Informe de Capitalización del Proyecto DIPECHO Río Grande (Inglés)

8/14/2019 Informe de Capitalizacin del Proyecto DIPECHO Ro Grande (Ingls)

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Table of contens

Chapter I: Introduction

Introduction.............................................................................5

1.1 Objective of the capitalization .........................................5

1.2 Aim of the capitalization.....................................................5

1.3 Axis of the capitalization.....................................................6

1.4 Objective group of the capitalization ................. .......... . 61.5 Mechanisms of compilation of information,

organization, analysis and synthesis. ......... ......... ......... .. 6

1.6 Levels of participation .........................................................8

1.7 Mechanisms of communication.......................................9

Chapter II: Description of the Project

2.1 Name of the experience ...................................................10

2.2 Topic areas of intervention..............................................10

2.3 Location data........................................................................112.4 Period of de implementation ........................................12

2.5 Identification of participants involved................. ....... 12

2.6 Context....................................................................................14

2.7 Description of the tackled problem................. ......... ... 16

2.8 Proposal of intervention...................................................17

2.9 Unexpected achievements and relevant difficulties in

the implementation ...........................................................18

Chapter III: Capitalization of Experiences3.1 Introduction to capitalization.........................................25

3.2 Capitalization........................................................................25

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3.3 Lessons learned ..............................................................................41

3.4 Testimonies of participants in the DIPECHO Rio Grande

Project ..............................................................................................43

Chapter IV: Recommendations

Recommendations ......................................................................47

Annex 1: List of systemised products

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Chapter I

Introduction

1.1 Objective of the capitalization

The objective in this document is to recover experiences and

knowledge through a systematic and analytical reflection, with the

final purpose of facilitating access to information by groups of

interest, and contribute thus to the overcoming difficulties in the

field of preparation for disasters from accumulated experiences by

DIPECHO Rio Grande Project.

1.2 Aim of the capitalization

The purpose of the capitalization are the preparation and

organization activities facing disasters fostered by different

participants involved in emergencies caused by the overflowing of

the Rio Grande in the Department of Santa Cruz (Bolivia). Among

such local participants the following stand out: Civil Defence,

Departmental Emergency Operations Centre (Centro de

Operaciones de Emergencias COED) municipalities, rescue groups,

health services, and very specially, leaders and community based

organizations. The activities carried out with them during the

implementation of the project include training in different topics

Fifth DIPECHO Action Plan for South America


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related to the response to emergencies, strengthening of inter-

institutional coordination, implementation of mitigation measures,

and reinforcement of Early Warning Systems (EWS), scientific

research about hydrological behaviour of the Rio Grande, etc. The

project had an exceptional duration of 16.5 months, from September

15, 2007 to January 31, 2009, because of the delays caused by social-

political problems that affected the area of intervention.

This document will focus on:

Innovative aspects of the activities carried out

New knowledge provided by the execution of the project

1.3 Axis of the capitalization

The central axis that regulates this capitalization is the improvement

of the disaster preparedness by local participants.

1.4 Objective group of the capitalization

This document of capitalization is focused on organizations in

charge of the design and implementation of DIPECHO projects,

technicians and authorities of the areas exposed to flood risks, as

well as public in general aware of the search for a better preparation

of institutions and civil society facing natural disasters.

1.5 Mechanisms of compilation of information, organization,

analysis and synthesis.

This document has been prepared by a consultant and has been

complemented by the technical team of the DIPECHO Rio Grande


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project. The process of capitalization and systematisation (in this

regard, a DVD has been created with all the generated products),

was developed between January and March 2009.

A participative methodology was privileged, allowing the

compilation of primary and secondary information due to individual

interviews and focal dialogues with key participants and informants:authorities directly involved in the execution of the project at a

departmental and municipal level, technical team from Action

against Hunger. Besides, a documentary review was carried out of

the different document and tools generated by the project. All

selected documentation was analysed and tabulated to be socialized

later toward the people involved and interested in the DIPECHO

Rio Grande Project.

The information was processed as it is described below:

Compilation and analysis of secondary information of the

project.

Compilation and analysis of primary information: field

work, meetings with the technical team of Action against

Hunger, semi-structured meetings and interviews with

community leaders, those in charge of Municipal

Emergency Operation Centres (Centro de Operaciones de

Emergencias COEM), representatives of the Departmental

Emergency Operation Centre (COED) and Departmental

Civil Defence.

Processing and analysis of information. Besidessystematizing the preceding sources of information, the

group of documents generated by the project was


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reviewed, such as the

systematisation of KAP

surveys, the hydrological

hydraulic study or even

t h e s y s t e m a t i s a t i o n

documents from different

activities carried out alongthe project.

Writing of the f inal

document considering the

contribution from the

projects team.

1.6 Levels of participation

R e p r e s e n t a t i v e s f r o m

institutions involved in the

execution of the project, from

t h e D e p a r t m e n t a l

Emergency Operation Centre

(COED), Departmental

Delegation of Civil Defence, Municipal Governments in the area of

influence of the project, Rescue and Search Force of SAR-FAB, as

well as direct beneficiaries in communities of the area of intervention,

contributed key information for the execution of this capitalization.

The process has been led by a consultant together with the projects

technical team.

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Photo 1. Systems of cell phone telephonyinstalled in order to expand the Early WarningSystems coverage in communities of high riskof floods.


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1.7 Mechanisms of communication

The diffusion of this document, besides the digital support of all

the relevant information generated by the project will be sent to

all DIPECHO associates, those in charge, and participants interested

and/or involved in the reduction and preparation for disasters.

Specifically, this document will be sent to the Municipalities andinstitutions that have been part of the action, together with those

systematised products and materials.


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Chapter II

Description of the Project

2.1 Name of the experience

The project is entitled Strengthening of local and departmental

capability to face the threat of floods in the Lower Basin of the Rio

Grande, Department of Santa Cruz Bolivia. Simply put, the project

has been announced among the beneficiary population and

institutions such as DIPECHO Rio Grande Project.

