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Older People Centered: DRM and Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Building InitiativeLessons from HelpAge International Ethiopia Country Program in Borena Zone, Oromia

In this presentation • Background; The global context, Older people vulnerabilities and capacities, HelpAge international, • The Project Context, the approach, the process • Achievements • Lessons Learnt

Backgorund Global context The world is changing rapidly, Global warming is on the rise, leading to greater environmental and climatic risks. These changes are occurring alongside rapid population growth and population ageing. The current number of people aged over 60 (11%) is projected to double to 22 per cent by 2050. The “oldest-old” (80 and above) constitute the fastest growing age segment of the older population;

Background cond. . . Older People Vulnerabilities Older men and women and other socially neglected segment of communities are among the most vulnerable and highly at risk people to disasters and more adversely affected by the impacts of climate change. The higher susceptibility and increased vulnerability to hazards of these groups of people arise from multiple factors, as social, physical, economic, as well as Policy factors.

Background Contd • They suffer from different health related problems due to higher rates of chronic diseases, poor nutrition, reduced mobility and strength, impaired sight and hearing makes them experience greater vulnerability to extremes of temperature; • The threat to food security, increase in natural disaster and the resulting migration, further exacerbates older people’s vulnerability as they are often left behind isolated. A live example: Borena community older people facing this challenge during drought as families and communities migrate internally and externally.

Background contd Older People’s Capacities . . .

Background contd HelpAge International • As the only leading organization on ageing, HelpAge International’s mission is to enable older men and women as well as other socially vulnerable groups to actively participate in and be better supported and contribute to DRM - humanitarian responses, disaster prevention, preparedness, prevention and recovery situations; • More specifically HelpAge renforces the positive role that older people can play in planning for, and mitigating the impact of, potential disasters; • HelpAge has rich experience working with older people associations which resulted beneficial to them.

Background Contd Strategic questions: Although various actors recognize that everyone has a right to humanitarian assistance/ DRM regardless of who they are: How the international humanitarian system /DRMF/, in practice, is sufficiently set up to ensure the inclusion of specific vulnerabilities and needs of older people and other socially vulnerable groups? How humanitarian/ DRM actors take advantage of the contribution that older people can make to their communities passing on ‘traditional’ knowledge, skills and experience in disaster risk management?

Background Contd HelpAge International advocates for “intergenerational approach and Inclusive Framework” in disaster risk management, which aims at supporting the development and promotion of intergenerational practice, where older people take the leading role, as a catalyst for effective disaster risk management at community level” Why?

Background Contd Main drives. . . • Risk perception , risk taking and risk responses vary across the generation. So intergenerational solidarity is key to harness ‘IKS’ and make use of new ST; • the socio-economically vulnerable groups are the most exposed; so they require specifically targeted and designed support; • effective disaster risk reduction requires strong community engagement and ownership; • capacity development of local government (traditional/ formal community groups) is a central element in disaster risk management;

Vulnerability inclusive framework Twin-Tracks approach to inclusive DRM Promote an inclusive system with ordinary, support and specialised services Empowerment of vulnerable groups to participate in and contribute to DRM • System level • Enhance knowledge on inclusiveness • Implications for vulnerable groups of planned DRM activities are assessed (programmatic, legislative, policy) • Adapt and modify activities to ensure inclusion • Society level • Address existing negative attitudes towards vulnerable groups • Individual level • Targeted support to enable vulnerable groups to participate • Include vulnerable groups in the assessments and activities • Empower vulnerable groups to participate and contribute to decision making Inclusive DRM: Available, accessible and acceptable to all

The Project context, the approach and the process Borena Zone Borena zone, of Oromia Regional State Mostly Pastoralists with some agro-pastoralists; Drought being the main hazard that induce disaster, the Borena community suffers from recurrent drought.

The Project context . . . contd The Project • E-LEAP was a pilot project for learning, evaluation and action program implemented in Borena Zone of Oromia Region with a funding from ECHO. • The project followed the formal CMDRR approach with the Intergenerational approach and the inclusive framework played a catalytic role.

The Project context . . . contd The project practice • The targeted communities’ dialogue sessions facilitated the formation of the Intergenerational club members that includes the older persons, children & youth, women headed households, and the people with disabilities. • The stakeholders and partners including the government partners, the community groups and others are supported to facilitate the institutional understanding of vulnerability and capacities of people’s most at risk context; • Inclusive and Participatory Risk Analysis and Risk Management Planning conducted through which communities identified and prioritized the risks, mapping …. • The IGDRR club took the responsibility of managing the available resources, i.e. they demonstrated full ownership of resources;

The Project context . . . contd • In this workshop per PA budget announcement was made with reference to which the target communities, being led by the members of the intergenerational clubs, refined their action plans according to their priority needs and the allocated budget. • Each representative presented the refined activities along with reallocated budget for each activity selected which will be presented to the respective communities for last approval and go to work. • The project team, having a facilitators role alone, helped the communities draw the last version of the activities and budget including communities contribution as some of the activities were unthinkable to be materialized with the allocated budget.

The high level of community participation helped identify the actual representatives of the most vulnerable groups The project was able to identify the right beneficiaries for the respective interventions such as restocking and cash for work The knowledge sharing of the older persons to the young ones including those in schools was also important From coming in to the public of these groups of people were happy to know one another being surprised by the number turnout which they were unaware. The project was able to address the felt needs of these groups and the community at large for which they contributed a lot in the management and inputs such as labor Their involvement helped in building transparency, accountability and ownership of the project The achievements . . . accountability, ownership, sustainability and replication

The achievements . . . accountability, ownership, sustainability and replication . . . contd More Inclusive Community Risk Management Initiatives where older people shared their knowledge and Expertise in Risk Profiling and Risk Analysis work. Their knowledge about the very local environment, its vulnerabilities, how the community depends on various environmental services in Borena contexts is critical for climate change adaption and is strong and essential to understand if climate vulnerability and capacity is to be properly understood, something that scientific information on a more macro scale cannot provide.

The achievements . . . accountability, ownership, sustainability andreplication . . . contd OP and Community Based Water Shed Management; PwD and Older Women have directly benefited from restocking; PWD and their buddies support structure strengthened mutual support and contributed to the management of the restocking work targeting the most vulnerable ones; The Use of Schools based DRR /CCA club and their collaboration with intergenerational DRR clubs is being found as a supportive structure to promote education and public awareness. It is an avenue to build intergenerational solidarity for climate change management;

Lessons Learnt Systematic collection and use of Sex and Age Disaggregated Data - SADD: key to ensure evidence based programming, Determine the numbers and kind of protection needed, Design diversified & multi-dimensional response or coordinated response among actors; More inclusive approach for the most vulnerable social groups is always advisable since the socio-economically vulnerable groups are the most exposed to natural/ unnatural disaster - Systemic and Individual level

Include older people at all stages of response (disaster preparedness, response, recovery and transition- DRR) • Making it happen . . .

Making it happen . . . • Support their leadership in community structures • Think outside the box of humanitarian relief work (e.g. they are capable to share their knowledge and lead DRM planning and implementation, Chronic health conditions can be treated in an emergency); • Ensure that response is intergenerational – older people have a double protection dilemma

Making it happen . . . • Ensure older people’s issue is raised alongside women and children; • Prevent financial, physical and sexual abuse (outreach relief/services) • Support older people’s economic security (cash transfers/livelihoods) and their role in reconstruction/demobilization); • Support skills development on ageing issues within your agencies;

THANK YOU!

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