamed about here and there in the name of training. At the same time, if we did not participate in skills training, we missed out on important learning opportunities........” (From focus group discussion with student of Basanta Ritu Secondary School in Mahendranagar School, Sunsari District of Nepal)

Learning from the children’s feedback and to the satisfaction of parents and teachers, the project then organised most trainings on the weekend. With this simple adjustment, it found that children were better able to concentrate on both the training and their formal studies.

d. Training is more effective if it addresses children issues In the past, trainings were not effective because their content was poorly correlated with the level of participants. The first aid and LS&R rescue trainings were highly effective because the standard training curriculum was modified to suit children’s interest in hand-on activities. The effectiveness of the project’s trainings was high as participants were selected based on agreed criteria: interest, age, proven knowledge, and willingness to share major learning with others.

“........We are very happy that we got to participate in such a meaningful first aid training session and were provided with first aid kits. For the first time, we have Dettol, Betadin, gauze, a pair of scissors, a thermometer, and adhesive tapes in our homes. Many of our family members and neighbours have benefited from these medicines. We act as local doctors. As we have some skills and medicine, people admire and value our work. We treat cuts, wounds, and burns, and have helped eradicate unsafe practices carried out in the name of first aid.......” (From focus group discussion with child clubs, age 11-16, Harinagara, in Sunsari District of Nepal)

Because the content of the project’s trainings suits their needs, the knowledge and skills children acquired from the trainings are now deeply rooted in their minds. The fact that students spent their budget for snack to buy materials for their first aid kit boxes is a reflection of their dedication.

Disaster is harmful to us "There is no doubt that disaster is harmful to us; in fact, it affects us more than adults because of our poor capacity to cope. Unless we have thorough knowledge about the nature of both disasters and risks reduction initiatives, we cannot convince adults in a convincing way. We are keen to learn the reasons behind changing climatic conditions and the consequences and impacts of those changes. Child-centred DRR is a must as it will reduce the likely impacts disaster has on our lives and education. Though it is an additional burden for us (in that it comes on top of our regular studies), we cannot evade responsibility for it." (From focus group discussion with youths, in Harinagara, in Sunsari District of Nepal)

e. Drills, street theatre and video documentary dispelled the false belief that mitigation activities alone would suffice The project team faced many obstacles and difficulties in the initial days because people were interested only in mitigation activities like river training, and the construction of spurs to divert river flow, and not in preparedness. However, through the use of drills, street theatre and video showings as well as trainings and orientations, people’s perceptions towards preparedness changed. People who were once in favour only of migration works now advocate for capacity-building and empowerment and work to convince others that prevention is better than cure. They were convinced by seeing that people from other part of Nepal living in equally or even more disaster-prone areas struggled to reduce the impacts of disasters through a series of preparedness activities. People now realise that without proper preparedness, the effectiveness of mitigation measures is limited. When they discovered that preparedness activities cost one-fourth of what mitigation activities cost, they were even more convinced.

“........Before this project, we had not realised the meaning of preparedness. We were believed that mitigation was the only way to tackle disasters. However, the video documentary showed us that there are many small things that can be started at home as part of preparedness. Now we are convinced......” (From focus group discussion with LDMC members, Barachhetra, Sunsari District of Nepal)

f. Learning is greater when capacity-building initiatives are seen as a process, not an event Much time, energy, and resources have been invested to build knowledge about and skills in DRR and put them to use. Training, facilitation, and orientation were effective because they were organised in a logical way and, more importantly, were taken as a process not events.

What teachers said... about reducing likely disaster-risks • Include DRR in the formal curriculum at both the primary as

well as the secondary levels • Promote DRR through both extracurricular activities and

academic inputs to promote the practice and theory of survival and life skills

• Develop children as leaders in risk reduction initiatives • Develop an effective partnership among schools so that risk

reduction education and a culture of safety can be shared • Encourage communities to integrate children as social actors

in preparedness and response activities • Acknowledge children's role in securing the community’s

wellbeing during disasters and its ability to protect itself (From focus group discussion with teachers, Harinagara Higher Secondary School, Sunsari District of Nepal)

“Learning opportunities were many as all the training programmes were organised in a logical way: they were linked with already-completed trainings and considered local seasonal and school calendars. Refresher trainings were organised without a fixed curriculum; instead, they focused on review and reflection and kept child–centeredness in mind.” As a result of innovative and solution-centric capacity-building initiatives, rights holders started to claim their rights from duty bearers, importuning them to share resources and provide technical backstopping. The evaluation revealed that disaster-affected people and youths are the real teachers and resource persons who, more than anyone else find local solutions to local disasters. g. The provision of life-saving equipment increases the value of trainings If trainings include a practical demonstration in addition to theory, participants learn more. Providing essential equipment not only increased participants’ interest but also enhanced their confidence and self-esteem.

