COMMUNITY DRIVEN RESILIENCE (CDR):
Community-based Disaster Risk Management
and Early Warning Systems
MASTER FACILITATOR’S HANDBOOK
TRAINING OF TRAINERS (ToT)
Community-led Capacity Strengthening for Fragile Contexts (C4FC)
January 2022
Acknowledgements
The development of this module is part of the Community-led Capacity
Strengthening for Fragile Contexts (C4FC) program. The module completion
would not have been possible without the contributions and hard work of the
following teams:
Content Development
World Vision Somalia / SomReP/ SomRIL - Technical Coordination Unit
Sadar Development and Resilience Institute (Sadar) Team
Review and Field Piloting
CARE Somalia
World Vision Sudan Team
World Vision South Sudan Team
Financial Contributions
Financial assistance for the development of this toolkit was provided by U.S.
Agency for International Development (USAID) Award Number:
720BHA21CA00007.
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Abbreviations
Acute Respiratory Infections (ARIs)
Community Action and Adaptation Planning (CAAP)
Community Based Disaster Risk Management (CBDRM)
Community-based Early Warning Systems (CBEWS)
Community Driven Resilience (CDR)
Contingency Planning (CP)
Early Warning (EW)
Early Warning/Early Action (EWEA)
Early Warning Committees (EWC)
Early Warning Information (EWI)
Early Warning Systems (EWS)
Global acute malnutrition (GAM)
Household (HH)
Household Economy Analysis (HEA)
Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC)
Internally displaced persons (IDPs)
Non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
Public Awareness and Public Education
(PAPE)
Social Affairs Committee (SAC)
Somalia Resilience Programme (SomReP)
Situational Reports (SitReps)
Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time (SMART)
Short Messaging Service (SMS)
Training of Trainers (ToT)
Tsunami Detection and Early Warning System (TeWS)
United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)
Village Council (VC)
Village Development Committee (VDC)
Young Disaster Resilience Leadership Program (yDRL)
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Suggested Training Schedule for CBDRM TOT
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Predictions are pointing towards an increase in climate-related disasters both in
frequency and intensity as due to climate change.1 Research indicates that the poor
and vulnerable are the most impacted by disasters2 and it is understood that
vulnerability to climate change is different even depending on other factors such as
geography, livelihood context and governance issues.3 Additionally, differentiated
gender impacts are known related to the experience of disasters.4
Community-Based Disaster Risk Management (CBDRM) approach facilitates
communities to address these issues and to plan on their own by mapping community
hazards, assessing their own capacities to respond, making contingency plans for
possible disaster scenarios and exploring how different groups and households are
differently exposed to specific risk.
CBDRM and Early Warning (EW) are intertwined. In this module we will break down
components of each and explore tools that can assist communities to carry out both.
This CBDRM module introduces those who aim at building community resilience to
different community-level tools of disaster risk management, including early warning
committees (EWC), Early Warning Systems (EWS), contingency planning, and
contingency funds. The module will provide participants with opportunities to practice
using these tools across various contexts to support communities on their resilience
pathways.
Background Reading
Prior to diving into the module, take time to read Developing Early Warning Systems:
A Checklist. This short, simple checklist of basic elements, actions and good practices
associated with effective early warning systems. The checklist is based on a
people-centred early warning system that includes four key elements: (1) risk
knowledge (2) monitoring and warning service (3) dissemination and communication,
and (4) response capability. See https://www.unisdr.org/files/608_10340.pdf
Module Goal: This module aims to introduce participants to key aspects of CBDRM
and Early Warning, as well as approaches and tools for implementing Early Action.
By completing the full module, you will be able to:
• Identify the rationale and technical contents used in CBDRM (e.g., Scenario
planning, Hazard prioritization, Early Warning/Early Action) and document
experiences with CBDRM and EW .
1de la Poterie, A.T., Clatworthy, Y., Easton-Calabria, E., de Perez, E.C., Lux, S., & van Aalst, M. (2021). Managing multiple hazards: lessons from anticipatory humanitarian action for climate disasters
during COVID-19, Climate and Development, DOI: 10.1080/17565529.2021.1927659
2World Bank (2021). Disaster risk management: Overview https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/disasterriskmanagement/overview#1
3O’Brien, K., Eriksen, S., Nygaard,L, Schjolden, A. (2007). Why different interpretations of vulnerability matter in climate change discourses. Climate Policy. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.10
480/14693062.2007.9685639
Erman, A., De Vries Robbé, S.A. Thies, S.F., Kabir, K., Mario, M. (2021). Gender dimensions of disaster risk and resilience. The World Bank and the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery
(GFDRR) https://www.gfdrr.org/en/publication/gender-dimensions-disaster-risk-and-resilience-existing-evidence
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• Utilize key tools and processes to support communities in establishing and
facilitating the activities of Early Warning Committees.
• Assist communities to establish baseline priorities via Risk Analysis and Hazard
Prioritization Process.
• Utilize key tools and methodologies (e.g., seasonal calendar, HEA, scenario
building) to assist communities in contingency planning.
• Support communities to set up a Social Affairs Committee for the sustainable
community-led disaster resilience activities.
• Support communities to plan and carry out a CBDRM Awareness and EW/EA
workshop.
A full Glossary for this Module can be found in Appendix 1.
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Session 1 Introduction to CBDRM
Objective:
Identify the rationale and technical contents used in CBDRM (e.g., Contingency
planning, Scenario building, Hazard prioritization, Early Warning Communication, Menu
of Action, Response actions, Sit Reps) and document experiences.
Approach: Introductions via Activity, Quiz, Terminology Review, Small Group
Discussions
Tools for Master Facilitators:
Handouts, Flip charts / Stand, Marker pens, Cell tape, Sticky notes, Master Facilitator
and Participant Handbooks, Treeville Profile, Appendices printed, Glossary, Key
Terminology images, cards and definitions printed, laminated
• If needed Community Disaster Resilience Lifecycle Game printed (1 large set in
full color, & A4 copies - 1 copy of each page for each participant)
• 10 Key Competencies Worksheets printed on A4 paper
Tools for Trainers at Community Level:
Marker pens
Flip charts Tape
Key Terminology images, cards and definitions printed
45 minutes (15 mins for Pre-Quiz & 30 mins for Course Introduction)
Master Facilitator Speaker Notes:
Welcome to the module Community Based Disaster Risk Management
(CBDRM). In this module you will learn more about the different
community-level tools of disaster risk management including
contingency planning, contingency fund, early warning committees and
early warning as well as the approaches of implementing these tools.
You will also have opportunities to share your knowledge and
experiences of using CBDRM tools to build communities’ capacities to
manage their own disaster risks.
