“WHEN OUR CHILDREN LEARN, WE LEARN”
Building Safer Communities through Child Centered Disaster Risk
Reduction in Bihar
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©2011 save the children Bal Raksha bharat This Publication is protected by copyright. It may be reproduced by any metheod with out fee or prior permission for teaching purpose, but not for sale. For use in any circumstances, prior written permission must be obtained from publisher First published 2011 Published by : Save the children Bal Raksha Bharat Bihar state office 224/E Pataliputra colony Patna-800013 Telefax : 0612 2274650 www.savethechildren.in
This report has been prepared by RedR India upon
invitation from Save the Children for documenting
good practices and innovative experiences of the Child
Centered Community Based Disaster Risk Reduction
Programme in Bihar. It has been jointly authored by
Mona C. Anand and Sheena Arora.
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humanitarian, non-profit organization, which maintains
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RedR India,
Samrudhi Bungalow No.1,
A Wing, AJ Classics Condominium,
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IndiaAuthor’s note:
The authors gratefully acknowledge the input of the village communities participating for their generous and
honest sharing of experiences as well as the time they gave the team for the various meetings organized
during the field visit. The authors are also grateful to the partners of Save the Children involved in the
programme for their support and input for this documentation.
Photo Credit:
RedR India/ Save the Children
CONTENT
----------------------------Forward 05
---------------------------Introduction 06
--------------------------Innovative Experiences
-------------------------Child Protection in Emergencies and Disaster Risk Reduction 10
------------------------ Child-Centered Community-based Disaster preparedness 12
-----------------------Resilience Building through Livelihoods Intervention 17
----------------------Child Friendly Flood Shelters 20
-----------------------Discussion and Lessons for Policy 25
FOREWORD
It has been going to be three years the massive Kosi River floods of August 2008 caused unprecedented loss
to lives, livelihoods, infrastructure and property in north-eastern Bihar. Although floods have been a recurring
feature in parts of the state, the 2008 floods were not usual. The Kosi burst its embankments and changed
course, inundating areas of Bihar that had not experienced such flooding for half a century. About 1,000
villages in five districts (Araria, Madhepura, Purnia, Saharsa and Supaul and parts of Khagaria) were affected,
involving three million people, of whom about one million were evacuated.
Save the children and its partners responded immediately to reduce the negative impact the disaster which
was declared as the National Calamity by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India. The response start with the
cooked food in the relief camp, Family Tracing Reunification, providing child friendly spaces to the children
Non food Item, Intermediary shelter.. soon reached more than 10000 families in holistic approach
While immediately relief had reached affected communities, even if everything nature and scale, the
challenge is to meet the needs for intermediate rehabilitation and longer-term preparedness against future
disasters. The Hyogo Framework of Action (2005), of which the Government of India is signatory , calls for
Disaster Risk reduction to be made a national and local priorities . Moreover safety of children in school is
priority area.
As part of its strategy with the support from ICICI foundation and Civil Societies organization Partners, Save
the children designed and implemented a 2 years ( April 2009- March 2011) , Child-centered Community-
based Disaster Risk Reduction intervention in 100 villages of Araria ,Madhepura, Supaul, Khagaria districts in
Bihar affected by the Kosi floods 2008 .
This document is based upon the experience of Save the Children and its partner’s organization gained
through implementation of the aforementioned programme and reviewed by Red R. The purpose of producing
the document is to share with all relevant stake holders the good practices and lesson learnt that has
emerged and which can be either replicated elsewhere or which can act as cautionary reference for improved
KOSHI FLOODS map 24TH
August 2008
project in implementation in this thematic sector towards ensuring child rights . The idea behind this exercise
is not capture the achievements but also rigorous analysis for future reference.
Save the Children takes this opportunities to acknowledge the wonderful gesture and support of all the
individual contributor cum customers of ICICI , who contributed to ICICI foundation to support the survivors of
the flood victims in the state , Save the Children acknowledge the hugely successful initiatives of ICICI
foundation of mobilizing and distributing funds for a greater social welfare , Civil Society Organisation
Partners , no doubt have played a significant and dynamic role in channelizing these resources to further the
cause of child rights.
With Best Regards
Mr. Rayappa Knacharala Ms. Nitu Prasad
Emergency programme Manager State Programme Manager Bihar
Save the Children Bal Raksha Bharat Save the Children Bal Raksha Bharat
1. INTRODUCTION
Background
The Kosi flooding in Bihar affected millions in seven
districts of north Bihar:Supaul, Araria, Madhepura,
Saharsha, Purnia, Khagaria and Katihar. As a result
of the breach in the eastern Kosi embankment
upstream of the Indian border at Kusaha in
neighboring Nepal on 18th of August, 2008, the fury
of the swirling waters destroyed roads, bridges,
culverts, agricultural fields, houses, schools and other
public infrastructure.
As a result of the breach, the river changed its course
to what it had followed over 200 years ago.
Unprepared for flood-related calamities, over 3.3
million people were hardest hit.
Children and young people were severely affected,
not only in terms of loss of assets and loved ones, but
also in terms of increased vulnerability to a variety of
threats. This was the case as traditional protection mechanisms were affected with displacement into
temporary shelters, the diversion of parents‟ attention towards relief and livelihood options, and the shut-
down of schools for as long as 3 months. The education system was hard-hit with thousands of schools
destroyed and reports1 of around 75 per cent of teachers affected by the floods.