2.2 Topic areas of intervention

The Project intervened in the sub-sectors pre-defined next:

1. Elements of local management of emergencies:

Early Warning System (EWS)

Mapping and data processing

Creation and training of local capabilities

2. Institutional links and lobbying:

Incidence Facilitation of coordination

Institutional strengthening



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3. Information, Education and Communication:

Raising public awareness

Education

Divulgation

4. Works in small infrastructures and services:

Supporting infrastructure

Mitigation works

2.3 Location data

The project was developed in the Department of Santa Cruz (a

department in the Bolivian East) in six municipalities located in the

Lower Basin of the Rio Grande: Pailn, El Puente, Cuatro Caadas,

San Julin, Okinawa and Saavedra. The work of communal

strengthening and preparation was carried out in 33 rural

communities and 2 neighbourhoods in the urban area of the

Municipality of Pailon.

Figure 1. Area of intervention of the DIPECHO Project


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2.4 Period of implementation

The project was developed in a period of 16.5 months of duration,

from September 15, 2007 to January 31, 2009.

2.5 Identification of participants involved

A basic premise of the project has been the largest possible

collaboration and participation with different institutions and local

participants, each of them in their specialty field, without ACH

substituting any of them. It is worth mentioning the participation

of organization such as the Departmental Government of Santa

Cruz together with the Departmental Emergency Operation Centre

and its different commissions, the SENAMHI; SEARPI; Municipal

Governments of Pailn, Cuatro Caadas, San Julin, El Puente,

Okinawa, Saavedra; the University Gabriel Ren Moreno, the Institute

of Popular Training (Instituto de Capacitacin Popular ICAP); the

association of Municipalities of Santa Cruz (AMDECRUZ); the rescue

and search team of the Air Force SAR FAB and other cooperation

institutions. Special emphases deserve the thirty five beneficiary

communities of the project. In the next table, it is offered a global

vision of the previous participants:


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Chart 1. Main participants involved

S u b -se c to r Ty p e o f ac tiv ity S tatu te D e tailT o t a l n u m b e r o f

b e n e f ic iar ie s

Inhabitants of communities withestablished Civil Defence Brigades anddeveloped Contingency Plans

14.405L o c al m an ag e m e n tof emergencies

Creation and trainingof local capa bilit ies

Local population

M e m b e r s o f t r a in e d an d e q u ip p e d

Community Civil Defence Brigades

29 9

E m e rg e n c y i n fr a st ru c t ur e L o c al p o p ul a ti o n Capability of the improved temporaryshelters,according to SPHERE standards

3.400Works of smallinfrastructures andservices

M itig atio n w orks Lo c al po pulatio n Inhabitants of communities benef itedwith the protection of water supply wells

8 .460

Institutional linksand lobbying

Institutional strengthening Local Techniciansand Authorit ies

Technicians and municipal authorit ies

trained in COEM operation12 4

Technicians andLocal Author it ies //NG O

Technicians and municipal anddepartme ntal authorit ies trained withspecialization courses on RiskM an ag e m e n t

38

Local professionalsof Health

Professional of Health trained onpreparation for disasters in the healthf ield

40

Inst itut ional strengthening /Creation (Training) of localcapabilit ies for localinstitutions of RiskM an ag e m e n t

Local volunteers ofsalvage 36

Elements of localm an ag e m e n t o f emergencies

Contingency planningTechnicians and

Local Authorit ies

Technicians and representatives of

institutions30

Facilitation of coordinationTechnicians andLocal Authorit ies //NG O

Technicians f rom dif ferent institutionsthat participate in the design of theDepartmental Contingency Plan

98

Institutionallinks andlobbying

Institutional StrengtheningTechnicians andLocal Authorit ies

Technicians and COED and COEMauthorit ies trained in the use of softwareD e p ar t m e n t al E m e r g e n c y M an ag e m e n tSystem (SIGED)

29

Technicians andLocal Authorit ies //NG O

Technicians f rom dif ferent institutionsthat participate in DIPECHOpresentation and DIRD commemoration

50Information,education,c o m m u n ic at io n

Public awareness

Lo c al po pulatio n Par ticip ants of D IR D events 250

Research and socialization

Others M ap p in g an d dat aprocessing

Technicians andLocal Authorit ies //NGO // Localpopulation

Technicians f rom public institutions,authorit ies and decision makers ingeneral f rom the Lower Bas in of the

Rio G r an de10 0

Creation and training of local capabilit ies

Technicians andLocal Authorit ies //NG O

Technicians f rom institutionsparticipating in training on mea suring

e q u ip m e n t m an ag e m e n t

20

Elements of localm an ag e m e n t o f emergencies

Early Alert System (SAT)Technicians and

Local Authorit ies

Technicians f rom institutionsparticipating in SAT diagnosisworkshops and its dinamization

30

Volunteers f rom salvage and helpteams trained on rescue techniquesand equipped


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In this environment of high exposure to natural disasters (partially

flooded in five occasions, since 1996), thousand of families coming

from the Andean Bolivian Highlands and Valleys have settled down

here. This process of colonization of tropical lands has been part of

one of the strategic axis of long term development in the Bolivian

Republic for three decades, based on offering an alternative to the

dominantly rural population from the West of the country, wherethe agricultural and climatic conditions are very unfavourable and

the demographic growth has downsized family farms to a size under

the limits of subsistence.

Despite the initial planning effort, many families and communities

of the colonization have not improved their living conditions over

the years. The deterioration of the situations is favouring the gradual

substitution of these colonies by large properties dedicated to the

mechanized farming of oilseeds (soybean, sunflower, rape). The

floods, stimulated by the progress of the agricultural border up to

the very river bank, has also contributed to the fleeing from thecommunities and internal emigration from its old inhabitants, toward

the latter areas still with forests in the region, or toward the urban

peripheries of the main cities in the Department of Santa Cruz.

