Reducing Flood Risk in Africa

Description

Goals & objectives

The project aimed at bringing together the expertise of the key actors in the field of preparedness/mitigation in Sudan in order to develop the flood reduction capacity at the national and state level and to strengthen community resilience to floods.

Specific objectives:

  • To improve the co-ordination and collaboration and promote the development of partnerships between key stakeholders in Sudan active in the field of (flood) risk reduction;
  • To strengthen the capacity of local organisations, such as the Sudanese Red Crescent, in disaster preparedness and micro-mitigation;
  • To increase the awareness of local communities on the risks related to flooding and promote self-reliance in flood risk reduction.

A first project phase (September 2003 - March 2004) focused on capacity building at the national level through the establishment of a countrywide working group on floods and the development of a national DP training curriculum. Community level activities were at a first stage limited to Khartoum State and focused on awareness raising and micromitigation.

A second project phase (August 2004 - November 2005) focused on community based training on flood risk reduction, community risk mapping and the development of local risk reduction plans in three flood prone areas of the country, Khartoum State, River Nile State and Kassala State. In this phase also a study was carried out investigating the potential involvement of private sector actors in flood risk reduction activities.

A third project phase (December 2005 - September 2006), supported by UNEP, focused on environmental aspects of flood risk reduction. Community based training, household visits, tree planting and cleaning campaigns were carried out by the Sudanese Red Crescent Society in Khartoum State and Juba town.

Partners

The Sudanese Red Crescent Society (SRCS) lead the initiative in close collaboration with a range of other partners such as IFRC, the Sudanese government, UNEP, local civil society actors and local academic institutions, such as Khartoum University. The project also involved local private sector actors, who have indicated a commercial interest in protecting their workforce and assets from the threat of floods.

Outputs & events