Individual Assignment
A key individual assignment that you will have as part of this module is to create a
Community Profile for one of the communities that you work with. The Community
Profile will include a variety of key components such as:
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• Short Description
• Basic Demographics
• Disaster History
• Seasonal Calendar
• Maps
• Hazard Prioritization
• Risk Analysis
• Household Economic Analysis (HEA) Information
• Community Assets
• Stakeholder Map
As you progress through this module you will be given more information to guide you
to complete the assignment. Utilize the Community Profile Checklist (Appendix 2)
In this module, you will also learn about how the Treeville community appreciates the
value of inclusion in the CBDRM process.
Pre- Quiz: 15 minutes
As we get started, let’s see what you already know about this topic.
Guidance to Master Facilitator:
Administer the pre-quiz either online or with the printed version
which can be found in Appendix 3.
Master Facilitator Speaker Notes:
Disaster risk management involves looking forward at new risks, looking at
reducing existing risks, and addressing residual risk from past disasters.
“Disaster risk management is the application of disaster risk reduction
policies and strategies to prevent new disaster risk, reduce existing disaster
risk and manage residual risk, contributing to the strengthening of resilience
and reduction of disaster losses.” 5
When planning for the management of disaster risk goals and specific
objectives and actions are prepared which should be guided by the Sendai
Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015‑2030. Plans will also be
coordinated within all relevant authorities aimt pdlieffmereennttatleiovnelosuwtliitnhedti6.me
frames, resourcing and responsibilities for
65UNDRR (n.d.). Disaster Risk Management https://www.undrr.org/terminology/disaster-risk-management
IBID.
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Community-Based Disaster Risk Management and Early Warning are closely linked
as EWS are essential to CBDRM. In Figure 1, the Community Driven Resilience (CDR)
process, as employed by the Somalia Resilience Programme (SomReP) in Somalia,
is illustrated. The illustration also notes CBDRM key methodologies and tools: Early
Warning Committees, Early Warning System, Contingency Planning and Contingency
Funds indicated. (Printable version Appendix 4).
Figure 1: Community Driven Resilience (CDR) Process
Photo Credit: SomRep
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Background Reading
Building the capacity of actors to work together to put in place CBDRM building
blocks and increase commitment for scaling out CBDRM is important to increase the
sustainability and institutionalization of CBDRM. Through exploration of many case
studies the partners found Permanence, Effectiveness, Ownership, Adaptiveness and
Inclusion to be critical elements.
Photo Credit: Young Disaster Resilience Leadership Program (yDRL). Youth in Kyangwali Refugee Settlement in Uganda envi-
sioning the future with community members while planning for disaster risks.
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a) Permanence refers to the fact that CBDRM activities occur through the mobiliza-
tion of the community and continue after significant external support has ended;
b) Effectiveness is concerned with the need for CBDRM activities to successfully
build local capacities to cope with disasters;
c) Ownership is related to ensuring the community’s buy-in through coordination
processes government support and use of local knowledge;
d) Adaptiveness concerns the need to ensure that activities are flexible to respond
to changes in hazard patterns, inclusion of new actors, or political or economic
changes or other such changes; and
e) Inclusion is related to engaging with all societal groups, “to ensure that all per-
spectives (including those of minorities or marginalized groups are taken into con-
sideration.8
Community-based early warning systems (CBEWS):
• Provide communities with timely, relevant, and topical information on environ-
mental, conflict and other relevant conditions
• Allow communities to assess levels of risk and make informed decisions to pro-
tect their safety;
• Are self-monitored by the community members themselves;
• Empowers communities;
• Most effective when there are multiple;
• Monitoring systems in place;
• Better enable communities to use local resources and capacities;
• Help communities to better prepare for and respond to disasters; and
• Help communities adopt measures to reduce their vulnerability1.0
Activity 1a Sharing our CBDRM Experiences and Expertise
Time: 30 minutes
Prep Work
Prior to the training day:
•Print out the 10 Key Competencies Worksheets on A4 (Appendix 4) paper
ensuring that the font is large enough to be read from a distance.
•Hang the Key Competencies Worksheets on the walls around the workshop meeting
space. Key Competencies include: Early Warning Systems, Early Warning Committees,
Contingency Planning, Risk Knowledge, Monitoring, Early Warning
Communication, Response Capacity, Contingency Plan Fund/Budgeting, Situational
Reports (SitReps), Menu of Actions.
8GNDR and USAID (2018). Cookbook on Institutionalising sustainable CBDRM
https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/CBDRM_cookbook_A4_40pp_ENG.pdf
9yDRL (2017). https://www.flickr.com/photos/151648296@N08/35213783191/in/album-72157683097317320/
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Guidance to Master Facilitator:
Step 1: Sharing the Rationale for the Activity: (Time: 3 mins)
• Sharing expertise can help participants expand their network of mentors
and partners for future work.
• Sharing experiences will also help facilitator(s) to better understand
participants’ prior knowledge.
Step 2: Reflection: (Time: 8 mins)
• Ask participants to think about and share if they have experience with or
training in CBDRM or EW.
• Then delve deeper and ask if they have specific experience in: Early
Warning Systems, Early Warning Committees, Contingency Planning, Risk
Knowledge, Monitoring, Early Warning Communication, Response
Capacity, Contingency Plan Fund/Budgeting, SitReps, Menu of Actions or
Crisis Modifier Development.
• Ask participants to walk about the room and put a sticky note with their
name on it under each competency and note if they a) Have experience in
that area or b) Have had training in that area.
Step 3: Sharing Expertise: (Time: 19 mins)
• Ask participants to now stand under the one competency that they feel
that they have the most experience with. Allow time for everyone to move
to the spot. Now give the following directions to the participants:
• Now take a moment and look about where everyone is standing. It is good
that we can see we have many who have experience with (note those
competency areas that have many sticky notes) and “I see that we are
lacking those with experience in (note those competency areas that have
few sticky notes)”.
• Now take 10 minutes and move about the room to a different spot with
others who may have experience in a particular area that you want to
learn more about. Some of you may choose to stay in your current spot if
you are interested in sharing your experiences with others looking to learn
from your expertise. When you move to your new spot, introduce yourself
to the group and ask your fellow participants about their experiences in
the area that you are interested in.”
• Wrap-up: (Time: 6 mins) Ask 3-4 participants to share something they
have learned from this activity.
• Analyze Worksheets: (Time: 45 mins) Collect Key Competencies
Worksheets for analysis to better understand participants prior knowledge.
Consider what the participants share, along with the pre-quiz results and
determine if you may need to modify the training to focus on gap areas, etc.
10 GNDR and USAID (2018). Cookbook on Institutionalising sustainable CBDRM
https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/CBDRM_cookbook_A4_40pp_ENG.pdf
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Master Facilitator Speaker Notes:
Figure 2: Four Key Elements
There are four key elements of a people-centred early warning system:
Risk Knowledge, Monitoring, Warning Communication and Response
Capacity. Two of the elements are foundational to CBDRM: Risk
Knowledge and Response Capacity. Alongside CBDRM and Early Warning,
Early Action is also becoming increasingly important to avert disaster.
