North Lima: 26 Human Settlements organize and form DRM Committees with the support of Save the Children
The activity was carried out with the support of the municipalities of Ancón and Santa Rosa within the framework of the “El barrio somos tod@s” (“We are all the neighborhood”) project implemented by Save the Children with the support of BHA/USAID.
On March 29 and 30, Save the Children supported the formation of 8 Community-Based Disaster Risk Management Committees in the districts of Ancon and Santa Rosa in North Lima. These newly formed Committees are composed of leaders of the human settlements in these districts to carry out community diagnoses, implement preparedness plans and act in the face of possible disaster risks, protecting the most vulnerable populations. Each Community Committee received vests, emergency backpacks, first aid kits, loudspeakers, office supplies and communication materials (cloth backpacks, agendas and cloth masks). The deliveries were carried out on a scheduled basis in small groups and respecting all biosecurity measures.
“If they were not organized, the most vulnerable people would be the most affected by a disaster. The formation of the Community Committees will allow them to be organized, represented and also to carry out a diagnosis at the community level, which will allow them to act in the face of any disaster risk, but above all, to reduce the impact it could have on the families in the area,” says Milagros Sánchez, Save the Children Field Officer in North Lima. “Likewise, the implements, such as the vests, will help the community to recognize and identify the members of the Committee, but will also make them feel that they are part of something significant and that will generate changes in their neighborhoods,” she added.
On the other hand, to initiate the development of the Emergency and Rehabilitation Volunteer Program (VER), 48 stretchers, 100 semi-helmets with face shields, 20 emergency backpacks, 2 megaphones, 22 emergency kits and communication materials (cloth backpacks, agendas and cloth masks) were delivered to the Civil Defense Offices of the District Municipalities of Santa Rosa and Ancon. In Ancon, a representative of the Civil Defense Office, a representative of the Neighborhood Participation Office and the Manager of the Municipal Agency for Km 39 were present. In Santa Rosa, the Municipal Mayor, the Municipal Manager, and the Deputy Manager of the Civil Defense Office were present.
The “El barrio somos tod@s: Fortaleciendo Enfoques Inclusivos para la gestión del riesgo de desastres en Lima Norte” (We all are the neighborhood: Strengthening Inclusive Approaches to Disaster Risk Management in North Lima) project seeks to build the technical and strategic capacities of local governments and communities in the municipalities of Ancon and Santa Rosa in North Lima, to promote the planning, management and implementation of inclusive strategies for disaster risk management with a focus on child protection. The intervention implemented by Save the Children with the support of BHA / USAID seeks to reach more than 13,200 people, including 5,560 children and adolescents.