The Kosi disaster further highlighted the need for strategic interventions towards reducing disaster risk of
communities in the state, and risks of children in particular. It is important to note that 17 per cent of the
India‟s flood-prone areas are located in Bihar. 37 per cent of the total area in state of Bihar is vulnerable to
floods; resulting in 22 out of 38 districts and around 5000 villages are under grip of severe floods every year.
Further, the state is prone to earthquakes, droughts and fires. Children‟s vulnerabilites in Bihar are further
compounded by high rates of poverty in the state, calling for increased efforts towards realization of their
right to live in a safe environment.
Implementing Partners
Partner District Block Villages No of HH
Jan Jagaran Sansthan (JJS)
Madhepura 2 30 3467
Vikas Vihar
Araria 1 20 3515
SAKHI
Supaul 1 20 2805
1 Source
Nav Jagriti
Khagaria 3 30 3760
TOTAL 4 7 100 13547
Building Safer Communities: The Child Centered Community Based Disaster Risk Reduction
programme
The Child Centred Community Based Disaster Risk Reduction (CCBBDRR) Programme of Save the
Children and its partners works towards reducing the disaster risk of communities with children as the main
actors during the entire process. This approach is guided by Save the Children Fund‟s2 belief that „children
can play an important role in helping their families, villages and communities to reduce risks associated with
natural disasters.‟
After the immediate response phase after the Kosi floods in 2008, Save the Children worked to demonstrate a
model of child-centred approach to making 100 villages safer in four districts with the Building Disaster
Resilient communities in Bihar with focus to Child protection in emergencies were supported by CSO
partners fo
As a result of the initiative,100 CBCCDRR plans were prepared in100 villages and approved by Gram Sabha;
100 children's groups are formed and trained on Child Protection and disaster risk reduction (DRR); four
different types of Information, Education and Communication (IEC) materials were developed &
disseminated. Partner staff members and community volunteers were trained on Participatory Vulnerability
and Capacity Assessment and facilitating DRR Planning. 500 task forces on First Aid and Search and Rescue
were formed in 100 villages, of which 60% are children. 100 Village DRR Committees and Task Forces were
2 Source
equipped with search and rescue, first aid and shelter management kits, which include utensils. In addition,
safe evacuation routes were developed and shared with 100 village communities.
Farm and non-farm livelihood supports were extended to participating families for addressing emerging
issues of migration and child labour. Five Child Friendly Flood Shelters have been constructed for providing
shelter to children and their families in emergencies.
At the heart of all of these initiatives, there are community groups that comprise of chidren as well as adults
that have been trained to take up these challenges and lead the way towards safer and more resileint
communities.
Purpose of the documentation
The CC CBDRR Programme was designed to build upon the potential of child centred community
development mechanism created during the immediate response of the Kosi floods. These mechanisms clearly
underscored the opportunity for holistic development of communities at risk with child protection as an entry
point. While the programme is in its final stages of completion, there is enough evidence to indicate the value
of the processes that have been followed by the programme and its contribution to overall resilience building
in the communities. This report seeks to document good practices that contribute towards this goal.
UNESCO defines3 „Good practices‟ as initiatives, projects and/or policies that provide examples of practice,
generate ideas and contribute to policy development. In the context of social transformation, UNESCO
defines4good practices as creative and sustainable practices that provide effective response based on the idea
of direct knowledge utilisation, which can have potentials for replication as “inspirational guideline” and
contribute to policy development.
3 In a document by UNESCO on Education and Sustainable Development http://www.unesco.org/en/esd/publications/good-
practices/ accessed on 8th
March 2011, 9: 00 PM 4http://www.unesco.org/new/en/social-and-human-sciences/themes/social-transformations/international-migration/best-
practices/ accessed on 8th
March 2011, 9 : 20 PM
1Children from Araria district participate in the mock drill exercise
In this regard, there emerge „good practices‟ this program that can be adapted to different contexts to improve
the quality of programming, especially from the children and young persons perspective. This document aims
to highlight such elements of the programme that have been appreciated by the participating communities,
and recommended by them for replication with other communities that are at similar risks. This is intended as
a practitioner‟s document, therefore the sharing of experiences and good practices thus captured will
encourage further improvements. At the same time, a deeper exploration of these programs also provides
insights for policy. In view of this, the documentation will be shared with the State level Inter-Agency
platform, Disaster Management fora, state and national level Disaster Management Authorities and training
institutions.
Methodology
This review for documenting good practices was carried out through field visits in Khagaria, Supaul and
Madhepura for understanding from the participating children, their families and communities those aspects of
the programme that have been successful, their key outputs and processes. In addition to the field visits, this
report draws from the regional review5 of Save the Children's child centered disaster risk reduction programs
in South Asia. The team's past experience of interviews, focus group discussions and key informant
discussions with children, adult community members, local government representatives, volunteers and
emergency focal points at Save the Children and their partner staff in Araria, Bihar also informs this
document.
Further, this document draws extensively from existing programme documents – donor reports and process
documents. Through a corroboration of field observations and process documents, the good practices review
seeks to contribute to knowledge on child centred CBDRR programming.