“......We used S&R equipment during the last monsoon. We used life jackets and a rope to search for Parash Neupane and Ramesh Karki, both of whom drowned in the Chatara canal in August 2011. Though we were unable to rescue them, were able to recover their dead bodies.....” (From focus group discussion with youths, age 13-21, Kausika Lower Secondary School, Barachhetra, Sunsari District of Nepal)

Interest in life-saving skills increased when indigenous practices were incorporated. For example, youths learnt how to use bamboo and banana trunks to make safe boats and bottles and jerry cans for making life jackets. Available S&R equipments along with such indigenous knowledge increased the confidence level and promoted the culture of safer communities.

h. Effective and timely emergency response was possible when capacitated DDRCs and well-considered DPRPs were in place When people have enough skills and knowledge as well as a plan of action, they perform very well. If any of these requisites is missing, they experience frustration. Because DDRC members play a key role in DRR, they were capacitated with a series of trainings in child rights and protection in emergencies, SPHERE, and INEE Standards and facilitated in updating and modifying their DPRPs to suit the local context. Such initiatives not only increased DRR knowledge and confidence but also generated harmony among DDRC members. For this reason, the response work of the DDRC in the 2011 monsoon was effective. i. An inclusive approach to DRR-led Institutions and programmes helps address the needs of the most vulnerable Because the majority of Nepali women and socially-marginalised groups, including persons with disabilities, have comparatively little access to educational resources and income-generating opportunities and shoulder heavy economic and social burdens, they are disproportionately vulnerable to the impacts of disasters. The project guaranteed equal participation by men, women and marginalised groups through its gender- and socially inclusive approach and thereby helped in mitigating hazards, reducing social vulnerability and building disaster-resilient communities. The community mobilisation and empowerment process was facilitated precisely because DDR-led institutions are gender-balanced and socially inclusive (see Figure 5). The project successfully involved the deprived and marginalised sections of society, including women, Dalits, janajati, and PwD in designing, planning, implementing, and following up on project activities. j. Addressing multiple hazards captures the interest of people Though the project’s focus was largely on flood and earthquake, it heightened the interest of the project communities by disseminating information on other hazards, including cold waves, fires, wildlife attacks, thunderstorms, and epidemics. In Barahachhetra and Mahendranagar VDCs, wildlife attacks are a problem, while Harinagara VDC is prone to fires and water-logging. Since the project addressed issues pertinent to the people through training and orientation, their participation and interest was high.

Our rights are safeguarded ".........Disaster causes the large-scale violation of our fundamental right. Our right to protection, which is the most important right, is only very weakly upheld during disasters. We are compelled to engage in the risky behaviours on the way to school and back home. We have to travel long distances to fetch water as water pumps dry up following long periods of drought. We have to take livestock far away to graze as there are no grasslands nearby and river banks are so covered in sand they are like deserts. However things are positively started and we are very much optimistic.........”. (From focus group discussion with students, age 10 to 14, Kausika Lower Secondary School, Mahendranagar, in Sunsari District of Nepal)

Figure 5: Participation of different ethnic groups in different institutions


5. Recommendations Based on the key evaluation findings and project-generated learning, the following recommendations were made to see the maturation of good initiatives and to improve the design of similar projects in the future. 5.1 Immediate actions to secure and reinforce good initiatives a. Draft operational guidelines for DRR-led institutions, safe shelters and resource centres All DRR-led institutions perform well and their local-level visibility is high, but they have no concrete operational guidelines despite the fact that some codes of conducts were, in fact, prepared. Sunsari PU, along with the HUDEP, should help these institutions prepare a consolidated operational guideline which emphasises interconnectivity among institutions and rules and regulations and keeps both structural and non-structural aspects in mind. PU should borrow good ideas from its core programmes too. The safe shelters and the resource centre are well constructed, but their operation and maintenance have not been much discussed. There needs to be a consideration of how the buildings can be best used in the interests of children and adults. b. Update HVCA maps after the disaster context changes The modification of HVCA mappings should be taken as a continuous process rather an event. An updated HVCA map makes people feel positive as the improvements they make are clearly visible. In addition, up-to-date emergency telephone numbers are essential to avoid delay. Considering how effective the HVCA process is, Plan Nepal should use this approach for conducting baseline and end-line surveys. Its use does not have to be limited to disasters. c. Provide continuous support to project initiatives Nascent youth-led cooperatives need some sort of technical backstopping. The ‘micro finance plus approach’ of BRAC Bangladesh is a good one to adopt. A one-day orientation should be organised for resource persons of DEO and members of the Private and Boarding School Organisation of Nepal to share the project’s good practices including mainstreaming DRR education in the school curriculum. d. Replicate good practices within Plan’s Sunsari PU and beyond: Plan’s Sunsari PU demonstrated a strong sense of ownership of the project. The learning derived from the CCDRR project should be replicated in different projects and programmes including FACT (Fight against Child- and Gender-Based Violence), HOPE (Creating Hope for Children), and social inclusion. At the same time Plan Nepal’s crosscutting issues like birth registration, total sanitation, and child protection should be replicated in the CCDRR project areas for mutual sharing and learning. Such an integrated approach will reinforce the individual strands of development and promote sustainability. 5.2 Actions to be considered while designing new projects in the future