During the last decade, almost every year, the Lower Basin of the

Rio Grande (Department of Santa Cruz) has been affected by

catastrophic floods. These events have been especially intense in

2006, 2007 and 2008. The threat of overflowing and floods caused

by the Rio Grande worsen every year, in an area that has gone

through a quick demographic growth and where more than 70%

of the population lives in poverty conditions3.

- 3 National Institute of Statistics (INE, Department Statistics of Bolivia,2005


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2.7 Description of the tackled problem

According to the Study Hydrologic Hydraulic of the Rio Grande4

carried out in the framework of the DIPECHO Project, its Lower Basin

has a very scarce slope, is subjected to important yearly rainfall

(1,400 mm), and a high phreatic stratum, which as a group, causes

the communities settled over it, suffer permanent floods, with lossof lives, goods and crops. During rainy seasons, the basin of the Rio

Grande grows significantly and it also brings along sediments that

are placed in this part the basin that has a very low slope that

favours floods.

- 4 Final Report Hydrological Hydraulic Study of the low areas in the Lower Basin of the R io Grande Action against Hunger DIPECHO V

- 5 Final Report Hydrological Hydraulic Study of the low areas in the Lower Basin of the R io Grande Action against Hunger DIPECHO V

Figure 2. Map of Flood Risk Area5


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According to the context described, the main problems tackled by

the project are mentioned next:

Organizational weakness of communities and municipalities

in the Lower Basin of the Rio Grande.

Lack of appropriate knowledge to adapt local living means

to a context of high exposure to floods. Lack of municipal requirements responsible for the

preparation and assistance to emergencies and disasters.

Degradation of the natural defences of the Rio Grande bank

which increases the exposure to floods in the community.

Scarce inter-institutional coordination regarding the

preparation, alert and response to adverse events.

Departmental and Municipal Emergency Operation Centres

having deficiencies in their damage evaluation processes

generated for disasters, information analysis and decision

making in emergencies.

Municipalities having scarce response capability facing

adverse events.

2.8 Proposal of intervention

The projects main purpose was to contribute to the decrease of

risks in the Department of Santa Cruz (East of Bolivia), through the

sustainable strengthening of response capabilities facing disasters

of the most vulnerable population and the local risk management

coordinated and appropriated inter-institutionally6. The project

contemplated the following four results jointed to the objectivedescribed before:

- 6 Interim Report, DIPECHO V Action against Hunger, 2008


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Result 1. Inhabitants of communities with high risk to floods have

been prepared and organized to respond to emergencies and

mitigate disasters.

Result 2. Authorities and technicians from institutions in the Lower

Basin of the Rio Grande have improved their skills to face disaster

situations.

Result 3. Technicians and authorities at departmental and municipal

levels know better about the risks to which the population in the

Lower Basin of the Rio Grande is exposed and how to respond to

disasters efficiently and co-ordinately.

Result 4. Local authorities and technicians operate an improved and

enhanced Early Warning System properly and co-ordinately and its

indications and alerts are appropriately interpreted by the population

most vulnerable to floods in the Lower Basin of the Rio Grande.

The project identified the environmental sustainability as the main

transversal axis and more specifically the adjustment of local means

of living and the territorial organization to the limitations imposed

by periodically flooded plains.

2.9 Unexpected achievements and relevant difficulties in theimplementation

Synergies with other ACHs interventions

Before the implementation of the DIPECHO Project, Action against

Hunger was already experienced in the area of intervention by

having developed a project of Humanitarian Help in 2006 in


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response to the floods caused by the Rio Grande that year. This

presence allowed the relationship with departmental, municipal

and communal authorities to be established, in most of the cases,

faster and with more dynamism.

The DIPECHO Project managed to complement itself with other

three intervention fostered by ACH in the same territory, whichcaused a remarkable increase in the number of beneficiaries in the

impact of the work done:

The first project, financed by AECID, was centred on the left river

bank of the Lower Basin of the Rio Grande, allowing the increase

to ten communities and two municipalities (Okinawa and Saavedra)

the strengthening work of local capabilities to face natural disasters

planned in the DIPECHO, a project that was focused on the right

river bank (San Julian, Cuatro Caadas, Pailon and El Puente). Because

it concerns differentiated areas of intervention, the duplication of

actions regarding local reaching activities was avoided. AECID

project also became the main co-financer of the DIPECHO project,

and it covered different activities, among which, the equipping of

search and rescue groups (FAB-SAR Groups) stand out; the training

of technicians and authorities on risk management, as well as the

signalling of evacuation routes.

The second project that coincided in time with that of DIPECHO,

was also financed by ECHO, the Catalan Agency of Cooperation for

Development (ACCD), and AECID. Such project allowed the

emergency assistance for floods that happened between December2007 and January 2008. The name of the intervention was

Humanitarian Help for the vulnerable population affected by floods


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of the Rio Grande, in the Department of Santa Cruz, Bolivia. It lasted

6 months. It started on February 15 and finished on August 14,

2008. Its area of influence was made up by the municipalities of

Pailn, Cuatro Caadas, San Julin and El Puente.

This intervention focused on the attention of basic needs regarding

hygiene, water and cleaning up of people affected by floods whowere dispersed in shelters and camps. Well cleaning activities were

also organized in communities and small works of mitigation, as

well as training and formation workshops on hygiene, water and

cleaning up, etc.

The third project, also developed for vulnerable communities in

the Lower Basin of the Rio Grande, was approved by the Government

of Navarra and was called: Reduction of vulnerability of the families

in poverty situation and with high risk of suffering floods, through

sustainable adjustment of their means of living to the natural

environment in the Lower Basin of the Rio Grande. It lasted 7 months.

It started on August 1st, 2008 and finished on March 31, 2009. The

area of intervention covered 10 communities vulnerable to floods

distributed in the municipalities of Pailn, Cuatro Caadas, San

Julin y El Puente.