Structure of the report
The document has been divided into three broad sections. The first section introduces the community based
child centered disaster risk reduction program and places it in the context of the Bihar, with a focus on the
status of chidlren indisasters in this State. Section II highlights the key good practices emerging from the
CCCBDRR programme in Bihar. The last section discussing emerging themes, lessons for policy and
concludes.
2. INNOVATIVE EXPERIENCES
2.1 Child Protection in Emergencies and Disaster Risk Reduction
5 Save the Children, 2010 ‘Reducing Risks as Equals’, Regional Review of Child Centered Disaster Risk Reduction in South
Asia
Community institutions are a critical element of any community-based DRR program. Save the Children,
Bihar‟s program weaves the discourse of child protection into the DRR fabric through their investment in
community institutions. The Children‟s Groups and Child Protection Committees emerge as active entities for
monitoring risks in their communities and taking actions to reduce them.
Innovations
Creating Safe Spaces for Voice and
Action
The formation of children‟s groups (CG) in
communities has provided the children with
spaces for expression and exploration. By means
of careful situation analysis and resultant
targeting, the program reaches out to children
whose vulnerabilities to disasters are compounded
because of their social status in the society6.
Comprising of girls and boys aged 10-14 years;
the groups were formed through an election
process whereby children from 6 to 17 years of
age had voting rights. The groups meet twice a
month to discuss their past experience of
disasters, issues related to their rights and those of
other children in their village, and potential
solutions to the same. Like the children‟s group
mentioned above, CGs across the four program
districts bring stories of friends and neighbors
who are school drop-outs, being forced to engage
in child-labour, or forced to enter a child-marriage
to their meetings and plan the course of action to
improve these situations.
Strengthening support systems and duty-
bearers
6 More than 60 percent of the program villages are inhabited by communities who belong to Scheduled Castes and Other
Backward Classes.
Claiming our right to protection
Village Khoot in the Supaul district was ravaged by the
Kosi-floods. The primary school structure was completely
destroyed, disrupting even the minimal means of
education. Two years after the floods, while the official
recovery process was over, the school structure remained
conspicuous by its absence. Children were forced to study
in the blazing sun without a roof, while classes were
suspended on rainy days.
Belonging to the „musahar1‟ community, the children in
this village were engaged in the formation of a Children‟s
Group in 2009. During the meetings, the issue of the
school in their village would come up often. Finally, the
children took the issue to the Child Protection Committee
in their village and it was decided that they would ask for
these rights from the administration. Led by the children‟s
group, a group from the village visited the Block
Development Officer with their demands.After persistent
efforts on part of the Children‟s Group and the Child
Protection Committee, there now exists a temporary school
structure in their village, the mid-day meals are served on
time and two appointed teachers take daily classes. The
children are now working towards a permanent school
structure for their village, so that they are better prepared
in case of another disaster.
2Daily classes at the temporary primary school structure
Tools
While programmatic activities were carried to achieve
the desired goals, creative tools ensured that these ideas
and messages were retained.
IEC Material:Posters, information booklets and games
were used to share important messages.
Events: Convention on Rights of Children week was
organized for communities to share their experiences viz.
a viz child rights. Rallies, signature campaign, meetings
and workshops at district and state levels were organized.
Led by the children belonging to 100 children groups,
this campaign brought together 20000 children who
signed charter of demand which was submitted to District
Magistrates
3 CRC Week celebrations Play together day
Media Engagement: Throughout the program, the media
was pro-actively encouraged to participate in all the
events, and to publish best practices and achievements of
the children and their parents.
4A news feature in the local daily about DRR day workshop
With the recognition that protecting children from violence, abuse and exploitation has to be embedded in
institutions closest to the children, this program engaged actors from within these institutions through the
formation of Child Protection Committees (CPCs) in villages. The CPCs comprise of parents, service
providers (ANMs/ ICDS and Anganwadi workers) and PRI members and were trained on monitoring and
responding on child protection issues in emergencies.
Further, young people from the villages were trained from each village as honorary volunteers to ensure that
people across age groups were engaged in the process. Organizing and strengthening support systems and
duty bearers with facilitates the development of mechanisms within the communities to identify and address
child protection issues within the communities, this paving the way for creating resilient communities.
Encouraging Participation for Reducing Risks
Highlighting that children are key actors for reducing their own risks and that of their communities, different
activities in this program support their empowerment to this end. The participation of children in the CPCs,
Panchayat Gram Samsad meetings, and risk reduction activities not only ensures that cultural barriers to their
participation are broken, but also prepares them to be active risk reducers in their communities. Piloting of the
„Children‟s Social Audit‟ is one such pioneering example from this program whereby children and other
members of the community were organized into a committee to carry out an audit of the program as it was
conducted in their village.
Challenges and Way Forward
The value of engaging institutions in a
child‟s environment is gradually being
recognized. Yet, sustaining their active
participation and role, especially in the case
of service providers and other representatives
of the administration, still remains a
challenge. While establishing linkages with
administrative counterparts was embedded in
programmatic design, it has shown mixed
results.
There is a need for further strengthening of
the softer components of the programme and
closer monitoring of the effect of the
programme on the social issues in the
communities. For instance, is the program
weakening caste barriers to access and
control of resources for children in the lower
castes? What is the scale in reduction of child
5 Ramashish showing a fire-rescue technique
“Last month, we decided to act on our discussions
about children in our village who don’t have notebooks
and pens. We collected Rs. 150 and distributed
notebooks and pens to 10 students. We can’t expect
students to go to school if they don’t have any
notebooks and pens, and take action for helping them if
we can.”