a. Modify the LDMC structure The present structure of LDMCs, which has VDC secretaries serve as chairs, leaves a vacuum when, as happens frequently, these secretaries are transferred. It would be better if VDC secretaries were to serve as member secretaries instead and if a member of the community were elected as chairperson. Members of water and forestry-related community-based institutions should serve as ex-officio members.

b. Incorporate small-scale mitigation activities for demonstration The project should promote child-friendly, elevated, and arsenic-free hand pumps with platforms and good drainage systems as well as raised toilets and community/school-led total sanitation campaigns. Child clubs and youth groups should advocate for one-house-one-toilet schemes by pressuring DRR

stakeholders. Child-friendly recreation facilities should be included on the premises of safe shelters to help reduce fear and trauma. Basic infrastructural modifications should be made following a multiple-hazard risk assessment, including outward-opening doors, two doors in each room, lighting rods, and raised plinths. In drought-prone areas, rainwater harvesting systems should be installed and in flood-prone areas, youths and children should be taught to swim and community- and school-based early warning systems established. Providing boats to island communities in upstream VDCs and establishing embankments and bio-dykes with green belts are other key interventions. To secure the long-term interest of people in DRR initiatives, climate-smart crops and agricultural patterns should be introduced on agricultural land on river banks.

Minimal infrastructure support is most “……Teaching is not very effective if the physical facilities of a school are poor. The psycho-social condition of children who study in a structurally unstable poor classroom is not good. Because they fear that the building could be damaged at any time, teachers do not deliver their lessons confidently and students do not absorb that knowledge efficiently.” (From focus group discussion with teachers, Basanta Ritu Secondary School in Mahendranagar School, in Sunsari District of Nepal)

c. Train more youths as local resource person Learning from peers is very effective as no social boundaries impede the wholehearted sharing of emotions. Building on the success of the facilitation trainings conducted after the training of trainers, more youths should be trained and mobilised in schools and child clubs. In the long-term, Plan Sunsari PU should employ these youths as trainee researcher. The LDMC should conduct quarterly review-and-reflection sessions to assess the availability of trained volunteers and the state of S&R equipment and first aid kits at the resource centre. d. Strengthen the capacity of NGO partners Since its partners can be effective vehicles of change, Plan Nepal should build their capacity in DRR. Visits between groups should be encouraged in the name of mutual sharing and learning and Plan Nepal should design and implement a 'right-to-safe-schools’ campaign, advocating in coordination with local health posts and PTA for first aid boxes and fire extinguishers in each school. e. Engage in issue-based advocacy for safer schools In general, building construction does not take safety sufficiently into consideration. At the majority of schools visited, some classrooms have only a single, inward-swinging door. If there is a second door at all, it is usually kept locked and is blocked. Having only one door is unsafe as there is no means of exit if fallen material blocks that door. In addition, because the main doors to school buildings are usually too narrow to allow many students from different classrooms to pass through at once, students may be crushed in the rush to get out. These exit doors are not always outward-swinging either. Some schools have outer walls with large windows, a style of construction which reduces the strength of the wall and makes it more likely to collapse in an earthquake. In some classrooms, beams are positioned very close to windows. Such beams are vulnerable in an earthquake; they may crack and even fall. The fact that benches and desks are attached makes it difficult for students to take ‘duck-cover-and-hold’ exercise. Building codes should be shared among DRR stakeholders and model school retrofitting work should be designed for demonstration in strategic location. Plan Sunsari PU should make a list of local masons in its working VDCs and possibly elsewhere provide them with training in earthquake-resistant techniques for application in new buildings. Past experience has shown that if masons are not convinced, they are unlikely to implement earthquake-resistant design feature. f. Modify safe school contingency plans, starting with small initiatives

Structural and non-structural assessments of risks should be conducted and possible measures for addressing safety problems and shortcomings should be incorporated in safe school contingency plans. These plans should include crisis response plans in order to save time during emergencies and ensure that trees within the school compound are pruned, school grounds levelled, and railings on stairs and balconies added. To get more support from district-level government agencies including DDRCs and DEOs, Plan Nepal should sign a memorandum of understanding at the ministry level. g. Increase children’s knowledge about climatic variability Plan Nepal should establish school- based meteorological stations at which students record temperature, wind speed and direction, and rainfall and develop an idea of weather patterns and, by inference, climate change. Plan Nepal can borrow some ideas from Canadian Cooperation Office-funded and NDRC-led project12

in Kushma, Kapilvastu District.