Navarras proposal was mainly focused on the adjustment of the

means of living of the vulnerable communities, facing the natural

environment of the Rio Grande and contemplated coordination

activities and work together with extension agent technicians from

the Agricultural Departmental Service (SEDAG), made theimplementation of demonstrative family gardens, fostered the

participation in fairs and agriculturally productive activities and


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reproduced a series of material for the diffusion of information

produced by SEDAG and related to the projects issues. Through

this intervention the knowledge acquired by the inhabitants of the

communities in the entire area of intervention was also reinforced

through workshops on Communal Contingency Plan and it

contributed to the diffusion of the products generated by all the

actions carried out by ACH in the Lower Basin of the Rio Grandebetween 2007 and 2009.

Municipal Acquisition

DIPECHO project decisively contributed to the awareness increase

in some municipalities about the need to focus the preparation for

disasters comprehensively and permanently. In this sense, the

Municipality of Pailon ended up creating a Risk Management Unit

which has a person, equipment and specific budget for

comprehensive management of risks. This important step shows

the level of empowering of these municipalities in the design of

their own policies responding to a specific need of attention to

risks which they have to live with.

Communal initiative

In the case of villagers participating in the process, it could be seen

that there has been a higher sense of awareness, identifying

themselves as participants in the social construction of the risk,

which produced mutual cooperation coordination among

neighbouring communities with which to take more comprehensivemeasures of risk reduction, preparation, alert and response to

disasters. The process of training on preparation for disasters was


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designed starting from interest expressed by the very beneficiaries,

outstanding among its contents, the self construction of wooden

boats which allow providing 17 communities with essential elements

for evacuation and rescue its inhabitants.

Participation of local participants in the search for sustainability

Another important result was the incorporation of the Autonomous

University Gabriel Rene Moreno Institute of Popular Training, to

the DIPECHO project. This allowed higher education to be part of

the training process in the obtained results.

In the case of the strengthening and implementation of the Early

Warning System, the group of participants related to the EWS was

strengthened with specialized equipment and training. The

expansion of the group through the use of low cost and easy upkeep

technology stands out, as well as cell phone telephony, providing

25 communities with the necessary equipment (antennas and

telephones) to be communicated during emergency situations.

Main difficulties

Among the greatest inconveniences the DIPECHO project had to

face, the social political conflicts the Department of Santa Cruz goes

through stand out, and they reached their culminating moment

between the months of August and September 2008, with the closing

of routes, taking of public institutions and discontinuation of economic

activities. Besides stopping the proper execution of activities, thisclimate has made it extremely difficult to process inter-institutional

coordination, one of the main work lines proposed by the project.


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T h e p e r i o d o f

implementation also

coincided with three

electoral processes, which

made it difficult to call for

training/awareness events

planned in communitiesand municipalities.

The situation forced the

ACHs team to maintain a permanent lobbying and conciliation

attitude, emphasizing the principles of neutrality and impartiality

of the institution. Despite this effort, some confusion occurred in

some of the communities and municipalities about the role played

by the different institutions related to the project.


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The social political conflicts added to the humanitarian emergency

caused by the floods in February 2008 caused some of the local

participants not to have the best predisposition or availability of

human resources and time to get involved more actively in the

activities proposed by the project.

In general terms, technicians and authorities of the interventionarea came from a limited knowledge about the responsibilities

assigned to them by the juridical mark stipulated by Law 21407.

The municipalities and communities neither had, in most of the

cases, a trajectory of jointed work in the preparation for disasters.

- 7 Risk Reduction and emergencies atention low


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Chapter III

Capitalization of Experiences

3.1 Introduction to capitalization

For the fulfilment of the results proposed by the Project, a

comprehensive intervention strategy was adopted; however, the

following sub-sectors stand out given the importance assigned to

them by the project:

- Community Strengthening / Communal Brigades of CivilDefence

- Expansion of the Early Warning System facing floods

- Inter-institutional training process on preparation for disasters

3.2 Capitalization

Component 1.

Community Strengthening / Communal Brigades of Civil Defence

The component of community work is included in Result 1:

Community inhabitants with high risk of floods have been prepared

and organized to respond to emergencies and to mitigate disasters.


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1. Description and Converging Aspects

This process started with the selection of beneficiary communities,

in coordination with municipal and communal authorities,

considering the degree of threat and vulnerability facing disasters

the main criteria. In such communities, a communal self-diagnosis

was carried out and one of their main products was the preparationof flood maps. The information procured at the beginning of the

project was completed with a survey on Knowledge, Attitude and

Practices (KAP), in relation to the preparation for floods.

The process of community selection followed the following criteria:

a) Identification of areas of high risk of floods in the Lower

Basin of the Rio Grande: for that, the information

procured from Mayoralty Resolution No. 086/2007 from

March 27, 2007, from the Mayoralty of Santa Cruz was

used and it states and delimits the area of high risk of

floods in the Lower Basin of the river with geographic

coordinates.

b) Analysis of historic records of floods in the municipalities

of intervention, which allowed focalising in more detail

those areas that in the last few years have been more

exposed to the overflowing dynamics and floods of the

river and that have suffered more losses and damages.

c) Consultation to local authorities and organizations:because the number of communities susceptible to

floods in the intervention municipalities is larger than


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the one foreseen in the project. The technical team of

the project supplemented the initial analysis with

interviews and meetings dedicated to agree with

municipal technicians, the municipal government's

authorities and leaders of the social and community

organizations the election of the communities where

to work.

After the selection of communities, the community diagnosis was

carried out with each one of them, through workshops carried out

by promoters of the DIPECHO project, with the purpose that they

write their maps of perception of the communal risk and identify

the strengths, weaknesses and necessities for the attention and

response to emergencies and disasters.