Ramashish, Education Minister, Village Khutah,
District Khagariya
6Vikram, with his mother and siblings, and his best friend from
the CG
From Training to Real Life:
Children‟s Group‟s member saves family members during
storm
An unpredicted cyclonic storm with a wind speed of 125
km per hour hit 11 districts of West Bengal, Bihar and
Assam just before midnight on Tuesday April 13th
2010. In
Bihar, over 90 people were killed, 125 injured approx 1
million people were affected. Vikram Kumar of Village
InderpurMashari, MajuhaAraria district was sleeping in his
house with his family when the Nor‟ester storm struck on
April 13th
.
He says, “The storm that came that night was the worst
storm I have ever seen. When it came I was sleeping with
my brothers and sisters but I woke up because the thunder
and wind were really loud. We were all really scared and
my sisters were crying. I told them all to get under the bed
“Choki”. I learnt this from going to the children‟s group.
We went under the bed and then the house fell down. We
were not hurt, but we got really wet from the hailstones.
As a member of the children‟s groups, he had learnt about
the safety during the meetings. When asked about the
trainings provided to children in his village, he says “I
liked the early warning training best and first aid; when a
friend of mine was hurt I used the first aid on him”.
marriages and children involved in hazardous labour? Has school enrolment and retention increased?
2.2 Community Based Child
Centered Disaster Preparedness
The importance of preparedness for disasters
cannot be emphasized enough. Save the Children,
Bihar‟s program has highlighted that when
children are actively engaged in risk reduction
activities, then they are able to communicate this
knowledge in their families and immediate
environments.
Innovations
Creating knowledge about risks in their
community
Community members come together to
collectively create knowledge about their
resources, vulnerabilities, capacities, socio-
political systems through the participatory
vulnerability and capacity assessment (PVCA)
process. Designed so as to be led primarily by
children, the PVCA creates spaces for community
members to be cognizant of their realities and to
plan for addressing some of the issues identified. This process laid the foundation for the development of
community-based plans for child protection in emergencies. These plans set out specific activities, roles and
responsibilities and the timeline for carrying those out.
7 Children’s Group in Khagaria, discussing their community’s Venn diagram
School Safety Initiatives
Children carried out a similar process for their schools as well.
They identified risks through a „hazard hunt‟ in the school and its
surrounding areas and then prepared school safety plans to ensure
their safety while in schools. Protection issues in schools such as
physical abuse and corporal punishment were identifying as risks
and also incorporate in the plans.
Task Forces: From Trainings to Life Saving Skills
Five task forces: Search and Rescue, First Aid, Early Warning and
Preparedness, Relief and Shelter Management and Psychosocial
Care were formed in communities, comprising of men, women
and children7. The program design ensured that trainings on these
themes were provided at multiple levels, creating networks of
disaster preparedness skills in these areas. 120 NGO staff and
volunteers were trained as master trainers, who then trained task
forces and other community members.
Towards Effective Preparedness: Mock Drills
7 Children are not a part of the Search and Rescue task forces because of concerns about their safety.
8Girl in district Khagariya administers first-
aid to a friend
Frequent rounds of mock drills on cyclone and flood
warning were conducted in all 100 project operational
villages. While the trainings provided knowledge and
skill based input, the drills provided an opportunity to
apply the same in a simulated context. Further, this
drill, under guidance of external resource persons, was
aimed to create understanding among partners NGO
staff and volunteers on the process, need based
preparation for the drill and the importance of
involvement and participation of the community and
children in the drill process.
9 Setting up a child friendly space during a mock drill in district Supaul
Tools
Material Support
In addition to skill-trainings, every community‟s preparedness mechanism was bolstered through
provision of task-force kits. Comprising of support equipment for shelter management, early warning,
search and rescue and first aid, the list of these materials was developed in consultation with
communities, and as per the AIDMA guidelines and sphere standards.
In most villages, community members have come together to make decisions about the use and
maintenance of these materials. For example, the utensils provided for shelter management are rented out
on occasions and the money is collected in a „disaster fund‟.
Wall paintings in the village
The risk-maps created by communities have been painted on walls of common spaces in the village. This
ensures that everyone in the village has access and is exposed to this information about their village at all
times.
Events
Challenges and Way Forward
There is a need to ensure that the skills on
preparedness, first aid and other capacities
that are needed in large numbers are further
spread to the larger community through the
network of trained individuals –
especially to younger children and
women
The task forces need to set up a discipline
for reinforcing their skills and servicing
their equipment so that the skills and
equipment – critical assets created
through the programme can be used
effectively in emergencies.
“Now we know how to collect information about a disaster that may
be useful to my village. We can read in newspapers and hear on the
radio and then make a phone call to the Sarpanch and cross-check
this information”
Children‟s Group Member, Khoota village, Khagariya
pictu
“The support we got for rebuilding our livelihoods was timely. People in our community have different skills which they were using to eke a living before the Kosi floods took away all we had. However the floods could not take away the skills we had. The programme helped us recognize our skills and provided us necessary support to stand up on our two feet. While this whole effort is still continuing and the result of our effort are yet to be seen, we are now very hopeful about the future. After all, we all have done everything that was needed. Insha’Allah Now we are eagerly waiting to reap the fruits of our hard work”
2.3Resilience Building through livelihood interventions
Considering the relatively low levels of achievement of economic development in Bihar and the fact that
North Bihar remains a less developed region within the state, the programme attempted to assist extremely
marginalized families to recover their livelihood.
