Making flood-preparation and training accessible to all in the community

The Disability Inclusive Risk Reduction programme was initiated by CBM, an international NGO, in Nho Quan District, Viet Nam. It implements construction and other measures, such as self-help forums and evacuation training, to improve the access of people with disabilities to disaster response and shelter during the rainy season.

CBM, the international NGO headquartered in Germany, launched its Disability Inclusive Risk Reduction (DiDRR) programme in 2018 in the Nho Quan district, Viet Nam. As part of the flood and landslide disaster evacuation programme, among many other activities, accessible shelters and selfhelp forums were established. In 2020, 320 people were trained in managing DiDRR programmes, and 1,000 people with disabilities participated in evacuation drills.

Problems Targeted

During the rainy season in Viet Nam people with disabilities have limited access to local disaster management measures and safety shelters.

Solution, Innovation and Impact

The CBM project strengthens Disability Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction (DiDRR) measures in the Nho Quan district of Viet Nam with three objectives: (1) establishing self-help forums for people with disabilities and the local population, (2) creating accessible shelters, and (3) providing technical and financial support for the implementation of livelihood measures. One of the leading models of the projects is to convert village cultural houses (usually a main and stable building in every village) into accessible shelters for persons with disabilities during flooding and landslides. The project saw CBM trainers equipping the cultural houses with essential disaster preparedness equipment, such as loudspeakers, flashlights, generators, life jackets, signal lights, and raincoats. Between 2018 and 2020 some 2,000 people with disabilities living in six villages in the Nho Quan district have participated in evacuation drills as part of the project. A comprehensive DiDRR plan will also be integrated into the local socio-economic development plan.

Funding, Outlook and Transferability

CBM implemented this project together with the Aid for Social Protection Programme Foundation, a Vietnamese NGO. Ninety per cent of the project’s budget (appx . €770,000) comes from CBM, and the local district government pays the remaining 10 per cent. Between 2024 and 2026, CBM will replicate the project in more areas and implement it at the community and district level. CBM has already replicated this approach of making accessible shelters in disaster-prone areas in Indonesia (e.g., Yogyakarta) and in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

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