Afghanistan is a country that suffers from recurrent natural disasters, including flash floods, ex- treme winter cold, avalanches, earthquakes, and sandstorms. These disasters result in the displace- ment of local populations; severe delays in the provision of humanitarian aid to communities in need; and the disruption of essential services.
The USAID-funded Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Project’s goal is to strengthen the capacity of communities, local civil-society organizations, and key government authorities at the district, pro- vincial, and national levels to reduce disaster risks through mitigation, preparedness, early warning and resilience; and to respond rapidly and effectively to emergencies, thus preventing the loss of life. This project, implemented in three phases, covers six provinces of Balkh, Jawzjan, Saripul, Bamyan, Faryab, and Uruzgan, with prepositioning and emergency response activities in Kanda- har and Kabul.
The project is designed to equip communities with the necessary skills, knowledge and resourc- es to prepare for, mitigate the risks of, and respond to, disasters while always keeping the safety of children at the centre. Key activities include establishing Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) who are trained in DRR, Early Warning Systems (EWS), planning and designing mitigation activities, Child Protection in Emergencies (CPiE), emergency preparedness planning, first aid and basic search and rescue skills. CERTs are responsible for identifying safe areas in the village, and instructing people on how to be safe in an emergency. In order to facilitate children’s participation in DRR activities Children’s Councils are also established. These Children’s Councils are made up of both boys and girls and are trained in similar topics to the CERTs, as well as how to disseminate these messages to other children.
