Global Program’s second year shows “promising models” under disaster risk reduction (DRR) and nutrition and food security (NFS) areas, said Global Program Senior Program Lead. He also informed that one of the DRR models of the community-managed early warning system in Supaul received second prize in the G20 side events of the National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (NPDRR) 2023.

The sharing was done during the first quarter review meeting of Bihar organised at Patna between May 8 and 9, 2023. Senior Program Lead was sharing the previous year’s progress in all the thematic areas with the Bihar partners.

The global programs’ efforts towards disaster risk reduction and nutrition and food security have been instrumental in improving the lives of vulnerable communities. The program has been actively working towards building resilience and sustainability in the communities they serve, and their efforts have been recognized by various stakeholders.

The quarterly review meeting was a testament to the organization’s commitment to achieving their objectives and making a difference in the lives of those they serve.

“Despite many challenges, the program has achieved the expected results, and we all should appreciate the laborious work of ground staff,” said director of Shahabad Parish Society. This is the first time that both DRR and NFS thematic progress of the state will be presented in a quarterly meeting to generate learning exchange between the thematic.

Bihar, being a multi-disaster-prone state, increases the vulnerability of the people in different seasons. Global program through Muzaffarpur Diocesan Social Service Society, Bihar Water Development Society, Bettiah Diocesan Social Service Society, Bhagalpur Social Service Society, and Yuganter partners were able to bring stark resilience to the community. Some of the highlights of the achievements were the community-based early warning system, promotion of flood-resilient seeds, installation of lightning arresters, IEC development, renovation and revamping of community infrastructure, volunteer engagement, the CSC model, strengthening IAG, and networking with BSDMA.

Similarly, Shahabad Parish Society, Prayas Gramin Vikas Samiti, Patna Jesuit Society, and Bihar Dalit Vikas Samiti partners presented their achievements in the nutrition and food security areas. The partners have ensured regular growth monitoring of children to identify SAM cases and further referral to the NRC. Efforts are taken to support ICDS staff in recording data through poshan tracker mobile App. The team has strengthened the networking with different stakeholders at the micro, meso and macro levels.

Finance Advisor of Caritas Germany, Program Finance Lead, and Program Finance officer of Caritas Indi shared the financial requirements of the program with the partners to maintain sound financial management.

The meeting also discussed its annual #We4Resilience campaign. Consultant Lead – Networking & Dialogue informed that last year the campaign successfully trained 310 community leaders who are the agents of change, impacting a population of 93,000. The team discussed this year’s focus, process, and areas of engagement under DRR, NFS, SI and CSL. Caritas will conduct training of trainers for partners, develop resource materials, and engage community members in May, June, and July. As a course of action, the outcome and recommendations of the campaign at the block, district, and state levels will culminate at the national consultation.

The meeting also gave a platform to DRR and NFS thematics to build understanding and learn about result-based reporting, scalable models, and strengthening networking at micro and meso levels.

The DRR discussion revolved mainly around the District Disaster Management Plan (DDMP). Bihar Thematic Officer – DRR, shared about the DRR plan that is implemented at the village. The DDMP covers all the aspects of DRR measures to be applied in the intervention areas. He urged the partners to prepare ward profiles, which help in preparing the DRR plan for the community. He asked all the coordinators to share the DRR plans of their respective areas in the upcoming months.

Citing the incidences of lightning, drowning, boat capsizing, cold waves, and road mishaps, Thematic Officer raises the point of shifting focus from natural disasters to local disasters. He discussed models like lightning arrestors, EWS, CSC, PDRA, etc. with partners and suggested that coordinators replicate them in their respective areas. The discussion also touched on building the contingency plan.

Bihar Thematic Officer – NFS led the discussion of NFS in the group. He stressed converting activities into results in the third year. He further introduced the growth monitoring format with the Bihar partner to systematically record data.
The Global program under its social inclusion initiative, promotes children’s clubs with the purpose of mainstreaming children from excluded communities into formal education. Bihar Thematic Officer for Inclusion shared the situation of children coming from mahadalit backgrounds, including limited education opportunities, low economic status, high dropout rates, forced labour, and health and development risks.

The meeting concluded with a discussion on the way forward and the steps to be taken to achieve the organisation’s objectives for the year. Senior program lead emphasised the importance of evidence-based reporting and MIS in achieving the program goals. He also highlighted having DRR implementation and contingency plans, model creation, resilient features, and local disasters, social protections; nutritionally sensitive microplanning; model villages; a focus on PDS and MDM monitoring; the #We4Resilience Campaign, Children Clubs Workshop (Bal Sansad) and Exit Strategy.

The quarterly review meeting of the NGO working in the fields of disaster risk reduction and nutrition and food security was a positive development in the sector. The meeting presented an opportunity for the officials to showcase their programs and initiatives and discuss the progress made towards achieving their objectives. The meeting also highlighted the importance of community engagement, collaboration, and partnership in achieving the goals of the organization.