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(Optional)
Activity 1b: Review of Key Terminologies from the Basic Terminologies Mini- Mod-
ule & Lifecycle Game (See CDR Mini- Module for complete information)
Time: 1 hour
Figure 3: Disaster Lifecycle Illustration
Guidance to Master Facilitator:
If participants have not yet completed the Basic Terminology Mini-Module
nor completed the Community Disaster Resilience Lifecycle Game, then
carry out those activities now.
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Session 2 Community-based Early Warning
Systems
Objectives of the session
By the end of this session you will be able to:
• Utilize key tools and processes to support communities in establishing
and facilitating the activities of Early Warning Committees.
Approach: Learning Games/Simulations, Quiz, Small Group Activities
Tools for Master Facilitator:
Handouts, Flip charts / Stand, Marker pens, Cell tape, Printed Early Warn-
ing Game Cards, Master Facilitator and Participant Handbooks, Treeville
Profile, Appendices.
Tools for Trainers at Community Level:
Marker pens, Flip charts, Cell tape, Printed Early Warning Game Cards
Time: 30 minutes
The primary objective of a warning system
is to empower individuals and communities
to respond timely and appropriately
to the hazards in order to reduce the
risk of death, injury, property loss
and damage. Warnings need to get
the message across and stimulate
those at risk to take action.16
16 UNDP Programme (2016). Climate information for resilient development in Africa: Climate information & Early warning systems com-
munications toolkit. UNDP Programme on Climate Information for Resilient Development in Africa.
16
Terminology Review
Master Facilitator Speaker Notes:
Stakeholder mapping is a way to learn the “perspectives of stakeholders, their
abfrfiniliga”t1io7n and area they represent, and what interests and/or perspectives they
Let’s review the definitions for what an Early Warning System (EWS) is by
looking at the definition shared by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk
Reduction (UNDRR):
Early Warning System: “An integrated system of hazard monitoring,
forecasting and prediction, disaster risk assessment, communication and
preparedness activities systems and processes that enables individuals,
communities, governments, businesses and others to take timely action to
reduce disaster risks in advance of hazardous events.”
Guidance to Master Facilitator:
Annotations: Effective “end-to-end” and “people-centered” early warning
systems may include four interrelated key elements: (1) disaster risk
knowledge based on the systematic collection of data and disaster risk
assessments; (2) detection, monitoring, analysis and forecasting of the
hazards and possible consequences; (3) dissemination and communication, by
an official source, of authoritative, timely, accurate and actionable warnings
and associated information on likelihood and impact; and (4) preparedness at
all levels to respond to the warnings received. These four interrelated
components need to be coordinated within and across sectors and multiple
levels for the system to work effectively and to include a feedback mechanism
for continuous improvement. Failure in one component or a lack of
coordination across them could lead to the failure of the whole system.”18
17WHO (n.d.). Stakeholder mapping toolkit https://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/stakeholder-mapping-tool.pdf
18UNDRR (n.d.) Early warning system. https://www.undrr.org/terminology/early-warning-system
17
Master Facilitator Speaker Notes:
Introduction to Guiding Principles
A set of key guiding principles and framework elements are provided for EWS
as outlined in the Climate Information for Resilient Development in Africa:
Climate Information & Early Warning Systems Communications Toolkit1.9Let’s
look at the following seven in preparation for a learning game that will help us
examine these principles more closely.
Guiding Principles (Appendix 6)
1. Create Buy-in: Engage Actors and Communicate
Foster buy-in to avoid disputes over roles and responsibilities and engage a
wide variety of actors. Communicating regularly helps to build a circle of trust2.0
2. Plan and Organize: Assign Roles and Responsibilities
Know what your goals are. In Somalia, SomReP has worked with EW
Committees to monitor three EW areas namely: “food security and livelihoods;
health and nutrition; and conflict for early warning signs of slow onset disaster
at a district level.”21“ In order to build a standard operating protocol (SOP) for
sending out early warning messages it is important to start from the ground up
and “assign roles, foster a culture of collaboration and develop non-territorial
approaches.”22
3. Rehearse / Practice / Exercise
Practicing sending out EW messages is essential before an incident happens.
By practicing and simulating what you do, you will be able to learn and
improve. These regular practices or drills help early warning committees to
practice what is needed in an emergency.
4. Situational Awareness.
“Establish baseline priorities, provide the right information at the right time,
share local incidents with relevant actors, link operations, issuance of alerts,
creation of operation centers and units.”
5. Activate and Deploy
Activate and deploy people, resources, capabilities.
6. Coordinate Response
Coordinate between all relevant actors, including coordinating initial actions,
requests for additional support, identifying and integrating resources and
capabilities, information flow. Establishing an emergency operations center can
help to improve communications.
7. Follow-up, Evaluate and Learn
Lessons learned can help a community to improve response services.
19UNDP Programme (2016).
20IBID.
21Ibrahim, M. & Kruczkiewicz, A. (2016). Learning from experience: a review of early warning systems: Moving towards early
22IaBcItDio.n https://www.wvi.org/sites/default/files/WV_EWEA_Doc_FINAL_Web.pdf
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Figure 4: Report cover Learning from Experience: a review of early warning
systems
Dig Deeper: Case Study
For a more comprehensive look at Key Components of an EWS take a look at
Key Components of an EWS for Eastern Africa – World Vision’s Experience -
https://www.wvi.org/sites/default/files/WV_EWEA_Doc_FINAL_Web.pdf.23
CREATE BUY IN: ENGAGE ACTORS AND COMMUNITIES
Activity 2a: Early Warning Game
Time: 90 minutes
Guidance to Master Facilitator:
Prep Work
Prior to the training day:
1) If this training group has not been introduced to the village of Treeville, have
participants read about Treeville prior to this activity or print out enough copies
of the Atlas/Treeville Profile (Appendix 7) for each group to have one copy and
ask groups to review before progressing further.
2) Print out the Early Warning Game Cards (Appendix 8), laminate each paper.
Each A4 paper has 9 on it. Laminate each paper then cut out each card
individually for use in the game.
3) Print out 1 copy of the Guiding Principles Worksheet (Appendix 5) for each
23Ibrahim, M. & Kruczkiewicz, A. (2016). https://www.wvi.org/sites/default/files/WV_EWEA_Doc_FINAL_Web.pdf
19
Master Facilitator Speaker Notes:
It is important to foster buy-in and engage a wide variety of actors while
communicating regularly to build a circle24of trust when implementing EW. In
the CBDRM process, seeking engagement/commitment of community members
and community leaders towards CBDRM and Early Warning is a key element.
This is often done by holding a community/village meeting to introduce the key
concepts of CBDRM. The meeting may take the form of an Early Warning/Early
Action Workshop. This workshop should be open to all interested parties in the
community, but village leaders and village elders should be specifically invited.
One of the key goals of the meeting is to take steps towards forming an Early
Warning Committee or re-establishing an EWC that may not be actively
engaged. Note that for the initial meeting participants may not necessarily be in
the EWC. The aim is to have a group that fairly represents the range of
people that exist in the community. During the meeting the community will be
led through the process of forming or restarting an early warning committee,
developing a contingency plan, and monitoring early warning indicators.