h. Share good practices and learning with a wide audience As the DSLA of Sunsari and a member of protection, education and WASH humanitarian clusters, Plan should share the project’s good practices and key learning at cluster meetings in the regular basis. It should also share the project initiatives and preliminary reflections with other networks of which it is a member, including AIN-TGDM, DPNet and Nepal DRR Platform in order to get valuable feedback and suggestions. Similarly, good practices and lessons learned should also be shared with other PUs, the country office and at the regional and global level through conference calling and other means in order to solicit feedback that can improve future efforts. i. Focus more on disaster preparedness Though Plan International’s DRM Strategy mandated that all countries work on DRR and Plan Nepal has included it in its CSP-III, DRR projects run on grant money and allocate core budget only for emergency response. There is a need for more core budget-funded CCDRR projects. Resources should be allocated equitably rather than equally across the Plan PUs so that the most most-at-risk VDCs and populations get the most help. j. Put the CCCD approach first While many child-focused organizations across the world promote children’s involvement in CCDRR projects, Plan International uniquely advocates children’s leadership. In generating resources, it should stress this vastly different approach, one that is rooted in CCCD and which stresses the cognitive development and wellbeing of children. k. Increase coverage with child centeredness focus Programmes are more effective if they are run in all nine wards of a VDC rather than in a few as the VDC will be more inclined to provide resources. The project should be extended to other wards within the project VDCs as well as to additional VDCs. To ensure that the child-centeredness of DRR project design and subsequent implementation is not overlooked, activities also should be designed using the child-led indicators used by Save the Children Sweden.

12 Students are directly involved in the ongoing Building Resilience to Disaster and Climate Change Adaptation as they are seen as the best communicators of climatic variability.

APPENDIX

Appendix 1: Terms of Reference Carry Out Final Project Evaluation and Learning Documentation of Child Centred Disaster Risk Reduction Project in Sunsari Nepal 1. Introduction Under the grant contract no (Plan 10 02) with Irish Aid, Plan Ireland, Plan Nepal in partnership with a local NGO, Human Development and Environment Protection Forum (HUDEP) has been carried out Child Centred Disaster Risk Reduction’ Project for the period of 14 months starting from 1st July 2010. This project was implemented Koshi River basin flood affected communities of three Village Development Committees (VDCs) Mahendranagar, Harinagara and Barahachhetra in Sunsari District, Nepal. 2. The context With a HDI ranking of 145 (HDR 2009), Nepal is among the least developed countries in the world. Disasters, among others, are one attribution of poverty. A World Bank, 2005 report classifies Nepal as one of the global 'hot-spots’ for natural disasters. The entire country falls in a high earthquake intensity belt. In light of the recent Haiti earthquake, Nepal has been cited as ‘a Haiti waiting to happen’. Floods are a common occurrence, and of increasing intensity and frequency, especially on the flat plains of Terai in the south. The hills and mountains are vulnerable to landslides and mudslides. Nepal is also vulnerable to climate change. Global warming and the resulting consequences of climate change in the Himalayan environment are commonly believed to increase the number of hazards. The communities in Plan Nepal’s working areas were not oriented towards disaster risk reduction or mitigation beyond the simple construction of bunds and spur to control or divert flood waters. Recurrent climatologically disasters mean communities risk becoming dependent on relief on an ongoing basis. After the Koshi embankment breach flooding of 2008 in Sunsari district that displaced 7000 families and create a great humanitarian crisis, Plan Nepal directly started responding them and realized need of DRM in its operational strategy and program and planning. 3. Background: Plan has been working in Nepal since 1978, helping poor children to access their rights to health, education, economic security and protection & participation and the majority of Plan Nepal’s working areas are located on the flat plains of the Terai in the south of the country, which are particularly vulnerable to natural hazards like floods (including flash floods), extended periods of inundation and fire. Almost every year life and property is lost in Plan Nepal areas. Thus Plan Nepal is engaged in Humanitarian response from the very beginning. It has provided post-disaster relief and rehabilitation programs to affected families and communities, engaged in small-scale preventive measures, and carried out community-based disaster preparedness activities in some disaster-prone communities. However, strategic response began after 2008 Plan Nepal’s engagement in Koshi flood response, since then Plan Nepal is a part of humanitarian clusters; primarily engaged through Protection, Education and WASH. Besides, Plan is member of Humanitarian Networks in Nepal as such AIN TGDM, DPNet and Nepal DRR Platform as well. To address the Plan Nepal CSP III and DRM strategy goal and objective the CCDRR project was designed. The programme focused on Sunsari district, in Koshi, Nepal. The training focused on building capacity and resilience of communities and responsible agents, as well as school children and youth, thus increasing the ability to prepare for, mitigate against, and respond to emergencies. The CCDRR programme piloted in three VDC communities in Sunsari district, and the training of VDCs & local government result in the remainder of Sunsari district benefitting from the programme. Plan Nepal implementation of individual activities will be carried out by the children and youths in the communities with support from project partners. A Project Officer will be appointed as responsible for project implementation and co-ordination, supported by the Disaster Focal Person at the Country Office (CO), in coordination with the Programme Units (PUs). In Sunsari District, the PU Manager will have overall responsibility for the project, whereas the Project Officer and Disaster Focal Person will be responsible for ensuring the project quality. The project was operationalised in holistic approach to integrate CCDRR at all levels in Sunsari District. This will occur through co-operation and training of local and regional governments departments, and village committees on CCDRR, as well as vulnerability and hazard mapping. The trainings involve representatives from other districts and Plan PUs in order to facilitate a scaling up of the programme after piloting activities in Sunsari District. CCDRR piloted in a participatory manner including all stakeholders, with active involvement in design and implementation by children. It is envisaged that the lessons learnt, and a pre-monsoon