Innovations
Attention to most vulnerable families
The programme followed very clear and transparent
criteria for selection of beneficiary families. While care
was taken to identify and work with the most
vulnerable families care was also taken to minimize
duplication of assistance to the same family. The
criteria for selection of beneficiary were developed
with the community by the project volunteers. Priority
was given to based on these criteria, a list of families
for assistance was developed by the CPC using the
baseline and PVCA data to ensure transparency, this
list of families was shared with local administrative as
well as the gram sabha.
The criteria for selection of families for livelihood
assistance were determined jointly with the volunteers
and village community as follows:
- Child headed or managed families, women
headed families, families whose head was
differently able, migrant labour if the family
has land up to 1 acre.
- Landless Share croppers
Building resilience through diversity in livelihood strategies
The programme has not only pursued strategies for minimizing losses due to emergencies bit it has also
proactively sought to build family and community resilience. The programme interventions were designed
such that there was no conflict with existing livelihoods strategies but coping mechanisms were improved.
Once the list of participating families was finalized and shared through the Gram Sabha, a one to one meeting
was organized by the project staff with each benefitting family to develop a precise list of livelihood
assistance material- both non-farm as well as farm based.
Non-farm support: This resulted in a standardized list of materials and equipments for the following trades:
Bangle &Bindi Kit, Vegetable selling kit, Basket Making Kit, Blacksmith, Fishing Net, Masonry Kit,
Laundry kit, Handpump Repairing kit, Tea Shop, Egg Stall Kit, Hand pump installation and maintenance,
Wood Cutter, Tailoring Machine, Sewing Machine,
Painter Kit, Bicycle Repair, Barber Kit, Carpenter
Kit, Construction Labour Kit, Cobbler‟s kit.
Grain-Bank: For those families that were involved
in farm based livelihoods, family resilience
building has been attempted by promoting a habit
of saving a handful of grain everyday. The grain
thus stored in deposited in the community grain
bank that not only reserve s grain for emergency
situations but also sells the collected grain as
required by the members. Against grain deposit,
cash loan is also available to members at an interest
much lower than normally charged by local money
lenders. Therefore the families participating in the
initiative not manage to save but can also access
easier loans.
Migration Training: Training courses were conducted in all the four districts on the issues of migrant‟s
worker risks, rights and skills required for safe migration. The labour resource department at the district level
also joined and explained the different schemes and provision in the act for the migrants. Further all the 100
villages were provided with ID cards and registers to record migrations and facilitate the safety of migrants.
“I have been a barber all my life, thats all the work I
know. Before I got the help from JSS/ Save the children I
did have the basic kit for shaving and cutting but very
little of my income was cash. I used to operate in a
“community service” mode (Saamaajik) where most of
the my earning was in the form of grain with only a basic
kit in my jhola (sling bag) I was not in a position to
negotiate a better deal. As a result, my earning was
subject to the time and quantity of harvest and cash
income was negligible. Now with this new kit, I am able
to set up a stall at the village market (haat) that happens
every fourth day. In addition to my income in the four of
grains, I am also able to earn cash income from people
visiting the haat from other villages. I not only have
better income, I also have better status in the community
now”
Karpoori Thakur, village Pokhraan, distt. Madhepura
Assessing Needs before Intervening: The Livelihoods Survey As part of the CC CBDRR programme, it was planned to support non farm labourers of the most marginalised households in the project villages. As a first step, different livelihood options being pursued in the nonfarm sector were identified. Towards this end, a formal study was undertaken with AFPRO. The following aspects of were examined:
Seasonality Survey was carried out to understand different aspects of local livelihoods such as seasonal variation and
their linkages with food, employment, workload, coping strategies and diseases over the four seasonal cycles.
Wealth Ranking was conducted to understand the different wealth group residing in the villages and the community
perception for different wealth groups, their linkages with different households in the villages.
Focus Group discussions (FGDs) were conducted with different groups to understand local livelihood patterns practiced
prior to the disaster and the coping strategies after the disaster. Discussions were held withchildren to understand the
impact of the disaster on them. 10 % of the project villages were selected for the FGD. Different village contexts were
represented for instance, one nearer to the township or market, one village in the interior and one village in middle to it
in each district.
Sourcing the necessary expertise
For farm based livelihoods, it was clear in discussion with
the participating families that the choice of seeds was a
key determent in achieving the desired outcome. The
national seed corporation of India was engaged in
providing advice on the type and quality of seeds as well
as supplying the sane. It was decided that non- hybrid
(pure) and high yielding varieties for anyone crop would
be provided. As a gesture of partnership the entire cost of
transporting the seeds to the village/ was borne by the
corporation.
Challenges and the way forward
Kosi floods led to serious damage to the livelihoods of the
community. Nearly everyone, irrespective of their earlier
financial well-being, struggled to make a living. The
livelihood intervention s of the programme was therefore
very timely. However, given the resources available, the
programme could only reach the most marginalized and
not a larger group of families that could have benefitted.