Before diving into forming the EWC, let’s take a moment to agree on what a
full Community-based Early Warning System involves. We will do this using a
learning game or simulation.
To better understand what all is involved in Early Warning we will play a game
that is based on the fictional community of Treeville. If you are new to Treeville,
take time in your groups to read a pro file on the village of Treeville
(Appendix 7). To play the game we will use a set of Treeville Early Warning
Game Cards (Appendix 8). Each Early Warning Game Card contains different
information based on the role that each of you as participants will play in the
game.
Figure 5: Early Warning Game Cards
Village Primary School
Head Teacher
- Mr. Adam
Old River and it is coming
in one hour, but we are not
sure how high the water will
come. We will all be safe if
we follow what we learned
in our drill. I think it’s best if
we all go to the high hill
now. I hope the parents
remember what we
shared.
24IBID
20
Guidance to Master Facilitator:
As Master Facilitator you will lead participants through the following steps to carry
out the learning game/simulation.
Step 1.Reading Cards Privately - (Time: 5 mins)
To start the game, give each participant an Early Warning Game Card and ask
each participant to read the card privately without sharing the message with
anyone else. You may assign the cards randomly or you may select certain
individuals for specific roles if you feel that this will aid learning in the game
simulation.
Step 2.Look for Specific People and Act Out Roles - (Time: 40 mins)
Ask participants to now look for any person(s) noted on their card. For example,
if there is a student (Card 3), she or he should be asking if anyone in the small
group is Mr. Adam, Head Teacher (Card 1). This will kickstart conversations and
allow participants to act out their roles. Circulate within the groups to see if
anyone needs your assistance.
Step 3.Group Discussion - (Time: 15 mins)
After agreeing on a leader and a secretary, have the group leader guide team
members in a discussion on the following questions. The secretary shall write the
answers on a blank flip chart paper that is posted under the timeline label.
a.Do you think that everyone in Treeville has received the early warning
messages? Why or Why not?
b.What gaps exist in the current early warning methods that Treeville is using?
How can these gaps be handled?
c.What Stakeholders and what Roles are represented here?
d.Who, if anyone, is missing? (Inclusion)
Step 4.Plenary Discussion - (Time: 15 mins)
After the participants have played the Treeville Early Warning Game and discussed
within small groups, ask the participants to gather for the plenary and each group
is given five minutes to present work. Thereafter all members brainstorm on the
question of:
How does this game help inform you about the kinds of people that should make
up an EWC?
21
(Optional)
Guiding Principles Self- directed Learning Activity (Appendix 6)
To be used for ToT and may be adapted for Community Level Trainings. Directions:
As you participate in the EW Activities, take notes on when you see these principles
being used. At Community Level trainings these principles can also be discussed and
learnings captured on flip charts.
Community Level Activity for Low- literacy Settings:
Facilitator should choose a subset of cards from the pack of EWS cards.
Choose a set of community members to role play characters on the cards
while the remaining community members watch the interaction.
The facilitator, or other members with high literacy skills, can read what
is written on the card to those who have literacy challenges. Then the
community members will act out their roles for the game and then rotate
and the facilitator can choose others to play. After one group completes
its role play, the facilitator should lead the community members through
a discussion to gather learnings about early warning.
Alternatively, the facilitator may choose to play the game with a smaller
group such as the EWC.
(Optional)
The Role of Community Mobilization
Guidance to Master Facilitator: If the participants have not been exposed to the role
of Community Mobilization, then take some time to introduce with the following
discussion.
Community Level Activity for Low- literacy Settings:
This activity can be conducted at community level, in Module 1 there are
images that can be used to carry out the activity.
22
Master Facilitator Speaker Notes:
Let’s take a few moments to share experiences of seeking engagement of
stakeholders in EW activities by discussing these few questions.
1.How have the communities that you have worked with mobilized
themselves currently or in the past for community activities and
development
2.What are some common challenges related to community mobilization?
3.How have you sought to engage leaders in similar community activities?
4.What are your experiences related to inclusion of vulnerable and
marginalized community members into the EW process?
Activity 2b Plan and Organize: Assign Roles and Responsibilities
Step 1. Identify Potential Roles
Master Facilitator Speaker Notes:
A key part of the Early Warning process involves making sure communities
understand who are the stakeholders that need to be engaged. To carry
out CBDRM, communities often host a series of Early Warning/Early
Action workshops. At the end of the first meeting in the EWEA workshop,
communities will work to seek nominations for participation in the Early
Warning Committee (EWC). A key tool that can help you as you support
communities is to carry out Stakeholder Mapping. This process will help
ensure that all workshops, meetings, the contingency planning process,
and the selection of the EWC is given a high priority within the community
Early Warning Committee
Let’s first review what we mean when we talk about an Early Warning
Committee (EWC).
Potential Roles of EWCs
EWCs are involved in key activities including:
23
• Co-creating EWS with partners
• Assigning roles to community members and providing training on EW
• Maintaining and regularly testing equipment needed for EW
(e.g. sirens, wireless radios, colored flags, hand mikes)
• Testing technology-based messaging systems (SMS, loudspeakers)
• Monitoring and inputting simple EW indicators
• Developing contingency plans
• Identifying Early Actions
• Advocating for assistance from partners (Implementing Partners /
Government, Private Sector Actors)
• Creating or Co-creating early warning information (EWI)
• Disseminating EWI
• Developing budgets for carrying out contingency plans
Case Study: Ethiopia
It is important when considering the roles of the EWCs to also carefully consider the training
that is needed. In this case in Ethiopia, it was found that little effort was spent to build risk
knowledge and expertise for early warning. The research notes that at woreda and kebele
levels, the EWS were only collecting information for early warning reports which were then
sent to respective zone offices without providing feedback from zones to woredas. These
processes exacerbated a knowledge gap at woredas level. Those involved in data collection
were willing to develop knowledge but expressed concerns that the appropriate trainings
from experts were not being provided identified some of the risks and.25 See http://www.
allscientificjournal.com/download/100/2-1-13-785.pdf
Step 2. Map Stakeholders
Master Facilitator Speaker Notes:
As you are working with the community to map stakeholders, it is also
important to consider the groups of people who are already proactive in
other committees/projects. It is very important that marginalized people
(e.g. elderly, disabled, women - particularly women headed households,
orphans, minority groups, and the very poor) are included in the group.
Some communities struggle to design a communication strategy that
reaches all members. We will discuss this in greater detail as we continue
this module.
25Gedif, B., Wondmagegn, W., Ayalew, T., Gelaw, L. (2016). Analysis of the existing early warning systems: The case of Amhara national regional
state. International Journal of Advanced Scientific Research
1(9) pp 24-28 http://www.allscientificjournal.com/download/100/2-1-13-785.pdf
24
Terminology Review
Stakeholder: A person, group or organization with an interest in the activity, project,
or venture that is being undertaken.
