The Regional Network for Risk Management in Central America (CRGR) signed a response project with the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, through the Salvadoran Association for Humanitarian Aid PRO-VIDA to support families affected by Hurricane IOTA in Nicaragua and Honduras .
As a result of an analysis of the effects of Iota in the region, the membership of the RNetwork for Risk Management recognized that the most affected countries were: Nicaragua and Honduras, therefore this proposal is directed to these two countries.
This project lasts for 4 months and will cover the urgent needs as an immediate response to 1,565 families (10,500 people, of which 51% are women), belonging to highly affected communities in Honduras (La Lima, Omoa, San Manuel, Tocoa , Juticalpa, Olanchito, Trojes and Marcovia); and Nicaragua (Wiwilí, Jinotega, Pantasma, Condega, Pueblo Nuevo, Telpaneca and Sébaco).
The organizations implemented in the countries of intervention will be the National Advocacy Board for Risk Management in Honduras and the National Board for Risk Management in Nicaragua, national networks members of the CRGR.
As part of the project actions, the delivery of a food package, cash transfer for food and nutritional security and economic reactivation, distribution of an environmental sanitation kit and tools and equipment to promote hygiene and environmental sanitation are contemplated.
These humanitarian action initiatives are developed efficiently and from an inter-institutional response through local organizations that are in the front line. The experience developed and the capacities installed in the humanitarian leadership of the CRGR and its partners have made it possible to carry out monitoring actions, early warnings, evacuation, attention to emergencies and rehabilitation of livelihoods for communities at risk from a comprehensive approach.
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The Regional Network for Risk Management in Central America held a workshop “Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS)” from August 6 to 8 of this year, in the city of Choluteca of the Republic of Honduras.
The purpose of this training process was to provide the attendees with initial knowledge about methodologies and technological tools, which are used for the management and representation of geospatial data and to promote the development and implementation of basic skills for the development of maps that facilitate the management and decision making of the national tables that are members of the Regional Network for Risk Management, in their different activities.
For Rodrigo Hernández Regional Humanitarian Action Officer of the CRGR, Geographic Information Systems are very useful instruments for decision making in the field of research and for responding to an emergency, since apart from the management of technology, it is a methodological tool that allows technicians and volunteers from different fields to process and analyze spatial information associated with different variables.
“The knowledge that we have acquired in this workshop will serve to strengthen the capacities of the technical teams and volunteers of the CRGR and National Network for Risk Management. Likewise, we can use technological tools to achieve effective communication and improve monitoring systems through maps and information associated with the territories where we have a presence” explained Rodrigo Hernández.
This capacity building process introduced the participants in the knowledge and management of the latest technologies in Geographic Information Systems, from a theoretical and practical perspective. Likewise, I provide the space to review the basic concepts of the two main models of cartographic representation (raster and vector), spatial databases and the application of methodologies for the capture, processing, storage, analysis, recovery and updating of information georeferenced.
This workshop was carried out within the framework of the project “Strengthen the capacities of the CRGR for a higher quality Humanitarian Action and contribute to improving resilience in Central America. Phase III “, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
On this day, 17 people representing the National Network for Risk Management and the CRGR participated, including national officials and the regional reference for Humanitarian Action and Communications and technical and volunteer staff working with member organizations of this network of networks .
Within the framework of the Phase II project of Strengthening local, national and regional networks for disaster management in four countries of Central America “the Regional Agreement for Risk Management together with the National Risk Management Tables prepares for that month of April 2018 the second regional simulation of emergency response in Central America.
The technical teams made up of: officials of preparation and humanitarian response, communications, coordination and facilitation of national and regional projects are ready for the development of this event.
With this regional exercise, the response capacities, agility and adequate knowledge of the action protocols, strategies and communication systems at the different intervention levels of this network will be tested.
Successful cases and Lessons Learned | Maria Emma community leader of the municipality Vueltas Chalatenango was affected by the last rains that occurred in the Central American region in June and where the department of Chalatenango was one of the most affected in El Salvador, being incommunicado from the rest of the country .
In the case of the municipality of the turns only in the urban helmet were affected 50 families, this is equal to about 400 people. In response to this situation, the WaSH for El Salvador program was initiated to respond to the needs of these affected families.
Our community was helped in the health section, with the delivery of the Hygiene Kits. All the families affected were also provided with the basic necessities that people have in these emergency cases, especially the families who they do not have resources that are also the most vulnerable in this municipality.
According to Maria Emma Rodríguez in the delivery of Hygiene Kits made by the Humanitarian Organization PRO-VIDA, the community through the municipal authorities put a counterpart to support the distribution.
Emma mentioned that there are 8 volunteers participating; collaborating in the activities. He also commented that as a group of people in the community have had to coordinate with municipal authorities, villages and water boards.
Among the lessons learned is that it is extremely important to include all poor families in the municipality and that the delivery of assistance is much faster.
“It is important that all of us are included in the election of people benefiting from the assistance, house-to-house visits, accompaniment by those affected by the rains in the fumigation campaigns, because together we respond better in an emergency as this “mentioned Emma.
“WASH for El Salvador” was a rapid response intervention to the crisis facing this municipality. The intervention was based on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Promotion (WASH) actions in which hygiene kits were delivered to all families, health campaigns were carried out in all communities.
Maria Emma community leader of the Vueltas Chalatenango municipality in dialogue with Rodrigo Hernández, regional humanitarian officer of the CRGR