Training of Trainers

Numerous studies show that grassroots women are the first to respond in times of disaster. A GROOTS International trainer of trainers initiative developed over 350 grassroots trainers in India, Turkey, Honduras, Peru, and Jamaica to transfer the innovative local practices that they have.

Some of these grassroots practices are:

• Organizing relief camps, planting seed banks to be able to restore food security,
• organizing health and sanitation groups,
• managing multi-purpose women and children's centers and
• retrofitting houses to withstand disasters.

Women have also spread the knowledge and use of vulnerability mapping and community mapping as a tool to successfully advocate local government for improved infrastructure.

Action Research

In an action research initiative, Women's Views from the Frontlines, twenty-three Huairou Commission grassroots member organizations from around the world presented to the UNISDR Global Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction and shared their findings that while grassroots women's organizations represent great potential for the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA), a top down disaster management process has failed to share information or catalyze terms for engaging them in policy or programming.

Nepal

In Nepal, which is among the 20 countries most vulnerable to disaster, Huairou member, Lumanti Support Group for Shelter surveyed grassroots women leaders, government and municipal officers. In the course of the action research Lumanti found that there was low awareness of HFA within and outside the government. After reporting these findings to the Disaster Section of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry decided to jointly organize a training workshop to orient national and municipal officials on the National Implementation Strategy for the Implementation of HFA. With the support of the National Government Lumanti facilitated community led disaster risk mapping process in 10 wards across 5 municipalities in collaboration with local authorities.

Women and Children Centers

Turkey

In the post-disaster response to the Marmara earthquake in 1999, KEDV developed grassroots women-managed centers for women and children, which began as spaces where women could safely meet and support one another, and provide services for children. But as the process from relief and recovery to reconstruction and development unfolded, grassroots women's organizations adapted and expanded the functions of the center in response to their multiple needs, turning the centers into social spaces that nurture grassroots women's leadership in transforming their communities. By restoring and enhancing access to services, forging social and information networks, improving incomes and increasing political influence, women are shaping the development processes that are reducing their vulnerability to future disasters.

The experience of working with women in the 1999 Marmara Earthquake in Turkey led Sengul Akcar, a community organizer, to state "Without effective, poverty reducing community development approaches and without strengthening grassroots democracy and local self governance, good/effective post-disaster response cannot be expected" (Akcar 2001 in Fordham p. 60) In order for women ...to play a key role as agents in the relief and recovery process, it is necessary for them to have a place to come together, share information, and offer mutual support." (SEEDS)

Hazard Risk Mapping

Grassroots women focus on gaining information about hazards in their neighborhoods, which allows them to advocate with local and national governments- some of their successes are highlighted below.

Guatemala

After the Government of Guatemala officially declared a state of national calamity because of food insecurity in the drought prone areas, the government reached out to community practitioners to redress the problem. SESAN (the national department of food security and nutrition in Guatemala) requested the expertise of Fundacion Guatemala, Comite and Cooperative Las Brumas to hold a series of trainings on food security based on their Community Resilience Fund work. This joint proposal seeks to train 120 women from 57 communities in Guatemala experiencing food crises to strengthen the capacity of rural women to develop sustainable agricultural practices and methods of resilience building (including, seed banks, tool banks, organic fertilizers and suspended community gardens,) and build strategic alliances between rural communities and local governments to give poor communities access to resources for communities to sustain their local development.

Grassroots women involved in the CRF pilots conducted community risk maps that they presented to CONRED (the National Disaster Management Agency for Guatemala) and CEPREDENAC (the regional disaster management agency). As a result of the presentations, CONRED asked grassroots women to train government officials in the policy department of their Ministry. Strategically, these officials are responsible for advising mayors in Guatemala on resilience. CONRED will also provide support for vulnerability mapping, and certify grassroots women as expert trainers on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), thus officially legitimating them as knowledge holders and experts.

Nicaragua

In Nicaragua presenting the community risk maps to authorities, grassroots women from La Union de Cooperativas Las Brumas were able to secure a footbridge in Wiwilli, and resources including 260 roofs from the Ministry of Housing, 2000 seeds for a seed bank given by the National Minister of Environment, and the placement of 3 women from the Cooperative on a local gender committee in the Municipio to play a watch-dog role in monitoring budget allocation.

Honduras

El Comite Emergencia Garifuna Honduras (Comite) was approached to participate in a planning meeting coordinated by SEPLAN (the Ministry of Urban Planning and Cooperation Unit), COPECO, DIPECO, and the Mayor of Cantarranas to evaluate and integrate the actions and activities of the National Ministry's Plan. Participants included local authorities, municipal emergency committees, and SINAPRED (National Disaster Management Agency of Nicaragua). Comite presented their work on the CRF and community resilience and as a result was asked by the Mayor of Cantarranas for Comite to come train his government on community resilience and the local implementation of the Hyogo Framework of Action (HFA). At this meeting Comite signed a memorandum of understanding with the Honduran Government to access programs on housing and food security. This is the first time in Honduras, a grassroots women's group has been recognized and given special status as an expert resource group with ability to provide resilience training. Comite has negotiated with the Housing Ministry for the construction of 100 homes in Trujillo, and 200 homes for Rio Esteban, and to establish community housing councils being established in each locality,

Peru

Members of GROOTS Peru presented to the Local Government Committee of "Consolidation for Local Economic Development" a series of initiatives developed by community members from the CRF. The initiatives were on Safety, Security and Citizenship, Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and prevention measures in 8 zones in El Augustino, and an Initiative on the Sensitization to Sustainability to protect the environment. The government allocated money in the municipal budget of Augustino (which covers 8 zones) for a total of 120,000 Peruvian sols ($43,000 USD). In addition, the mayor has supported a reforestation initiative as a result of which the Tara wood trees (which prevent flooding and landslides at the river banks) now cover an area of 7,800 meters.

In addition, Peruvian community women's groups worked with INDECI, Peru's Ministry of Housing, and Peru's Ministry of Environment and obtained a letter of commitment from authorities in 6 districts to work collaboratively. A new law on decentralization was passed requiring DRR be implemented locally (with budget) and groups from GROOTS Peru formed watchdog groups to monitor the budget