Ongoing Stakeholder: Stakeholders who show an interest on a ‘business as usual’
basis.26
Emerging Stakeholder: Stakeholders whose interest emerges at a particular time,
notably during a crisis.27
Gatekeeper - Gatekeepers can function both positively and negatively to control
access to vulnerable populations especially those within informal settlements. In some
cases, a gatekeeper could be church members, local authorities or local NGOs28and
may be seen as camp leaders by the displaced, acting as a broker2.9 In many cases,
gatekeepers are essentially the individuals who operate informal power structure to
control informal settlements and in many cases, such as in Somalia, they may be
viewed negatively by both displaced persons and government authorities30 and
humanitarian actors3.1 These indiviudals in the case of Somalia are often
self-appointed and act as negotiators between IDPs and the humanitarian agencies3.2
Gatekeepers thus serve to manage the informal settlements beyond the government’s
control within the IDP settlement areas often dealing with donors and international
NGOs on behalf of the IDPs. They ensure that IDPs are registered and receive aid,
they control access to land used by IDPs, create makeshift camps that they manage
and they may at times offer security, latrines and water services. They offer all these
services in exchange for some kind of payment, whether it be cash or a portion of the
aid received by IDPs3.3 Gatekeepers have been accused of diluting aid flows,
determining who receives aid, and often restrict access of entry and departure to the
camps. Gatekeepers usually include community leaders, landowners, district officials,
businessmen, militias, among others. Some gatekeepers come from the IDP
communities while others are from outside the IDP camps.34
In mapping stakeholders, you will begin by meeting with community leaders to ask
questions such as:
•Who are the local leaders and community officials that are ‘gatekeepers’ to your
communities?
•What roles will stakeholders play in these processes?
•What motivates the stakeholders to be engaged?
•Who are the marginalized or vulnerable in your community? (e.g., minority
populations, women, youth, refugees, IDPs).
•Who are government stakeholders that need to be included?
•What are some key active committees/projects that would have community
members that are already proactive?
26Punwani, A. (2018). IRM Charities Special Interest Group: Tools for stakeholder mapping https://www.theirm.org/media/4516/stakeholder-mapping-2018.pdf
27IBID.
28Nguya, G. (2019). Defining and identifying IDPs outside of camps in South Kivu: Challenges, contradictions and consequence https://securelivelihoods.org/wp-content/uploads/Defin-
ing-IDPs-outside-of-camps-online.pdf
29Bakonyi, J. (2020). The Political Economy of Displacement: Rent Seeking, Dispossessions and Precarious Mobility in Somali Cities https://doi.org/10.1111/1758-5899.12849
30Mumin, A.A. (2019). Somalia’s displacement camp ‘gatekeepers’ – ‘parasites’ or aid partners?
333123JBMhetrutrypmvldsini:,n/gE/,,w.A,Sw..KAwa(.2m.0(th2a10eu7n1,)9.eC)wT..hhaeunmd‘GaSanitnietikageraieallpinae.,orDsrg’.,/tno2e0pw1ros3-v)fiedinaintBguaraekio/d2n0iyn1i,9SJ/o0. m7(2/a10l8i2a/0.S)Do.mEVaEliXa-: inIntseirdnealDlye-vdeislopplamceedn-t phetotppsle:/-/pwriwvawt.ed-ecvaemxp.csom/news/the-gatekeepers-to-providing-aid-in-somalia-90754
34Jerving, S. (2017).
25
Master Facilitator Speaker Notes:
To practice this activity that will be carried out at community level, you
will work in small groups. You will use the Treeville Early Warning Game
Cards (Appendix 8) as a tool to help you start thinking about these
stakeholders.
Now think about which stakeholders would ideally be part of an EWC for
Treeville. What is ideal will naturally vary depending on the community,
but here are some tips that Treeville may consider when reflecting on their
EWC given the recent flooding incident.
1.Community leader
2.Members from key livelihood sectors
3.Gender inclusion
4.Marginalized groups
5.Emergency management officer
6.Technology expert
Master Facilitator Guidance:
For this activity give the participants 30 minutes. If necessary, start by
sharing an example. Place about 12-15 EW game cards on each of 4 tables
so that each group can discuss which type of stakeholders to include.
Sort the EW Game Cards
Master Facilitator Speaker Notes:
You will now work with your team to sort the game cards by the type of
stakeholder you think is necessary for forming an EWC for Treeville.
Table 1: Key types of stakeholder
Who Role Motivation How
26
Fill out Table 1 (Appendix 9) by thinking about each type of stakeholder in the Early
Warning Process. List stakeholders under the 1st column “Who”, then list out what
role they would have in the process in the second column and in the third column
note down what may motivate the stakeholder to be involved in the process.
Master Facilitator Guidance:
Ask groups to write in the 4th column of Table 1 the “How”. For the “How”
you are looking for specific ways to engage these stakeholders based upon
what they have learned through this exercise and their personal
experiences.
Community Level Activity for Low-literacy Settings:
This activity can be conducted at community level, the Facilitator will help
the communities to fill the table. If there are multiple members who can
help Facilitator, they can be assigned to lead the groups through this
discussion. A key skill that is emphasized is consensus-building.
Master Facilitator Speaker Notes:
A key goal of engaging actors is to create buy-in and that requires
communicating regularly in order to build a circle of trust.
• Given the stakeholder mapping that you have done along with
sharing experiences, refer to this new set of stakeholders and discuss
the HOW. How would you seek Engagement/Commitment of Community
Leaders towards the CBDRM and EW process? Write your answers in the
last column that is blank.
• Keep in mind that each stakeholder is different. One way to approach
the exercise is also to use a Stakeholder Communications Grid which
can help you map out each stakeholder alongside the best way(s) of
communicating with them keeping in mind that this may vary in an
emergency. See example in Figure 7. Participants may use the blank
Stakeholder Communications Grid found in Appendix 10 to complete
this within small groups
27
Figure 7: Sample Stakeholder Communications Grid
Step 3. Make Your Case
Time: 30 minutes
Master Facilitator Speaker Notes:
One participant from each group will defend or ‘make your case’ for at
least one of the stakeholder types chosen to be part of the EWC team to
the whole community. Also, present your reasoning for the total number
of EWC members you have chosen.
Guidance to Master Facilitator:
For this game in the ToT session, the whole community is all of the
trainees participating. When the trainees carry this out at community
level, they will make their case for their choices in the community
meeting.
After completing the Stakeholder Communications Grid, you should note
the importance of an EW Communications Strategy. These exercises can
help inform the strategy that will be developed later in this module. (NB:
It is important to include district DRM officials, but also to ensure it is a
community-led process.)
28
Step 4. Seeking Nominations
Time: 1 hour
Master Facilitator Speaker Notes:
At the end of the EWEA workshop, communities will seek nominations for
participation in the EWC. These can either be nominations by individuals
themselves present, or nominations of people not present. If nominations
are made of people not present at the meeting, the nominated individual
should be approached to determine their interest in participating in the
Early Warning Committee.