Then, they conformed to Communal Brigades of Emergency in the

35 communities located in the six established municipalities; the

members of the brigades were trained in the areas of: Evacuation

of Communities, Early Alert and Activation of Response, Management

of Shelters, First aids in Remote Areas, Controlled Burns, Forest Fire

fighters, self-construction and maintenance of wooden boats.

Complementarily to the training, basic equipment for response to

emergencies was provided.

In the final stage of implementation, Communities, Communal

Brigades of Emergency and promoters cooperated with the

preparation of Communal Plans of Contingency facing Floods that

capture the coordination actions, operation and response toemergency situations. An important exercise that closed the

activities in the communities was the development of workshops


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of communal simulations, to be able to apply the acquired

knowledge, to evaluate the effectiveness of the Contingency Plans

and to familiarize with the deficiencies on which the community

should work.

From an initiative of the Project and Communal Brigades, inter-

communal workshops were carried out, where Brigades from

different communities gathered to make an interchange ofknowledge, experiences, and to consolidate the mutual support

and coordination bonds.

Among the activities proposed by the project, reforestation actions

in prioritised areas over the Rio Grande bank were done. The work

was developed in coordination with the municipalities of Pailon

and San Julian. The support for the project for this activity was

centred on giving forest seedling and equipment to the

Municipality of Pailon, as well as salary payments, for a period of

3 months (September, October and November) to 7 people incharge of the work at the nursery and transplants in prioritised

areas in the Municipality of San Julian.

Figure 3. Maps of the community of Port Pacay, in normal situation

and during a flood time. Contingency Plan


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Among other activities, there were those of protection of water

supply wells in the communities, with the purpose of avoiding

contamination in case of floods. Seven temporary shelters were

also identified and adjusted so that they can be used as shelters

in the right place, for temporarily evacuated families in future flood

areas. In the adjustment and repair of the shelters, minimal

regulations of the Sphere Project were taken into account.

2. Impact, relevance and comprehensiveness

The component has impact and relevance elements, initially with

the work in communities through promoters, who became

participants with knowledge of the problem facing floods in the

area. The awareness of these local participants created a bigger

impact on the strengthening local capabilities and a sense of

relevance that facilitated the rapprochement, the empathy relation

with their environment between vulnerable municipalities and

communities.

According to the analysis, the strongest and most impact of an

adverse event on the communities falls on the means of living,

and the strategy used by Action against Hunger was to strengthen

and complement the implementation of the DIPECHO project with

the Food Security Project financed by the Government of Navarra.

The Food Security Project in larger measure facilitated that ten

communities acquired the thematic of Risk Reduction and

Preparation for Disasters by conceptualising a solution conduciveto reduce the impact that the communities considered more

important as a result of an adverse event.


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It can be emphasized the effort of the project to cover the diffusion

of appropriate knowledge of the preparation for disasters in the

widest possible territory of the Lower Basin of the Rio Grande,

overcoming climatic and logistics difficulties. This devotion has

been recognized for the communities themselves.

The methodological training process incorporated local demandsand made the villagers participants. The Communal Contingency

Plans rescued key aspects about local knowledge and

organizational appropriate actions.

The exercise of communal simulations incorporated the SAR Group

as facilitators, which allowed strengthening coordination

mechanisms of an operation requirement that at a time of an

emergency supports the evacuation and the rescue. These exercises

also allowed a better knowledge of the environment from the

FAB-SAR Groups and a better degree of relation with the villagers

in a different phase at the time of an emergency.

Facilitators and community created a mutual coordination and

learning space in relation to the participants affected-rescuer,

acknowledging the exercise of the simulation as an important

learning process and ulterior analysis of all the process of DIPECHO

Project about communal response capabilities.

Having physical spaces for sheltering people in case of adverse

events, was carried out together with the municipalities, to which

Action against Hunger technically advised about minimalrequirements these spaces must meet about water and cleaning

up, food, solid wastes management, administration, besides the


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selection of appropriate space for this task. It is also important to

mention that these spaces have been adjusted through the Project

and meet the Minimum Requirements in the SPHERE Project.

Component 2.

Expansion of the Early Warning System facing Floods

The improvement of the Early Warning System (EWS)

corresponding to Result 4. Local authorities and technicians

operate an improved and enhanced Early Alert System,

appropriately and co-ordinately, and its indications and alerts are

interpreted appropriately by the population most vulnerable to

floods in the Lower Basin of the Rio Grande.

1. Description and concluding aspects

The EWS strengthening and improvement process started with

interviews, structured surveys and coordinating meetings with

local requirements that made up the Early Warning Commission

and Monitoring COED in the Department of Santa Cruz, such as

the Service of Water Embankment of the Pirai River ( Servicio de

Encauzamiento de Aguas del Ro Pira SEARPI), the Municipal

Emergency Operation Centres and the National Service of

Meteorology and Hydrology (Servicio Nacional de Meteorologa e

Hidrologa SENAMHI), AASANA, Project of Non Structured Measures

of Drainage North Area and the Direction of Territorial and Basins

Arrangement to know the existing deficiencies in the current system.

As a result of the actions mentioned before, the alert informationprotocols were strengthened by workshops where the institutions

updated their alert communication protocols and means.


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In order for the EWS communication protocols may work more

efficiently, the expansion of the alert communication system was

carried out through installation of towers and antennas where there

was no signal. The project provided the appropriate telephone

equipment and manual battery charging systems. This way they

have an easy and permanent communication not only for

emergency situations but also for any necessary case.

In communities, EWS operation training workshops were carried

out including the diffusion of the meaning of alert messages to the

population, a training that was made at a municipal level as well.

Awareness raising campaigns about the topic were developed,

including diffusion materials for the general population.

From this process, the incorporation of the Early Warning component

in the Community Contingency Plans was carried out. This way,

alert communities methods were defined, meeting points, escape

routes and safe areas. To facilitate these works, the signalling of

evacuation routes was made (270 Km), distances were determined,

approximate times between communities and safe areas, by foot

and by vehicle, capturing all this information on the Communal

Contingency Plans.