preparedness workshop, will feed into subsequent expansion of the programme activities after the funding period. Goal and objectives of the project Goal: to protect the rights of children, young people and communities during disaster-induced emergencies and reduce negative impacts of disasters and climate change through preparedness and mitigation. Objectives: • to increase the capacity of Local Government and government’s District Disaster Relief Committee

(DDRC) to prepare for and respond to disasters using a Child-Centred Disaster Risk Reduction (CCDRR) approach

• to increase the capacity of children, youth and local communities to prepare for, respond to, and mitigate against emergencies

Scope of areas under the project • Training of District Development Committee (DDC), Village Development Committees (VDCs) &

District Disaster Relief Committee (DDRC) on DRM, Climate Change Adaptation (CCA), hazard, vulnerability and capacity assessment(HVCA), SPHERE & INEE Standards in Emergencies;

• Baseline study of pilot communities on DRM; • Training on CCDRR to children, youths, schools and communities; • Workshops with schools, District Education Office and Education Ministry for integrating (CCDRR) into

education plans and curricula; (did the project learnt something from DRRSP??) • District preparedness and response planning workshop; • CCDRR awareness raising and risk reduction activities by children and youths; Target Group: DDRC & DDC, VDCs, Partner Staffs, School Management Committees (SMCs), Youth/children in Sunsari (Barahachhetra, Mahendranagara and Harinagara VDCs) are the major target groups. Objective of the Evaluation The overall objectives of the evaluation are: • To assess the relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, impact and sustainability of the programme in relation to

the objectives (and supporting outputs) set out in the Programme Document • To analyze achievements and the limitations of the project. The evaluation is expected to provide key

learning, recommendations and directions for Plan's future support for DRR interventions in Nepal.

Output The evaluation and learning documentations should capture the following: • The changes achieved/seen/practiced in knowledge, behaviour of children, youths, local disaster

management committee members, local communities in CCDRM and relevant policies, plans developed and institutionalized for CCDRM.

• Summarized information of each activity carried out under each objective details of activities project have carried out – i.e. what have been done - number of events, number of people trained, etc. and the results achieved from each of those activities.

• The changes in the lives of people or results achieved from the beneficiary level (at children, youth, community, LDMC, DDRC, other direct stakeholders).

• What capacity has increased among local government and partners in dealing, institutionalizing CCDRM, what capacity has increased among the children, youths and local communities to prepare for and respond to emergencies Describe these changes in relation to identifying vulnerabilities, preparing preparedness mechanism such as drills, etc., and demonstrated increased competence in DRM such as early warning systems, resource centres, child protection measures etc.

• Summary of the increased capacity of children and youths as right holders, LDMCs and DDRCs as duty bearers specifically in terms of the plans, policies prepared, endorsed and put in place for DRR and DRM.

• Describing specifically how this project contributed to increase participation/representation of children and youth and their communities as well as participation of other main stakeholders such as LDMCs and DDRCs.

