Together We Stand

[ 62 ] knew about the practices. None received any hands-on train- ing on how to use the practices, which helps to explain the general perception of difficulty. “The devastation of the cyclone and the reconstruction have taught us many things. We now know how important it is to have a strong house and to prepare for bad weather. We used what we learned to construct a stronger home. We raised
and compacted our plinth, used reinforced concrete columns
that were dug deep into the ground, and used strong beams that were attached securely to the columns,” said Afsar Howladar of Jelekhali village, Satkhira, Bangladesh. We recommend that organizations should support commu- nities to build their confidence in using disaster-resistant practices by providing knowledge, skills and practical expe- rience — both in at-risk areas and during reconstruction following a disaster. Training and technical advice should be made available for entire communities, rather than only for project benefi- ciaries. Support should be given to the creation of village help teams to consult on safer construction. Skilled labour- ers should be encouraged to serve as a community resource by providing them with a stipend to support households to replicate the practices. Clear information should be provided on simple construc- tion practices that families can use on their own, before a disaster occurs, as part of disaster risk reduction efforts. The relevant information should be made more accessible, user- friendly and non-technical, including information that can be used by people who may be illiterate The time is now As the World Humanitarian Summit brings together the humanitarian community to discuss how to meet today’s global challenges, these insights to behaviour change help us to consider behaviour change of our own: how we do assistance. In an effort to extend our collective impact, CRS recommends that agencies: • Invest in the local community to help them unleash their own assets: increase activities like demonstration models to trigger a multiplying effect; strengthen people’s access to funds, materials and skills; and enhance understanding and appreciation for safe construction practices • Promote sustainable disaster risk reduction activities in the larger communities, beyond the target beneficiary population • Support the call of the United Nations Secretary-General to dedicate at least 1 per cent of overseas development assistance to disaster risk reduction and preparedness activities by 2020. Together, we can transform the way reconstruction programmes are conceived and implemented. By doing this, we can substantially reduce the impact of natural disasters on vulnerable people as we support their increased resilience. Image: Jennifer Hardy/CRS Rahima Begum works on building the raised plinth of her future home in southern Bangladesh T ogether W e S tand