Keep in mind that the key drivers for the implementation of the EWC
activities will come from the consultation group, other forums/committees.
It is also important to consider the involvement of community members
that are already proactive in other committees/projects. It is important
that marginalized people (eg. elderly, disabled, women (particularly
women headed households), orphans, minority groups, and the very poor)
are included in your group.
Master Facilitator Guidance:
The actual process for seeking nominations will be specific to the context
related to the community that you are in. Ensure that you consult with
the district/ community authorities to be guided by the relevant laws and
policies in the formation of EWCs. Where applicable, relevant customary
guidelines for requesting nominations may also be followed. But before
nominations are sought, take time to explore the topic of inclusion more
deeply by examining a scenario in Treeville.
Activity 2c Cross-cutting: Inclusion
Time: 35 minutes
Master Facilitator Guidance:
To transition to the next activity, ask the trainees, “How can an EWC
ensure that there is robust engagement and that all stakeholders feel
included?”
Master Facilitator Guidance: Share Treeville - Animated Video on Inclusion
29
Master Facilitator Speaker Notes:
In the activity you will watch a video about inclusion within the fictional
village of Treeville. One of the characters in the video is referred to as a
gatekeeper.
Let’s now watch the video and then we will discuss what we have heard
and seen.
Text Version of the Video
Narrator: Yussuf - A “gatekeeper” within the Kazoku IDP settlement is walking about
looking for elders to invite to an upcoming Community disaster management
committee meeting. Jonas overhears the gatekeeper and decides to get involved due
to concerns for the upcoming rainy season.
Jonas calls his cousin, Sharon and a few friends and they all meet up to discuss what
he found out about the meeting Jonas: Do you think they will ever invite some of our
community to join in the planning? We flood several times every rainy season
because displaced people often settle in swampy areas. But still, somehow we need
better planning.
Sharon: Yes, I agree, do you think they may even want to try that alert system that
we have been working on?
Jonas: Maybe, but I’m just not really sure how to get connected to these leaders. You
know we don’t really interact with them.
Yussuf: When the group heard Jonas’ comment, they all showed agreement about
this sentiment.
Sharon: Yes, and I’m not sure it’s my place anyway, all of these kinds of discussions
are usually handled by the men.
Jonas: Yes, that’s true, but it doesn’t mean things can’t change. What do others
think? I think that with disaster planning it is important that we are also involved even
if it’s a bit scary to approach these leaders. We must find a way.
Yussuf: The group once again chimed in agreement with Jonas.
30
Jonas: Yes, let’s be brave, Let’s share about the flooding we have.
Sharon: Even the women should join in.
Yussuf: Then Jonas decides to call Daniel, a local elder who owns the new modern
granary in Birdsville, as he heard they are doing a new project and he’s on some local
committees. They had a good conversation about the need for inclusion. Daniel said
it makes sense that the community committees should be open such that
marginalized people are included, and in fact, he reminisced, that the meetings are
open to all interested parties, and urged Jonas and Sharon to join in. At the next
disaster committee meeting, Jonas attended and shared maps he’d been making that
capture when the canals are rising. He also shared their innovative SMS based
application, for alerting those living in low lying mapped areas. The committee liked
the idea and the team began to discuss the feasibility and cost implications. Jonas
and Sharon began to participate in the contingency planning process along with
sharing ways to add feedback mechanisms to the committee.
Master Facilitator Guidance:
Lead the small groups in a discussion after video by asking these four
questions:
•What have we learned from the Treeville video story?
•How do we ensure that all people from the community can participate
in the CBDRM and EW process?
•How can we ensure that disabled people are involved?
•How can we ensure that marginalized or vulnerable people are involved?
Have participants share inclusion lessons from other projects.
Community Level Activity for Low-literacy Settings:
This activity can be conducted at community level by telling the narrative
from the above script and asking the same questions for the small group
discussion.
31
Activity 2d Early Warning Communication Strategy
Master Facilitator Speaker Notes:
As you can see from the inclusion discussion, a community can benefit by
planning out how to best communicate with all societal groups, “to ensure
that all perspectives (including those of minorities or marginalized groups
are taken into consideration3.5
In an Early Warning System, dissemination of Early Warning Information (EWI) about
a hazard or the sudden onset of a disaster is a critical process that takes multiple
stakeholders to plan effectively.
35GNDR and USAID (2018). Cookbook on Institutionalising sustainable CBDRM https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/CBDRM_cookbook_A4_40pp_ENG.pdf
32
Figure 9: Multi-Hazard Information System Multi-level Framework
33
To help you get started on your strategy, you will also need to have a better
understanding of how the community’s strategy will fit in with sub-national and
national EWS. In Figure 9 (Appendix 11) is an example of a proposed Multi-hazard
Early Warning System for Somalia. Take a look and consider how this system may be
similar or different from the EWS in your country.
In addition to disseminating EWI, communities have routine information to share and
to create trust in the CBDRM and EW processes. In this activity, you will work within
your small groups and brainstorm on a communication strategy that may eventually
guide a specific community that you have experience working with. To help you in
this process, you may use the Treeville community and their experiences with early
warning for floods to help guide your discussion. Your discussion will be focused as
outlined in Steps 1- 6 below.
Step 1. Assessment of Current EW Communication Practices
TABLE 2 ANALYSIS OF COMMUNICATING EARLY WARNINGS
STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES OPORTUNITIES THREATS
34
Master Facilitator Speaker Notes:
Brainstorm on the following questions in relation to what you know of
Treeville’s EW Communication Practices and write your answers on the flip
chart using Table 2 as a guide (Printable Version Appendix 12).
•How are early warning messages currently disseminated to community
members?
•What are the community’s current strengths, weaknesses, opportunities
and threats in communicating early warning messages?
This type of assessment can be used at community level to help
community to assess its current communication practices when
disseminating the early warning and communicating other information to
societal groups.
35
Step 2. EW Audience Analysis
Table 3: Audience Analysis
36
Master Facilitator Speaker Notes:
Working within your small groups, analyze Treeville’s audiences for the
EW, drawing upon the stakeholder mapping and communications grid that
you created earlier.
Brainstorm the following questions and fill Table 3 on the flip chart.
•Who are the end users of EW messages (including current users and
potential users)? Analyze their demographic characteristics,
communication needs, attitude etc. keeping in mind the Inclusion
discussion from earlier.
•How do these end users interact with information (e.g. They have
literacy challenges, they speak multiple languages, they prefer village
councils to newspapers, etc)?
•Which communication needs of the end users have not been met? What
about those that have been met only partially?
•Who are the main actors that will help deliver information to your end
users?
When you think about the communication needs of the end users that
have not been met, keep in mind that communication can be expressive
or receptive as illustrated in the Communication Process Loop (Figure 10).