Community consolidation processes such as the support to
the newly formed children‟s groups and CPCs had an
empowering effect on the people. In many villages,
families who had received livelihood assistance from the
programme distributed small quantities of seeds to those
who were not eligible for programme support. In addition,
the agricultural implements are also being lent within the
community as a result the programme has managed to
“Yes, we had some issues within our community
where only 46 families were chosen for
assistance for agri-based livelihoods. There were
more families that needed assistance as the
floods had caused severe financial stress to
everyone- even those who are not marginal
farmers. But we managed the situation amongst
ourselves. Those of us who received 50 kg seeds
from the project gave 5-15 kgs of seeds to some
others who needed help too. In the small patch of
land that was left uncultivated, we planted
mustard and some vegetables. We could do this
because we knew that the seeds are of extremely
high quality and even if we gave away some of
our own seeds we would still be better off
compared with the period prior to flooding .
In addition to the seeds, we also received
agricultural implements for working our lands.
We are sharing the kits with other farmers who
did not get the assistance and do not have the
implements. As a community, we are better able
to help each other in normal times for improving
our lives and livelihoods as well as during
disaster times to face them.”
-SudishtaYadav, father of Vikas aged 3
Working of the Grain Bank
- Contribution: Each member family contributes an equal share every week- typical a hand full of
grain. It may include maize, wheat and rice.
- Meetings: Meetings are organized every week, during which everyone making a contribution brings
their share and the group takes stock of total grain collected, storage and management.
- Management:The Grain Bank is managed by DRRcommittee of the village, selected by the
community. Keeping the necessary reserve for emergencies, the collected grain is sold to within /
outside the village. The money collected is deposited in the bank account of the grain bank.
- Emergency stock: The Grain Bank maintains an emergency stock for at least 15 days to feed all
households during post -disaster.
- Loan: Loan is provided if a member needs a loan of food grain or cash. The date for returning the
loan and the interest is decided by the community.
- Storage: the grain is stored atthe highest point in the village to prevent flooding or any other risk
during disaster, and to ensure accessibility during and after disaster.
strengthen and nurture the existing social capital within the community.
2.4 Child Friendly Flood Shelters
Five Child Friendly Flood Shelters (CFFS) have
been constructed under the programme in
partnership with local stakeholders to provide
emergency shelter to children and their families
as well as a community asset that can be used
for community functions during non-emergency
situations.
Innovations
Comprehensive/holistic design for use
by children and their families
The flood shelters have been designed as a
double-storeyed structure with support facilities
such as a medical room and the office of the
incharge on the ground floor; ladies and gents
dormitories on the first floor with an attached
play area for children. The structure has a flat
roof that can also serve as a raised surface
escape floods.
All the flood shelters have been located within
the compounds of the school in the village. This
was a strategic decision so that the buildings are
used and maintained regularly. During non–
emergency times, the flood shelter have been
designed to be used as ICDS centre and
extension class rooms. The CFFSs in Khagaria
and Supaul are also proposed to be used for
marriages and community functions.
CFFS - „Creation Of Community Assets For Disaster
Risk Resilience
The recently constructed Child Friendly Flood Shelter in
Purvi Thatha village in Khagariya district, Bihar is the first
concrete building of the community. Located on the lower
side of an embankment, this village is exposed to water
inundation almost every monsoon season. For this reason, it
was selected as one of the 11 villages to have a CFFS.
Having been built to accommodate 1000 people, to provide
water, sanitation and first aid facilities, and to face multi-
hazard risks, this structure would be inclusive in providing
for the needs of children, the disabled and the elderly.
The community has formed a CFFS-committee that will look
after the building. They also plan to rent out the CFFS for
private functions to generate revenue for its maintenance.
The CFFS has brought fresh hope to the people of Purvi T
hatha. A “pucca” building has come to the village to give
them shelter during floods. In the process of accessing this
facility they have, through sheer persistence, managed
government support for the facility: the PHED for
installation of a handpump, the Rural Development
department for the toilets and the revenue department for use
of government land for construction of the building. The
entire experience has made them more confident and hopeful
for the future.
The people of Purvi Thatha finally have a safe space to take
shelter from the recurrent floods. But what they also have is
a structure for their community and family needs, a place for
women‟s self help groups and children‟s group to meet, and
a place they can truly call their own.
Appropriate details for lending child friendly character to the building
The CFFS initiative takes cognisance of the fact that children are often the group most traumatised by a
disaster. Besides the sheer trauma of haring been through a disaster, the loss of a home, safety of care givens
loss of school and distribution of daily routine can add to the disasters.
Thus the layout and design details have been disclosed to restore a sense of comfort for children. Some of the
features that have been attempted towards this end are:
Children’s play room accessible both from ladies as well as gents dormitory- children and their
mother/father can maintain visual contact even through children are engaged in play. The sill level of the
play room is safe yet low enough to allow children to get an outside view.
Anthropometrically suitable design of toilets – A smaller lower wash basin have been installed in both
ladies and gents toilets for accompanying children.
Attractive treatment of walls and floor- the internal and external surfaces of the building have been
rendered with bright colours and interesting patterns to appeal children. In addition writing surfaces of
interesting shapes eg common fruits and animals have been provided as green/blue boards. Similarly
lattice work ( Jaali) with bricks have been used to make the building attractive.