The project provided SEARPI with the equipment for monitoring

the river flows, which will allow having permanent and reliable

statistical data of the behaviour of the river and its levels. In the

next figure, the way in which the SAT is articulated in the Rio Grande

is shown.


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SENAMHI Santa Cruz Observadores de SEARPI asignados almonitoreo de limnmetros en Abapo y Pailas

SEARPI Santa Cruz

COED (Comisin de AlertaTemprana)

Telfono celular y reportes escritos

Telfono celular, fax y e-mail

Telfono celular, SMS, radioemisoras

Centro OperacionesEmergencias

(COEM)

BrigadasComunitarias de

Defensa Civil

OTBs, ComitsCominitarios de Alerta

Temprana

Radioemisoraslocales

Figure 4. Information flow and communication means used in the SATA

of the Rio Grande


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Additionally to the

hydrometric equipment,

2 limnimetric scales

were installed in the

community of Puerto

Pacay in the Municipality

of Cuatro Caadas and6 limnimetric rulers were

painted in the railroad

bridge of Puerto Pailas,

in the Municipality of

Pailon. These devices were also created with the purpose of

improving the quality and quantity of data that allow optimising

and improving the necessary information to declare states of alert

in the area of influence of the project.

To validate the EWS

strengthening processand other actions carried

out during the project, a

departmental simulation

was carried out where

EWS operation was

observed, as well as the

c o m m u n i c a t i o n

protocols and means,

training given to the

communities, the response of the organizations in charge and the

communities themselves facing emergency situations, coordination

levels, communication among communities, municipalities and

departmental government.


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The departmental EWS strengthening facing floods was vitally

important since it allowed the risks analysis articulations, alert

signals and monitoring through technical-scientific means and

communication systems, at departmental, municipal and communal

level.

The communities point out that the use of cell phone

communication means will not only be for flood situations but

there is already an awareness and acquiring of the systems to be

used in any emergency situation that occurs in their community

related to health, fires, etc.

The hydrological-hydraulic study made in the Lower Basin of the

Rio Grande provided relevant information about the dynamics of

the river, areas of influence of its overflowing, factors that increase

threats in the area, as well as anthropic activities that increase their

vulnerability conditions, a situation that has been increasing through

the years. An important element within the recommendations of

this study is an action proposal called Comprehensive Management

Service of the Lower Basin of the Rio Grande.

From the Communal Contingency Plans, the communities know

and identify their evacuation routes, meeting places and shelters,

distances to these points, information that is relevant for the

municipality, and from it, they can plan response activities more

appropriately, contributing with support by the necessaryequipment and logistics.


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The elements previously mentioned allow departmental and

municipal levels to have larger instruments to plan the response

to emergencies or disasters and join them technically.

Component 3.

Process inter-institutional training on preparation for disasters

Within the project, there was an important Training component,

incorporated in: Result 2. Authorities and technicians from

institutions in the Lower Basin of the Rio Grande have improved

their skills to face disaster situations, and Result 3.Technicians and

authorities of municipal and departmental levels know the risks to

which the population of the Lower Basin of the Rio Grande is

exposed better and how to respond to disasters efficiently and co-

ordinately.

1. Description and conclusive aspects

In this component the Municipal Emergency Operation Centres

were organized and equipped in 6 beneficiary municipalities and

the Departmental Emergency Operation Centre. In the municipalities

where there was no COEMs, the process started from their creation.

To strengthen the COEM and the Departmental Emergency

Operation Centre COED, technicians and municipal and

departmental authorities were trained on the following topics:

- Early Alert and response activation

- Logistic Support Systems Course LSS/SUMA- Need Analysis and Damage Evaluation Course

- Minimal Norms Sphere


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- Shelter Administration

- GPS basic handling

- First Aids

In the training general process a big step was taken to the design

and implementation of the Course called: Risk Reduction and

Preparation for Emergencies, in coordination with the AutonomousUniversity Gabriel Rene Moreno (UAGRM). This course has been

the first academic experience of this kind in the Department of

Santa Cruz. Its contents are structured the following way:

Module 1. Conceptual framework of Risk Management

Module 2. Legal and Regulation framework Risk Management

Module 3. Risk Analysis

Module 4. Hydrology: risk management

Modulo 5. Climatic change

Modulo 6. Land Use Plan

Modulo 7. Early Warning System for Forest Fires (SATIF)

Modulo 8. Early Warning System for Floods in the CBRG

The courses develop every module in theory and in practice through

conceptual presentations, exercises and case studies in which GR

topics are incorporated, Municipal Development Plans and Territorial

Arrangement.


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The Search and Rescue Team FAB SAR was also trained on: First

Aids, Cartography, Damage Evaluation and Need Analysis EDAN,

Aquatic Rescue, Use and Handling of communication equipment,

Engine Handling and Diving; equipment was also given to carry

out the activities they were trained on.

Health personnel were trained on Disaster Preparedness in the

Lower Basin of the Rio Grande, with the support of the Departmental

Health Service (SEDES) and the Panamerican Health Organization

(OPS).

In the results this component covers, there is the preparation of the

Departmental Contingency Plan and Municipal Contingency Plans,and for these, inter-institutional workshops were organized where

action protocols were defined in case of floods.

Photo 5. Training to Municipal COEs


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39

From a need identified during the formulation of the project, COEDs

technicians were designed and trained on the implementation of

the Information System for Departmental Emergencies (SIGED),

that allows:

- The creation of a database, a structured archive and

information analysis of Damage Evaluation EDAN

- The automatic generation of reports in which type and

amount of humanitarian help required in a community or

municipality is specified

- The generation of GIS (Geographic Information System)

maps of victim areas, degree of affectation, etc.

- Representation of damage maps on Google Earth.

All the generated information was shown to the departmental and

municipal institutions and to the general public so that they could

apply the generated knowledge.