Figure 10: Communication Process Loop
Communication feedback can be a verbal or nonverbal, a reaction or a
response. It can also consist of external feedback (something we see) or
internal feedback (something we can’t see). When we receive feedback
about our messages, it allows the communicator to adjust message to be
more effective. However, without feedback, there would be no way of
knowing if meaning had been shared or if understanding had taken place.
37
Step 3. Setting EW Communication Objectives
Master Facilitator Speaker Notes:
In order to create clear communication objectives for the EWA
communication strategy, brainstorm on the following questions and write
your answers on the flip chart.
Figure 11:
•What should be the communication objectives of our Early Warning
Communication Strategy for each of the audience categories?
• On-going - before a disaster hits?
• During a crisis?
• After a crisis?
Use Figure 10 to help you think about your objectives. Keep in mind that
Early Warning Information needs to be:
•Simple, clear and actionable;
•Translated into local languages;
•Understandable and accessible;
•Presented in a user-friendly manner;
•Timely;
•Rebuild confidence and trust; and
•Incorporate traditional forecasting information and indigenous knowledge
about weather-forecasting.36
Additionally, there is a Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) that has been
developed to provide a standard format to issue multi- hazard alerts that
communicate key information of an emergency such as:
•What is it?
•Where is it?
•How soon is it?
•How bad is it?
•What should people do?”37
Keep these in mind as you are thinking about goals.
•What EW goals can a community hope to achieve with its
communications strategy? Focus on each of the communication audience
categories discussed previously.
36International Telecommunication Union (ITU) (2012). Disaster Reduction in Africa: Special issue on drought risk reduction https://www.
preventionweb.net/files/26438_isdrafricainformsspecialissuesondro.pdf
37Alert Hub Initiative (n.d.). IFRC https://preparecenter.org/site/ifrcalerthubinitiative/
38
Step 4: Channels of Disseminating EWI Messages
Table 4 Analysis of Distribution Channels
39
Table 5 Communications Budget
40
Master Facilitator Speaker Notes:
In your small groups assess the current channels of disseminating EW
messages that Treeville has to the various audiences. Answer the question
below and complete Table 4 (Appendix 13 – Printable Version) on the flip
chart.
•How should messages be disseminated to each of the audience
categories? Conduct an analysis of the various available channels of
communication in order to choose the most appropriate?
Step 5. Communications Budget
What resources are needed for effective dissemination of early warning messages?
What are possible sources of these resources? Create a sample budget, outlining
costs, timelines, deliverables utilizing Table 5 (Appendix 14).
41
Step 6. Monitoring and Evaluating EW Communication
Discuss the following within your groups
•What are the metrics for success of new early warning and climate information
products?
•What are the metrics of success for communications products?
•How will you communicate and monitor that success?
Community Level Activity for Low-literacy Settings:
This activity can be conducted at community level.
Activity 2e Rehearse, Practice and Exercise: Hazard Specific Early Warning
Time: 1 hour
Step 1. Review Key Disaster Messages for a Specific Hazard - Using the PAPE resourc-
es at https://www.ifrc.org/public-awareness-and-public-education-disaster-risk-re-
duction, work with your small group and think of a specific community that you have
experience working with and agree on one community for this exercise. Discuss the
key messages that are crafted for different stages of the disaster lifecycle as provided
in the PAPE.
Step 2. List Key Pieces of Advice - Working in your small group, take a flip chart paper
and list out some key pieces of advice you think that your specific community may
need to add to an EW communications plan.
Step 3. Sharing via a Gallery Walk - At the end of the group work share your key
advice in a gallery walk-around activity. Each group will have a leader who will take
questions as other members circulate around the room to learn from each group.
Master Facilitator Guidance:
This activity is designed to help the participants explore early warning
related to specific hazards through the lens of a set of public awareness
messages. The Early Warning Card Game gave participants a glimpse at
how a variety of stakeholders may experience early warning messages
about a flood in the imaginary village of Treeville, whereas in this
activity participants can examine messaging for a variety of hazards
including: Cyclones, Drought, Heatwaves, Pandemics, Landslides,
Earthquakes, Volcanoes, Hailstorms, Wildfires, Tsunamis, Technological
Hazards, and/or Extreme Cold.
42
Master Facilitator Speaker Notes:
The IFRC and Save the Children have created Public Awareness and
Public Education (PAPE) (Figure 12) “messages to help communities
improve their knowledge of disaster risks and put in place measures to
stay safe.”38
Figure 12 PAPE Floods Example
You will work in small groups to dissect what is needed related to Early
Warning for a specific Hazard.
Step 1.Review Key Disaster Messages for a Specific Hazard - Using the
PAPE resources at https://www.ifrc.org/public-awareness-and-public-ed-
ucation-disaster-risk-reduction, work with your small group and think of a
specific community that you have experience working with and agree on
one community for this exercise. Discuss the key messages that are
crafted for different stages of the disaster lifecycle as provided in the
PAPE.
Step 2.List Key Pieces of Advice - Working in your small group, take a
flip chart paper and list out some key pieces of advice you think that your
specific community may need to add to an EW communications plan.
Step 3.Sharing via a Gallery Walk - At the end of the group work share
your key advice in a gallery walk-around activity. Each group will have
a leader who will take questions as other members circulate around the
room to learn from each group.
38IFRC (n.d.). Public awareness and public education for disaster risk reduction https://www.ifrc.org/public-awareness-and-pub-
lic-education-disaster-risk-reduction
43
Master Facilitator Guidance:
After the group work bring the groups together for a gallery walk activity
1.One group member stays in location and explains their hazard specific
work.
2.Remaining group members will circulate around to each group to better
understand what other groups have noted.
3.Master Facilitator will walk around and check each list and ensure that
these pieces of advice are captured at a minimum. If something is lacking
in the group work, ensure that discussion covers those points.
4.Talk with the participants about the Common Alerting Protocol39and
where to find more resources.
Community Level Activity for Low-literacy Settings:
This activity can be conducted at community level.
Additional EW Resources
For more information on how to practice CBEW for specific hazards see the following
resources:
Mock Flood Exercises in Communities Utilising Community-based Early Warning
Systems 40
For more information on how technology can help with EW for specific hazards see
the following resources:
Landslides and STEP-TRAMM41
Landslides and Landslide Hazard for Situational Awareness42
Tsunami Detection and Early Warning System (TeWS)43
4390IINFRFCOH(nU.dB.)(.20A2le2r)t.HMuobckIniftlioaotidveexhettrcpiss:e//spirnepcaormecmeunnteitri.eosrgu/tsiiltiesi/nifgrccaolemrmthuunbiitnyit-ibaatisveed/ early warning systems https://infohub.
practicalaction.org/
41Lehmann, P. von Ruette, J. & Or, D. (2018). How landslides become disasters https://eos.org/science-updates/how-land-
slides-become-disasters
42Emberson, R., Kirschbaum, D. B., Stanley, T., Amatya, P. & Khan, S. (2021). Satellites support disaster response to
storm-driven landslides https://eos.org/science-updates/satellites-support-disaster-response-to-storm-driven-landslides
43e2s (n.d.). Local tsunami early warning system for high risk coastal communities of the Philippines https://www.e2s.com/
case-studies/tsunami-early-warning-system-in-philippines
44
Session 3 Situational Awareness: Risk
Analysis and Hazard Prioritization
Objective: By the end of this session you will be able to assist communities to
establish baseline priorities via Risk Analysis and Hazard Prioritization Process.