Site Selection
The following village and site selection criteria were considered for location of the CFFS:
- Govt. or community land, preferably within the school premises, so that it is regularly cleaned and
maintained.
- Besides the Village where the CFFS is located, the it should serve attest one more in the vicinity.
- The site should be within the village settlement close to habitation.
- The size of the land should be about 80 ft. x 60 ft.. It should be compact and not loose.
- The land should be little higher land (elevated) within the settlement
- There should be no legal disputes regarding the ownership of the land
- In emergency cases, everyone irrespective of caste, religion etc. with preference to women and children
should be permitted to take shelter.
Structurally sound design and construction to with stand milt -hazard conditions of north Bihar
The CFFS building was designed and constructed under the technical guidance of Development
Professionals Forum a professional consultancy firm based in Orissa.
- Assuming 2 sq. ft. /per person during emergencies as recommended by NDMA guidelines, the CFFS
buildings have been designed for a capacity of about 1000 people under covered roof area with
another 500 on the roof. The Flood Shelters has been designed flood Cyclonic wind pressures (for
example, in coastal Orissa and West Bengal) and the Seismic tremors.
- Flood considerations include a plinth height of minimum 0.3 M above the Highest Flood Level [HFL]
and the First Floor level has been designed according to maximum Storm Surge Heights.
- The ground floor has been left open without any partitions/ walls to avoid hydrostatic pressure on
walls leading to erosions and scour in case of inundation. Due to the possibility of high inundation,
the plinths have been protected by a mound. The stilted floor with adequate plinth height will help in
keeping the livestock safe. Considering the safety for the differently abled a ramp with a slope of
1:10, with railings has been provided so that children, the differently abled and the aged can climb up
safely.
Children led, community based planning, execution and sustainability
The prototypes of the CFFS were developed in consultation with children, parents and PRIs to accommodate
the diverse needs of each group. The child protection committees (CPCs) formed in each village have been
made responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the CFFS. In cases where the CFFS caters to more than
one village, CFFS committee- special committee representing all the villages has been formed. Each of these
committees includes some children as members.
Each committee has a bank account for transparent functioning and upkeep of the CFFS. The funds generated
by letting the CFFS for use during weddings and community functions are deposited in the account. Similarly,
each committee has been landed a set of large size pots pans & utensils for large gatherings.
The utensils are also given out on rent which is deposited in the committee account. The committees were
trained for supervision of the CFFS construction, regular monitoring & reporting of the programme resulting
in ownership of the CPC/ CFFS committee to the initiative.
Institutional leveraging
The CFFS initiative was undertaken by save the children
and its partners but much of the success of the initiative can
be attributed to strategic collaboration & leveraging from
local institutions.
For instance the entire cost of earth-filling for the CFFS
foundations as well as plinth protection amounting to
approximately INR 300,000 was leveraged from the
respective departments. All of this was made possible
through consists liaison with the local administration.
Direct purchase and on site delivery of cement from the
manufacturing company was helped in cost optimization,
given the remoteness of the project villages.
Challenges and the way forward
While some villages included in the programme
experienced severe floods in 2008 as an „unusual‟ event,
most villages experience floods almost every year. Thus
“living with risk” in flood and earthquake prone areas
without the necessary measures for structural strengthening
of building has been a „ way of life‟. Constructing CFFS
buildings in these areas where contemporary construction
methods, materials & skills had to be deliberately brought
in, was one of the main challenges. Through on the job
training of local workforce, the necessary capacities were
created to accomplish this task.
3. Discussion and Lessons for Policy
An exploration of the different components of the
community based child centered disaster risk
reduction program has reasserted the importance
of addressing children‟s vulnerabilities in disasters
and the vital roles they can play in reducing their
own risks. Providing brief insights into impacts of
engaging with children and their communities for
child-centered DRR, it highlights the need for
creative ways for ensuring the prioritization of
children‟s needs and participation in disaster
management. This indeed has been one of the key
elements of success of the programme.
A thematic analysis of the innovations made in
different components of this program reveals
some common approaches and practices
underpinning the program, that facilitate action
towards this end.
These are discussed below:
Adopting an integrated approach
The understanding that the factors influencing the
well-being and protection of children are situated
at different levels in a child‟s environment has
been translated into practice through this program.
The protection of the community‟s children has
been the binding force behind all the activities
carried out with different members of the
community, including children themselves.
This approach deeply impacts children‟s lives by
building a constituency for child protection in
emergencies in the community. Members of the
community across ages and positions are engaged
in activities under this program, thus, creating a
network of people for monitoring and ensuring
children‟s protection in future. Further, different
picture “In one of our children’s group meetings, the children
discussed the story of a boy who worked as a child labour.
This issue was discussed and taken to the child protection
committee of the village. The CPC members approached
the boy’s father, a landless labourer with no fixed income.
The father claimed that there is enough food in their
household only because the boy works; if he stops, his
family will go hungry. The CPC members nominated this
man to receive non-farm support under Save the
Children’s CCDRR program. While the father now has a
regular source of income, the son had been enrolled in
and attends school instead of working.”