• Examining the project experience on how DRM can be made child centred so that there are replication, adaptation possible for similar initiatives elsewhere and recommend what sort of interventions be there in the follow-on phase of this project

Evaluation methods The evaluation consultant will set comprehensive evaluation methodology. However, following evaluation methodology is suggested to carry out the evaluation: • Review of relevant secondary data e.g. proposal, internal reports and reports to the donor, annual review

and workshop reports, and other relevant institutional documents • Focus groups discussions (FGD) and interviews with beneficiaries especially children • Consultation meetings and/or interviews with other project stakeholders • Small participatory workshops with the relevant project stakeholders use of PRA/PVA tools and

techniques for the evidence based PME and ensuring spirit of Plan PALS is reflected. Time frame • The evaluation will take place from 10th November to 30th November 2011. Including the final reporting

and submission. The Consultant and Team Composition This evaluation will lead by external consultant. The consultant shall be a senior professional, at least 5 year experience and expertise on M&E of donor funded DRR project assessment and evaluation. Plan relevant staff will accompany with the external consultant to make more productive fieldwork. Reference Document for this work available: • The project proposal • The periodic progress reports • The Baseline and End line KAP • The annual report of HUDEP • The thematic and accomplishment report and documentations developed by the project including the IEC

and audio visuals

Appendix 2: Progress (target vs. achievement, and benefited population by gender and caste/ethnicity) Objective 1: to increase the capacity of Local Government and government’s District Disaster Relief Committee (DDRC) to prepare for and respond to disasters using a Child-Centred Disaster Risk Reduction (CCDRR) approach

Activities

Target Participants by gender Participants by ethnicity

Plan

ned

Ach

ieve

men

ts

Mal

e

Fem

ale

Boys

Gir

ls

Mal

e

Fem

ale

Dal

it

Jana

jati

Min

ority

PWD

Oth

ers

Training on SPHERE to LDMC,/DDC/ DDRC

1 1 28 9 0 0 28 9 1 12 2 1 22

Child and child right protection in emergencies to LDMC/DDC/ DDRC

1 1 30 5 1 1 31 6 4 8 1 0 24

Workshop organized with school and district education office for discussing on way for integrating CCDRR into education plan and curriculum

1 1 23 2 0 0 23 2 1 5 0 0 19

Training on Inter Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) minimum standard for education in emergencies to VDCs/DDC/DDRC

1 1 23 2 0 0 23 2 0 3 1 0 21

Objective 2: to increase the capacity of children, youth and local communities to prepare for, respond to, and mitigate against emergencies

District level preparedness and contingency planning along with pre-monsoon workshop

1 1 52 1 1 2 53 3 0 13 0 0 43

Child Protection Training 1 1 14 12 0 0 14 12 0 12 0 0 14

Meeting and Presentation on the Preparedness and response plan

1 1 49 2 1 0 50 2 2 10 0 0 40

Activities

Target Participants by gender Participants by ethnicity

Plan

ned

Ach

ieve

men

ts

Mal

e

Fem

ale

Boys

Gir

ls

Mal

e

Fem

ale

Dal

it

Jana

jati

Min

ority

PWD

Oth

ers

Disaster Preparedness Training to Child Club

3 3 0 0 12 12 12 12 2 3 0 1 19

Disaster Preparedness Training to Youth Club

3 3 0 0 12 12 12 12 3 5 0 0 16

Drawing Competition 3 3 93 18 119 89 21

2 107

28 54 7 2 23

0 Training on Social Counselling Provided to Teachers, SMC, PTA and Key Persons of VDCs

3 3 51 24 4 2 55 26 4 13 1 2 63

3 Days Training on Climate change and its effect on Children

1 1 31 2 0 0 31 2 3 9 1 0 20

Disaster preparedness orientation programme by child club representative to their community

5 5 11 20 43 49 54 69 14 16 2 2 91

Training on child centred disaster risk reduction and HVCA organized among 150 children and youth

5 5 40 32 26 23 66 55 15 14 7 3 85

First aid training to youth groups and child clubs.

3 3 60 27 3 3 63 30 6 13 2 0 72

Training on Child Centred Disaster Risk Reduction and HVCA organized among 60 Youth and Children.

3 3 45 25 2 5 47 30 4 9 2 1 62

Training on Child Centred Disaster Risk Reduction among teachers/SMC/PTA for integrating Child Centred Disaster Risk Reduction in school for developing educational and Disaster preparedness plan.

3 3 68 18 2 0 70 18 6 12 3 1 67

VDCs level preparedness and contingency planning along with pre-monsoon workshop

3 3 74 17 5 5 79 22 10 24 0 3 67

CCDRM orientation and formation of contingency plan at school level

3 3 59 19 3 1 62 20 6 8 2 0 66

Disaster preparedness orientation program by youth group representatives to their respective youth groups.