Approach: Small Group Discussions, Interactive Exercises,
Tools for Master Facilitators:
Handouts, Flip charts / Stand, Marker pens, Cell tape, Sticky notes, Master Facilitator
and Participant Handbooks, Treeville Profile, Appendices printed, Glossary, Key
Terminology images, cards and definitions printed, laminated
Tools for Trainers at Community Level:
Time: 1 hour
Key Terminologies:
Household Economy Analysis: A Household Economy Analysis (HEA) is a baseline
assessment with three components: Livelihood zoning, Wealth breakdown and an
Analysis of livelihood strategies for each of the identified wealth groups.
Inclusion: Inclusion is related to engaging with all societal groups, “to ensure that all
perspective (including those of minorities or marginalized groups are taken into
consideration.
Vulnerability: The extent to which a person, community or structure is likely to be
affected by hazard; this is a function of their capacity to anticipate it, cope with it,
resist it, and recover from the impact; (weakness in the face of a threat/danger).
Vulnerability can also be thought of as the “conditions determined by physical, social,
economic and environmental factors or processes which increase the susceptibility of
an individual, a community, assets or systems to the impacts of hazard.”
Activity 3a: Historical Timelines
Time: 1 hour
Prep Work
Prior to the training day:
•Create a timeline on the flip chart paper with 1 year, 2 years, 5 years, 10 year inter-
vals or print out the one. (Figure 13)(Appendix 15)
45
Figure 13: Sample Historical Timeline
46
Guidance to Master Facilitator:
Step 1.Divide the participants into 3-4 small groups.
Step 2.Each small group should choose one geographical location that they
are very familiar with (e.g., home village/town) or community that they
are currently working with for this exercise.
Step 3.Use flip chart paper and markers, start with the current time and
think backwards for the following to create an Historical Timeline: 1 year,
2 years, 5 years, 10 years.
Step 4.Ask each group to brainstorm a list of as many hazards and
disaster incidents as possible relevant to the specific community the group
has chosen. Each group will place the incidents on the timeline in the
period in which they happened, using a flip chart to record all responses.
While capturing a visual of the hazards across this timeline, one group
member will serve as the notetaker and fill out Table 6.
Master Facilitator Speaker Notes:
As you work on this activity, please keep these guidelines in mind:
•Always begin with the most recent incident first. People will remember
the most recent incident most clearly, which will make it easier for them
to complete the table and to understand the exercise more clearly when
beginning to think further into the past.
•Ensure that your group members focus on the details of their hazard, so
that discussion is not too general.
•Do not yet begin filtering hazards at this preliminary stage.
•Ensure that hazards to both pastoral and agro-pastoral livelihoods are
represented in the list if relevant.
•Ensure that you do not stray into other issues beyond what is immediately
relevant to the specific community.
•This should be an interactive group dialogue and group members should
all contribute by reviewing and adding in additional details that may be
missing. If you are capturing information for a community that is new to
many of the group members, they can still engage based on the type of
hazards the community is facing.
•Timelines: At a minimum indicate the year the incident happened, but if
possible, include the month(s) and season.
47
•Characteristics: This should not be a detailed story of everything that
happened. A summary of key points and qualities of the incident are
sufficient.
•Household Coping Strategies: Capturing Household (HH) Coping
Strategies helps communities to understand how HH have responded to
this hazard in the past. Not only does this say something about their
livelihoods and resilience, but it also suggests how external agencies might
be able to support or strengthen existing household or community
strategies.
•External Responses: Including External Responses in the timeline
similarly gives communities information about what has been done in the
past so that they can better plan and prepare for the future. Participants
may also want to comment on the appropriateness or effectiveness of past
responses, helping communities plan to avoid previous mistakes or build
on known strengths.
Table 6: Historical Timeline
48
Guidance to Master Facilitator:
At the conclusion, have each group give a very brief summary of their
timeline. Additions can be made based on participant feedback, ensuring
that the planning process remains inclusive, even with people working in
separate groups.
Review the visualized list of hazards to determine whether any can be
elaborated or removed from the list (either because they are not relevant
or they have been mentioned already). The final list of hazards will then
be analyzed in greater detail in the next activity, which will then lead to
risk analysis.
Community Level Activity for Low-literacy Settings:
This activity can be conducted at community level. Explain that at the
community level you will break the community members into groups such
as women, youth depending on the cultural norms.
Activity 3b: Hazard Analysis
Time: 90 minutes
Prep Work
Prior to the training day:
•Create a sample flip chart with a hazard analysis matrix (Table 7) (Appendix 16).
•Review of wealth group criteria from the HEA baselines for small group work.
Guidance to Master Facilitator:
This session encourages participants to begin speaking a shared language
about each hazard and its relative severity. Without this, it would be easy
for planning participants to keep the discussion on a generalized level that
does not include sufficient detail for meaningful contingency plans.
49
•The table keeps discussion focused, especially with such a large group of
diverse participants.
•We recommend that groups focus on no more than 6-7 hazards for
analysis. This is partly because there will not be sufficient time to analyze
everything in detail. More importantly, it will be partially obvious from the
Session 3 discussions which hazards will be most relevant to the planning.
•We recommend that groups write “all locations” only if necessary.
In your small group you will be conducting hazard analysis for the village of
Treeville. This exercise will help you to begin speaking a shared language
about each hazard and its relative severity. Without this tool, you may
keep the discussion on a generalized level that does not include sufficient
detail for meaningful contingency plans. When you carry this out at the
community level, you will need to help guide the community to be as
specific as possible.
•Hazard: These can be general or more specific, depending on the quality
of information obtained in Session 3a. But if your group can capture more
specific hazards (such as ‘moderate drought’ instead of ‘drought) it will
make the tool more useful. We recommend that you focus on no more
than 6-7 hazards for analysis.
•Impact: What is the effect of each hazard on household, livelihoods,
Food sources, Income sources and Health. Try to be specific.
•Vulnerability: This uses the wealth group criteria included in the HEA
baselines. The intent here is for you to try to be more specific about how
different hazards affect different households in different ways. At
community level this might be a more difficult discussion to facilitate than
the first two columns of the table, but it is good for you to see what is
possible from the group.
•Location: In relation to location, it is similar to vulnerability, and the idea
is to capture more specific information about which Development Centers
in the community are affected by the hazard. These types of detail will
inform the discussion and focus the discussion for the collective decision
making required in the remaining sessions, beginning with the next, risk
analysis.
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