South East Asia

Support for natural disaster victims

MEKONG REGION

In the context of the disaster preparedness project financed by the Asian Development Bank and the Netherlands Development Organisation under the auspices of the Mekong River Commission, CECI has supported the consulting firm Royal Haskoning BV on:

  • inclusion of civic participation in the design of flood prevention measures;
  • soliciting the perspectives and needs of vulnerable populations affected by the flooding, as well as of the government and the relevant NGOs;
  • improvement of community participation in structural flood management measures, with training provided to district and provincial administrative officials.

The results of these activities were incorporated into the predesign phase of the project and will be used for planning the construction of dikes, flood control gates, and irrigation systems, and the protection of farmland and fisheries.

Burma

After Cyclone Nargis hit Burma in 2008, causing 100,000 deaths and leaving 1.5 million homeless (UN figures), CECI worked with international NGOs Malteser International and ACTED, which already had an on-the-ground presence, to support the victims by taking the following urgent measures:

  • construction of temporary shelters for 8,000 families;
  • distribution of basic survival supplies (mattresses, jerrycans, cooking utensils, etc.);
  • potable water access, hygiene kits, and sanitary training: given the high population density, widespread poverty, and lack of access to sanitary facilities, potable water, and medical services, many of the survivors were extremely vulnerable to waterborne and airborne diseases;
  • health care: primary health care, malaria treatment;
  • distribution of seeds and small livestock to restart household economies.

This partnership clearly shows how the effectiveness of humanitarian aid operations can be enhanced when international NGOs work together in a coordinated, complementary fashion.

Furthermore, CECI raised over $600,000 from individual donors and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) to provide humanitarian aid to Burma.

PHILLIPINES

The successive typhoons Ketsana(Ondoy) and Parma(Pepeng) left a wide swath of destruction covering the greater part of the main island of Luzon, Philippines and Metro Manila.

CECI and its local partner CONCERN have jointly initiated disaster response activities to support victim-families in the identified areas to cope with and overcome the adverse impact of Typhoons Ketsana and Parma, gradually restore normalcy in their lives and develop the capability for disaster prevention and/or mitigation and for organized, systematic response when hazards do strike.


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