Finally, together with the Departmental Government of Santa Cruz,

a commemorative fair of the International Day for Disaster Reduction

was co-organized and implemented, where the civil society was

shown the activities carried out by the Project, the need to be aware

of the risks they coexist with, as well as of the importance of including

risk management in the organizational social culture. In this fair,

institutions such as the City hall, Mayoralty, Voluntary Fire-fighters,SAR FAB, Departmental Civil Defence, International Plan, Bolivian

Red Cross, Help in Action among others.


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Although COEDs members had an empirical knowledge and a wide

experience on emergency assistance, the training reinforced the

acquired practical skills, offering new operative technical knowledge,

which allowed to strengthen their institution quality not only

through their practice but also by having a more comprehensivefocus on the preparation and response to disasters.

The strengthening not only physical but also conceptual of the COEMs

generated a leadership and awareness from local authorities at the time

of focusing on emergencies to a Comprehensive Risk Management

in all its processes through the creation of Risk Management Unit

(UGR) that allows the municipality to work not only at the time of a

disaster but also during its previous and ulterior phases.

A relevant aspect in the attitude change that lately has been

perceived in municipalities is the purposed manifested by

technicians and authorities to prioritise the response to a disaster

that affects the municipality before turning to departmental help,

which is a resource to turn to in case that local capabilities have

been overwhelmed. The training course organized with the

University allowed focusing on risk management not as an activity

separate from the development processes but as an incorporated

to municipal development planning.

The training received by SAR Group besides being in accordance

with the objectives the institution pursuits, allowed them to generatea vision of self management in strengthening and training processes

through knowledge, capabilities and skills that have been developed.


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Finally, the software development of the Departmental Emergency

Information System (SIGED) allows the Departmental Government

to have a tool that articulates the generation of maps (SIG), with

the Damage Evaluation Form (EDAN) and SPHERE Minimal Norms

in a comprehensive way.

This tool gives complete information that allows planning actionsbefore, during and after the emergency.

This computer system may be empowered by the national

organization such as Civil Defence and by other departments by

incorporating them to their emergency management. The SIGED

becomes a useful tool to make a strategic planning of Response to

Disasters.

3.3 Lessons learned

This part of the projects capitalization process was also made with

the managerial and technical team of Action against Hunger.

- The creation of Civil Defence Communal Brigades in the

area of intervention has limited sustainability given the

social cultural conditions. Therefore, the need to incorporate

preparation and communal response to disasters to already

existing local organizational structures is proposed.

- Increasing the levels of planning, coordination, follow-up,

experience sharing and articulation of different componentsof the technical team to increase impact of each activity

was identified as of vital importance.


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- In the processes of work with promoters, methodological

weaknesses of teaching were identified, so it is necessary

to design a training methodology for promoters and a

training methodology from promoters to villagers

implemented homogenously in all the Projects activities.

- Due to the situations specific to the context where theactivities are carried out, the projects technical team showed

a great capability of adjustment to the difficult environment

dynamics, and remained in its neutral and independent

position.

- In the training processes in communities, a great number

of participants were women accompanied by children. This

circumstance may be used to carry out simultaneous

activities of awareness directed to school children that allow

a more comprehensive use by the participants and the

inclusion of a new participant in the training.

- Due to the social cultural characteristics, the difficulty of

communication and the extension of the territory covered

by the project, the community workshop or training calls

were not as good as they should have, and as a consequence,

the level of participation in the training was lower than

expected. A strategy to insure a greater participation of the

rural population must be designed.

- At the beginning of the Project and during its execution,it is necessary that the Projects team correctly understand

and interpret the objectives and commitments of the


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document to improve the articulation of components and

results.

- Although carrying out departmental simulations

strengthened the learning processes of DIPECHO Project,

the need to carry out these exercises was identified focusing

on different sectors, level and stages so that during apreliminary exercise there may be a real diagnostic that

allows defining strategies during the implementation of

the project and at the end of the process carry out an

evaluation of the generated capabilities.

- To achieve attitude and behaviour changes in communities,

it is important and necessary to use a methodology of

information based on the community developing a medium

and long term publicity campaign.

- Although ACH achieved incidence on the social

responsibility of the cell phone telephony private companies,

the results were not those expected. However, it became a

new working line that allows the articulation of new

participants of the preparation for disasters.

3.4 Testimonies of participants in the DIPECHO Rio Grande

Project

- The project was developed very appropriately within

the municipality because it is a municipality that itscontinuously threatened by floods, so that it can assists its

different communities that needed this training, so that


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they become more aware of the danger, of the threat they

have there permanently. By becoming aware, they already

know they are threatened and then they have a response

at the moment of the flood, unlike past years, the

communities are trained and make the decision of self

evacuate, if the term is valid, and not to wait for the help to

come, because it always comes late. They have the capabilityto evacuate, they take preventive measures before it

happens, considering the place where they will go to,

adjusting the possible shelters, the possible routes. We have

noticed a change thanks to the training received Severino

Barba Bazn, Honourable Municipal Government of

Okinawa.

- Civil Defence has always had to made expenditures to

train people sending them abroad, but since Action against

Hunger has started to train

people, we have had the

opportunity to attend the training

and to increase our possibility to

help people Colonel Juan

Carlos Velsquez Rivera, Head of

E v a l u a t o r s C i v i l D e f e n c e

Departmental Direction Santa

Cruz.

- Actually, for us, it has been

flattering as a municipality,because our capability especially

of response and to have a good


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result regarding the

affectations we had,

the work done by

Action against Hunger

has been of great help,

that besides training us

as a municipality, theyhave trained all the

c o m m u n i t i e s

M a n f r e d o S u a r e z

Parada, Honourable

Municipal Government

of Saavedra.

- The project has intervened in the logical area, which is

the Lower Basin of the Rio Grande. It was one of the most

affected areas, and it has been thus coordinated and we

are aware of that and we thank having recognized the

departmental organization that COE is by law and the

mayoralty which are the top departmental organizations

by law Alcides Vargas, Departmental Secretary of Human

Development Director Departmental Emergency

Operation Centre Departmental Government of Santa Cruz.