Community Volunteer, SAKSHI, District Supaul, Bihar
“When our children learn, we learn; as they are evolving
so are we. Children do not understand the difference of
caste and creed; they are free of social biases and greed.
By working with children, you are waking everyone
around them from their stupor. ”
CPC Member, district Araria
activities nurture resilience through strengthening of coping mechanisms in case of emergencies.
Leveraging multiple-stakeholders
Unique public-private partnerships emerge through
different aspects of this program. Funded by ICICI
Foundation and CSO partners, the program sought to
leverage government and administrative
representatives at every step of their program – events,
during the construction of the child friendly flood
shelters, preparedness measures in the community or
strengthening of child protection committees.
The current situation of vulnerabilities to disasters calls
for sustained multi-sectoral investments towards
disaster risk reduction. One of the first programs for
risk reduction to be funded by a private-sector enterprise, it sets a good example for such partnerships in the
future. Relationship with the media was yet another positive step for disseminating information for
knowledge-building and advocacy purposes.
Prioritizing children‟s participation
Theories8 on the level of participation of young people highlight that the highest level of participation is
reached when children are able to initiate, lead and act on their plans and when decision making is shared
between adults and young people. This program created spaces for ensuring the highest level of children‟s
participation by laying the foundations for and strengthening mechanisms in the community to facilitate this.
Their engagement with disaster risk reduction issues through the children groups, child protection groups,
school-initiatives, mock-drills and other events and discussions ensured that they become active agents in the
discourse of risk reduction. The engagement of children further provides opportunities to highlight their
capacities and roles in strengthening the resilience of their own communities.
Lessons for Policy
The imperative for building resilient communities
and nations has now been recognized
internationally and nationally. India is a signatory
to the Hyogo Framework for Action and the
National Disaster Management Act 2005 of the
Government of India mandates the state
governments to set up mechanisms and systems
for managing disasters at the state, districts and
panchayat levels.
8 See Robert Hart (xxxx) for example
HFA in the context of children*
1. Ensure that disaster risk reduction is a national
and a local priority with a strong institutional basis for
implementation – promoting and supporting children’s
rights
2. Involve children and young people to Identify,
assess and monitor disaster risks and enhance early
warning.
3. Use knowledge, innovation and education to
build a culture of safety and resilience at all levels,
because children are our future
4. Involve children and young people to Reduce the
underlying risk factors.
5. Strengthen disaster preparedness for effective
response at all levels, particularly at community level,
concentrating on children and young people.
*Plan International
While much still remains desired to be done for recognizing children‟s vulnerabilities and roles in disasters,
renewed efforts are being made in this direction. Initiated during discussions at the Second India Disaster
Management Congress (IDMC), a National Dialogue on child centered disaster risk reduction was organized
in 2009. Similarly, representatives from the SAARC nations came together in 2011 to share experiences about
Children in Disasters and are in the process of formulating a framework for the same. The practice of child
centered disaster risk reduction provides deep insights on children in disasters, and the lessons learnt from this
practice should inform these processes.
While Save the Children‟s CCDRR program in Bihar merits a deeper analysis into the impacts of the different
activities and interventions, even an exploration at this scale provides lessons that can inform national policies
on children and disasters. Some of the key entry points could be:
Integrated Child Protection Scheme
The Integrated Child Protection Scheme9 concretizes the Government/State responsibility for creating a
system to protect children in the country, bringing together multiple vertical schemes under one
comprehensive child protection programme and integrates interventions for protecting children and
preventing harm. At a stage when components of this scheme are being rolled out by different state
governments in the country, the practice of CBDRR in communities can inform this process. Specifically, this
program throw light on the nature of investments that need to be made in community institutions who play a
vital role in monitoring and ensuring children‟s protection. More importantly, the program highlights the
importance of addressing children‟s protection issues in emergencies. The ICPS emphasized that “child
protection needs dedicated sectoral focus as well as strengthening protection awareness and protection
response from other sectors outside the traditional protection sector including in emergencies”. Lessons learnt
from this program can facilitate this process.
National Disaster Management Act 2005
The approved NDM Act provides legal succor for providing systems and mechanisms for disaster
management at the state, district, block and panchayat/ward levels. Many states, including Bihar, are currently
in the process of formulating their State Disaster Management Plans. However, the key document guiding
disaster management efforts in the country does not mention specific ways of managing risks of children and
including them meaningfully in the disaster management process. By strongly highlighting the active roles
children can play in the risk reduction process, this program reasserts the need to incorporate and apply this
knowledge at the policy level.
CONCLUSION
This review has sought to document Save the Children Bihar‟s community based child centered disaster risk
reduction program and consolidate innovative experiences and good practices. This process has provided valuable
insights into the merits of adopting an integrated approach with children at the centre, engaging multiple
stakeholders for disaster risk reduction and prioritizing children‟s participation for building resilience. Further, it
9
has highlighted lessons for policy regarding children‟s needs and capacities in disasters. Finally, in the words of a
CPC member, it has highlighted how “when our children learn, we learn”.
Bihar State Programme Office Head office
224/E, Pataliputra Colony 3rd Floor, Vardhaman Trade Centre Patna -800013 Bihar 9-11 Nehru Place,
Phone: 0612-2274650 New Delhi -110 019
Fax: 0612-2274650 Phone: +91-11 -42294900
Fax : +91-11-42294990