Cordaid: WOMEN AT THE FRONT LINE - reducing disaster risk - Cementera, Honduras

Description

GENDER AND DISASTER RISK REDUCTION
Cordaid wants to mainstream and further intensify a solid gender sensitive perspective in its disaster risk reduction objectives. Implicit to Cordaid’s community managed disaster risk reduction programme people are involved that reflect the composition of the community: men, women, young people, elders and more. Still, getting women involved appears at times challenging. If women are present in certain committees, this does not necessarily mean that they are actively contributing. The challenge then remains to assure women are actually actively participating.
One solution that Cordaid has implemented is to set up separate women’s committees. Amongst themselves, women often feel more comfortable to raise their voice. A representative of the women’s committee, for example an older, powerful woman, can then reflect the opinion of the women when discussing disaster risk reduction with other village committees.
CASE STUDY from CEMENTERA, HONDURAS
Cementera is located at the municipality of Lepaera in the department of Lempira, Honduras. It lies within the protected area of the Montaña de Puca and the micro river basin of Río Yargual. Cementera is part of the Catholic diocese of Santa Rosa de Copan. The community suffers from storms, heavy rains and landslides.
In Cementera, Cordaid’s partner organization Caritas Santa Rosa de Copán undertook the following activities, in their Community Managed Disaster Risk Reduction project:
Community disaster risk assessment and analysis; Community capacity building and organisation; Support for Community DRR action plans; and Lobby & advocacy.
Through these activities, the community achieved the following results:
Higher awareness
The leaders and the community of Cementera are more aware of risks, threats, vulnerabilities and capacities of their community. The major part of the population, including the women and the youth, participated in meetings in which the community analyses were done, which increased their awareness about risks and their ability to reduce them.

Link to more information: http://www.gdnonline.org/resources/Cordiad_121001_GlobalDRRDay-Honduras.pdf