3 3 54 38 3 3 57 41 6 18 1 1 73

Activities implemented at the district level

Activities

Activity Participants by sex Participants by Caste/Ethnicity

Plan

ned

Ach

ieve

men

ts

Mal

e

Fem

ale

Boys

Gir

ls

Mal

e

Fem

ale

Dal

it

Janj

ati

Min

ority

PWD

Oth

er

3 Days Training on Climate change and its effect on Children

1 1 31 2 0 0 31 2 3 9 1 0 20

Training on SPHERE to LDMC,/DDC/ DDRC

1 1 28 9 0 0 28 9 1 12 2 1 22

Child and child right protection in emergencies to LDMC/DDC/ DDRC

1 1 30 5 1 1 31 6 4 8 1 0 24

Workshop organized with school and district education office for discussing on way for integrating CCDRR into education plan and curriculum

1 1 23 2 0 0 23 2 1 5 0 0 19

Training on Inter Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) minimum standard for education in emergencies to VDCs/DDC/DDRC

1 1 23 2 0 0 23 2 0 3 1 0 21

Flock song competition raising awareness on disaster.

3 3 36 21 136

113

172

134

43 55 5 0 20

3

Organize Quiz competition raising awareness on disaster

3 3 108 42 132 91 24

0 133

18 60 1 2 29

4

Workshop on CCDRR to youth and Child Clubs

1 1 4 1 11 10 15 11 2 3 0 0 21

Organized muck drill at schools 3 3 13 5 160

118

173

123

26 37 9 2 22

4 Disaster preparedness awareness street drama to reduce underlying Risk factors.

6 6 400

Organize debate competition raising awareness on disaster

3 3 48 14 132

114

180

128

15 60 1 1 23

2

Shearing Workshop on Disaster Risk Management plan among VDCs/communities.

6 6 75 45 29 23 104 68 7 21 0 3 14

4

LSAR Training 1 1 7 1 15 10 22 11 1 4 2 0 26

Documentary show 3 3 160 108 58 62 21

8 170

62 56 0 1

5 270

Workshop on Documentation, documentary preparation and dissemination of information to youth and children representatives who acquired CCDRR training

1 1 5 2 15 8 20 10 1 5 0 0 24

TOT on Climate change Adoption, risk assessment and Risk Management among 21 Youth and Children

1 1 8 5 10 4 18 9 1 3 2 0 21

Program by Child club at FM radio on disaster and protection of children during disaster

1 1 About 600000 Listener through 2 FM in Nepali and Maithili (local) Language

Training on Climate Change Adoption, risk assessment and Risk Management among 900 Youths and Children

9 9 145 189

333

281

478

470

59

256

15 1 61

8

Simulation Exercise to Community and Stakeholders

3 3 63 51 110 75 17

3 126

57 17 1 3 22

4

District level preparedness and contingency planning along with pre-monsoon workshop.

1 1 52 1 1 2 53 3 0 13 0 0 43

LSAR Training 1 1 7 1 15 10 22 11 1 4 2 0 26 Workshop on Documentation, documentary preparation and dissemination of information to youth and children representatives who acquired CCDRR training

1 1 5 2 15 8 20 10 1 5 0 0 24

TOT on Climate change Adoption, risk assessment and Risk Management among 21 Youth and Children

1 1 8 5 10 4 18 9 1 3 2 0 21

Child Protection Training 1 1 14 12 0 0 14 12 0 12 0 0 14

Program by Child club at FM radio on disaster and protection of children during disaster

1 1 0 0 0 0 0

Meeting and Presentation on the Preparedness and response plan

1 1 49 2 1 0 50 2 2 10 0 0 40

Activities implemented at Harinagara VDC

Activities

Target Participants by sex Participants by Cast/Ethnicity

Plan

ned

Ach

ieve

men

ts

Mal

e

Fem

ale

Boys

Gir

ls

Mal

e

Fem

ale

Dal

it

Janj

ati

Min

ority

PWD

Oth

er

Disaster Preparedness Training to Child Club 1 1 0 0 4 4 4 4 0 0 0 0 8

Disaster Preparedness Training to Youth Club 1 1 0 0 4 4 4 4 0 2 0 0 6

Drawing Competition 1 1 35 9 40

27

75 36 16

4 3 1 88

Training on Social Counselling Provided to Teachers, SMC, PTA and Key Persons of VDCs

1 1 16 7 2 0 18 7 1 0 1 0 23


1 1 4 12 11

13

15 25 2 0 2 0 36


1 1 21 10 14

4 35 14 3 2 4 1 40


1 1 22 9 3 3 25 12 2 3 2 0 30


1 1 19 7 0 0 19 7 2 1 2 0 21


1 1 22 8 2 0 24 8 2 1 2 0 27

VDCs level preparedness and contingency planning along with pre-monsoon workshop 1 1 26 6 2 0

28 6 7 2 0 0 25

CCDRM orientation and formation of contingency plan at school level 1 1 24 5 2 0

26 5 3 1 1 0 26

Disaster preparedness orientation program by youth group representatives to their respective youth groups. 1 1 20 6 2 3