- Action against Hunger comes in the main door at the

moment of signing an agreement with the municipality of

San Julian and the conclusions that stand out, I would say,

for example, are the creation of a Early Alert System wherethe communities are equipped with cell phones and its

respective antennas and towers. I think this is a very


45


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important tool to alert or to have communication that may

be about emergencies or others. In the Rio Grande for

example, many eucalyptus seedlings have been produced.

also with the support of the project, forest areas have been

reforested and the mayoralty keeps reforesting at the

moment and we ask ACH to propose a new project with

other communities in San Julin Avilio Moreira Cruz,Director of Economic Development Honourable Municipal

Government of San Julin.


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Chapter IV

Recommendations8

1. The information, tools, instruments and results generated must

be socialized the widest way possible tot he participant of

Preparation and Response to Disasters to generate a larger use,

empower their capabilities, their acquisition and relevance for

their use in decision making.

2. Even though the project has finished, there is a possibility that

the public participants continue and search financing for theprojects processes, or other similar proposals be designed and

financed.

3. Motivate municipal and departmental Governments to continue

and include a process of reinforcement of the projects results

and prepare similar projects.

4. The promotion of knowledge in technicians and facilitators of

evaluation methodologies about teaching and learning

systematically, emphasizing on qualitative aspects. This would

improve the results and impact on the educational processes

(training).

- 8 Recommendations from the Report of External Evaluation EX-Post of the project is incorporated, prepared by consultant Alfredo Paz.


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5. The selection of qualified personnel of project coordination with

competencies that prioritise development project management.

Skills, abilities and experience on the project management seem

more important than technical competence in the topic dealt

with. Technical competences at risk management levels and

others, may be carried out by technical specialists, but good

personnel management, team work, management tools, control,monitoring and follow-up, inter-institutional relations, etc. are

key at the time of executing a project.

6. Applying a reviewing method to consistency of logical

framework (Any of the methods commonly used), to detect

difficulties in the measurement of indicators and facilitating the

generation of verification sources and base lines.

7. Establishing ample time ranges in places where the occurrence

of assumptions or external factors interferes with temporary

efficiency such as social or political conflicts.

8. Capitalizing the experience at institutional and financial

organizations levels. The systematisation of experiences and

practices normally end up in a collection of data, reflections

about the project and its participants, executors, but it is

recommended to continue until they are implemented and

applied to the interior of linked institutions and their projects.

For this, it is useful to prepare a specific work plan.

9. Mass socialization of the study made for the project and theachieved systematisation because they will promote the topic

at different levels.


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10.The assignation of specific budgets to carry out several

simulations in similar projects because besides being referents

of the situation valuation, it is an appropriate space to put the

knowledge, attitudes and practices achieved by the participants

into practice.

11.The in-depth study and selection of variable and pertinent andintelligent indicators in the evaluation system of simulations,

because the application of simulations but especially drills,

provide ideal opportunities to value several aspects, sectors and

performances in projects of this kind, and consequently of

adjustments in the execution and in the strategies and

methodologies used.

12.A strategy of work must be designed with information means

of communication that generate synergy effects that strengthen

the seizure of knowledge about Preparation and Disaster

Preparedness.

13.In the processes of training and follow-up of the activities in

communities, authorities of the COEM should be included with

a more protagonist role to increase the capability of autonomous

response to disasters.

14.The design and application of methodologies must be

restructured and strengthened in the training processes of the

entire technical team in a way that it responds to a strategy of

the project in all its activities.


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ANNEX 1


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Products systemised by the project, made available to anyone

interested

1. Digitalized maps obtained from community self diagnosis of

flood risks

2. Didactic materials used in training courses given tocommunities; first aids, forest fire-fighters and controlled burn)

3. Community Contingency Plans

4. Report of community simulations workshops systematisation

5. Report of Survey at the beginning and end of the project, about

communal Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (CAP) about

risk management.

6. Card of temporary shelter repair systematisation (blue prints

of work, budgets, photographs)

7. Card of well protection systematisation (blue prints of work,

budgets, photographs)

8. Card of reforestation activity systematisation

9. Training of technicians and departmental and municipal

authorities on Preparation for Disasters and Response to

Emergencies: module contents, support documents, certificatemodel


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10. Training and equipping of Municipal Emergency Operation

Centres (COEM): module contents, support documentation,

certificate model

11. Training on preparation for disasters to municipal health service

personnel in coordination with OPS

12. Training and equipping of FAB-SAR Groups: module contents,

support documents, certificate model

13. Municipal and departmental contingency plans: six documents

of municipal plans and one document of departmental plan

14. Report of Systematisation of inter-institutional workshops to

prepare the Departmental Contingency Plan

15. Indicators of preparation for disasters: analysis report with

municipal technicians and authorities of the Red Cross reference

document

16. CD with free software Departmental Emergencies Management

System (SIGED); installation software, users manual, coordinates

of communities in the Department of Santa Cruz

17. DVD with hydrological study of the Lower Basin of the Rio

Grande and risk maps in Arcgis and Autocad formats

18. Report of systematisation of the commemoration events ofthe International Day of Disaster Reduction (DIRD)


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19. Report of capitalization of the project

20. Card of systematisation about hydrometric equipment given

to SEARPI, in the framework of improvement activities of the

Early Alert System (SAT)

21. Card of systematisation of the SAT communication networkimprovement process

22. Card of systematisation of the Awareness Campaign about SAT

and preparation for floods: school drawings, illustrations bank,

printed materials, radio spots, radio soap opera, Game Riskland

23. Card of systematisation of communal evacuation routes

signalling

24. Report of systematisation of departmental simulation

25. Report of final External Evaluation

26. Bank of photographs generated for the project

Documents

Informe de Capitalización del Proyecto DIPECHO Río Grande (Inglés)