Community based disaster risk reduction online course

Type:: Training Course
Organizer:: Center for Sustainable Development (CSDi)
Date:: 07 May - 01 Jul 2013

It is estimated that over 70% of all disasters are now related to extreme weather events. Because of this, disaster risk reduction should become an integral part of adaptation projects. Community based disaster risk reduction (CBDRR) holds the same merit that community based adaptation does: ownership and sustainability.
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This past year CSDi has participated in a number of DRR partner projects worldwide. They are seeing tremendous similarities between the projects: chiefly disasters caused by extreme weather events, drought, flooding—and a lack of knowledge of effective techniques for disaster risk reduction. The disasters seen in student projects have lead to reduced harvests for smallholder farmers, reduced incomes, reduced food security, the destruction of homes and assets and the displacement of families.

The solutions that students have been developing activities for their projects include:

Land management plans
Watershed/forest restorations
Community-based disaster preparedness and risk reduction programs
Community-based flood mitigation programs
Community-based flash flood and landslide prevention programs
Advocacy programs for obtaining government support
Consciousness-raising among community members about -DRR challenges
Early warning systems
Training teams in evacuation, and search and rescue
Identifying and prioritizing mitigation strategies

Course participants then conduct capacity building workshops on these new DRR practices that are appropriate for the community.
In OL 345 students and their community members will first develop a participatory mapping of disaster risks, hazards, assets and community capacity, and then consult with a DRR expert to develop a participatory training process for developing a DRR Program specific to their local context.

If you have already completed a disaster focused participatory capacity and vulnerability analysis and established a community management committee in OL 343, then you will have eight weeks in order to complete six assignments. If you have not facilitated a disaster focused participatory capacity and vulnerability analysis nor established a community management committee, then you will have eight weeks to complete eight assignments which include the participatory capacity and vulnerability analysis

Course Outlines
They are going to do six important things in this course as part of developing a disaster risk reduction plan for your community.

Very clearly describe the highest priority, specific hazard that your community faces.
Establish a CBDRR subcommittee to provide long-term consistency and management for a DRR plan.
Offer a consciousness raising workshop for the subcommittee so that they can learn about the different components of a DRR plan.
Develop teams that would provide services for the community that would range from disaster prevention to search and rescue.
Provide consciousness raising meetings, handouts, and posters for community members about DRR.
Identify a mitigation activity for community members to implement and lead them in a training workshop about its implementation.

Online course participants are using CSDi courses to develop on-the-ground projects with real communities; students from 145 different countries and 475 organizations have developed projects impacting over 300,000 community members. To learn more about the students, the DRR projects they have developed and about their communities, be sure and read their CBA Newsletter and CSDi Development Community page to see student's regular postings—and join 775 colleagues in sharing resources & collaborating online.

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Event fee

Citizen of a developed nation- $150.00 (includes the $25 March discount), citizen of a developing nation- $100.00 (includes the $25 March discount)

What is included in the event fee

Documents on course topics by contemporary experts, books, posters and manuals available online for download, internet development links organized by sector, class forum for posting questions to your classmates. There are no books to buy—all course materials can be linked to, or downloaded from the course site.

Target audience

Genders and professions: and have included Northern and Southern staff from INGOs, field staff from in-country NGOs, donors, executive directors, students, scientists, consultants and people who would like to transition into development work. Northern participants who don't have community access are partnered with Southern participants that do have community access.