22 9 2 0 1 0 28

Flock song competition raising awareness on disaster. 1 1 8 0

68

27

76 27 22

1 5 0 75

Organize Quiz competition raising awareness on disaster 1 1 47 9

35 9

82 18 2 1 1 0 96

Organized muck drill at schools 1 1 3 1 69

30

72 31 17

0 5 2 81

Disaster preparedness awareness street drama to reduce underlying Risk factors. 2 2

Organize debate competition raising awareness on disaster 1 1 16 1

47

46

63 47 6 0 1 0 103

Shearing Workshop on Disaster Risk Management plan among VDCs/communities. 2 2 21 10 6 3

27 13 1 2 0 1 37

Documentary show 1 1 60 35 30

23 90 58

10

14

0 4 124

Training on Climate Change Adoption, risk assessment and Risk Management among 900 Youths and Children 3 3

116

170

20 7

136

177

32

7 9 0 265

Simulation Exercise to Community and Stakeholders 1 1 8 3

54

34

62 37 4 0 1 0 94

Activities implemented at Mahendranagar VDC

Activities


Plan

ned

Ach

ieve

men

ts

Mal

e

Fem

ale

Boys

Gir

ls

Mal

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Fem

ale

Dal

it

Janj

ati

Min

ority

PWD

Oth

er


1 1 0 0 4 4 4 4 1 2 0 1 5


1 1 0 0 4 4 4 4 2 2 0 0 4

Drawing Competition 1 1 3 3 49 45 52 48 5 17 4 0 74


1 1 17 7 0 2 17 9 1 7 0 1 18


3 3 4 2 15 18 19 20 7 13 0 2 19


3 3 16 7 5 7 21 14 8 9 3 2 15


1 1 21 9 0 0 21 9 3 9 0 0 18


1 1 14 8 0 0 14 8 1 6 0 0 15


1 1 23 5 0 0 23 5 1 9 1 0 17


1 1 27 4 1 3 28 7 1 14 0 1 20


21 5 3 6 0 0 17


17 19 2 14 0 0 20

Flock song competition raising awareness on disaster. 1 1 7 10 28 56

35 66 14 39 0 0 48

Organize Quiz competition raising awareness on disaster 1 1 16 5 79 52

95 57 6 46 0 0 100

Organised muck drill at schools 1 1 4 1 46 53 50 54 8 34 4 0 58


Organize debate competition raising awareness on disaster 1 1 18 6 47 40

65 46 9 52 0 1 50


48 38 3 7 0 0 76

Documentary show 1 1 40 20 20 30 60 50 48 14 0 11 48 Training on Climate Change Adoption, risk assessment and Risk Management among 900 Youths and Children 3 3 12 9 157 157 169 166

13 162 6 0 154

Simulation Exercise to Community and Stakeholders 1 1 43 44 10 5

53 49 48 14 0 3 40

Activities implemented at Barahahetra VDC

Activities


Plan

ned

Ach

ieve

men

ts

Mal

e

Fem

ale

Boys

Gir

ls

Mal

e

Fem

ale

Dal

it

Janj

ati

Min

ority

PWD

Oth

er


1 1 0 0 4 4 4 4 1 1 0 0 6


1 1 0 0 4 4 4 4 1 1 0 0 6

Drawing Competition 1 1 55 6 30 17 85 23 7 33 0 1 68


1 1 18 10 2 0 20 10 2 6 0 1 22


1 1 3 6 17 18 20 24 5 3 0 0 36


1 1 3 15 7 12 10 27 4 3 0 0 30


1 1 17 9 0 0 17 9 1 1 0 0 24


1 1 12 10 2 5 14 15 1 2 0 1 26


1 1 23 5 0 0 23 5 3 2 0 1 23


1 1 21 7 2 2 23 9 2 8 0 2 22


15 10 0 1 1 0 23


18 13 2 4 0 1 25

Folk song competition raising awareness on disaster. 1 1 21 11 40 30

61 41 7 15 0 0 80

Organize Quiz competition raising awareness on disaster 1 1 45 28 18 30 63 58

10 13 0 2 98

Organised muck drill at schools 1 1 6 3 45 35 51 38 1 3 0 0 85


0 0 0 0 0

Organize debate competition raising awareness on disaster 1 1 14 7 38 28

52 35 0 8 0 0 79


29 17 3 12 0 2 31

Documentary show 1 1 60 53 8 9 68 62 4 28 0 0 98

Training on Climate Change Adoption, risk assessment and Risk Management among 900 Youths and Children 3 3 17 10 156 117

173

127

14 87 0 1 199

Simulation Exercise to Community and Stakeholders 1 1 12 4 46 36

58 40 5 3 0 0 90

final ccdrr evalaution and learning report ( nov 30) pdf

Art & Photos