The Dominica Red Cross (DRC) is a Voluntary Service Organization which has been operating as a National Society auxiliary to the public authorities since 1983 and is a member of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent societies (IFRC) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The DRC has implemented disaster risk management (DRM) programs in 42 communities across Dominica since 2000 which includes 17 community vulnerability and capacity assessments (VCA).
While Dominica has very low greenhouse gas emission levels, even compared to other lowly-populated Caribbean islands, climate change has the ability to severely impact this small island developing state. Stress to marine species, stronger Atlantic storms and hurricanes along with sea level rise all present accumulated hazards, particularly to low lying coastal areas. Over the last decade the Dominica Red Cross (DRC) has focused on risk reduction and awareness activities including small-scale mitigation projects aimed at reducing vulnerability at community level
Dominica is prone to several natural hazards including hurricanes, volcanoes, landslides, flooding and earthquakes. This project seeks to inform community persons on climate change adaptation while developing disaster resilience. The mountainous terrain and heavy rainfall on Dominica contributes to the occurrence of landslides which may isolate communities for extended periods and cut off access of emergency services therefore this project also aims to train and develop an emergency response mechanism within the community.
The communities of Rosalie and Grand Fond on the East coast of Dominica have long been susceptible to landslide, river flooding and sea surge, which, with the added effects of climate change, are expected to intensify. The area borders Morne Trois Piton National Park while the Rosalie River and tributaries flow from the park.

The DRC will undertake training with local residents within these communities to establish Community Disaster Response Teams (CDRTs), complete hazard and resource mapping of communities, implement mitigation projects, and develop community and family disaster plans. The community along with Red Cross volunteers and staff will be involved with all aspects of the program from initial data information gathering to training and assessment working together towards a common goal. These activities will enable affected communities to increase their resilience to disaster risk.

ORGANIZATIONAL BACKGROUND AND CAPACITY 1.2
The Dominica Red Cross (DRC) is a Voluntary Service Organization which has been operating as a National Society auxiliary to the public authorities since 1983 and is a member of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent societies (IFRC) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The principle object of the organization is to promote all forms of humanitarian activities with a view to preventing and alleviating human suffering thereby contributing to the maintenance and promotion of human dignity and peace in the world. Other activities carried out by the DRC include first aid training and services, radio communication, welfare services, disaster risk management, restoring family links, medical equipment loans service, HIV/AIDS education and mass casualty response. The IFRC (International Federation of Red Cross Societies) provides technical support towards capacity building of National Societies, not financial contributions. It also seeks donors to fund DRM programmes for NSs. Consequently, the National Society has well trained individuals capable of implementing DRM projects but does not have the financial resources to implement large projects using its own finances. Instead, we are reliant on submitting proposals for such community projects. On occasion we have been funded by CDEMA to carry out such projects.
The DRC liaises closely with the Office of Disaster Management, serves on subcommittees of health, telecommunications, welfare, and food and general supplies. The DRC is a member of the National Emergency Planning Organization and sits on numerous task forces. The DRC sources funding via resource mobilization, contracted projects from ODM, and other donor funded projects through the IFRC.
Over the last decade the DRC has focused on risk reduction and awareness activities including small-scale mitigation projects aimed at reducing vulnerability to disaster and climate change at community level. The DRC has completed disaster management programs in 42 communities across Dominica which includes 17 community vulnerability and capacity assessments (VCA). All before the AVID volunteer attachment . Specifically relating to climate change the DRC with the assistance of an adviser from Kings University, London, drafted a climate change risk assessment strategy and action plan in 2010. The DRC also hosted a national workshop on climate change and developed a climate change awareness campaign in the same year. Information is disseminated to communities through its active programs on health, disaster risk reduction, vulnerability and capacity assessment and utilizing previously trained community members such as community disaster response teams and national intervention teams as vehicles to partner with and initiate change.








PROJECT OBJECTIVES AND EXPECTED RESULTS 1.3
The communities of Rosalie and Grand Fond on the East coast of Dominica have long been susceptible to landslide, river flooding and sea surge, which, with the added effects of climate change, are expected to intensify. The area borders Morne Trois Piton National Park while the Rosalie River and tributaries flow from the park it is therefore important to educate community members in relation to the impacts land degradation, clearing and climate change upon their community resilience to disaster and contextual relationship to their environment.
It is proposed to conduct a complete vulnerability and capacity assessment in consultation with the community, utilizing the successful format employed in previous vulnerability assessments conducted in Dominica by the Red Cross. Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment (VCA) is a participatory investigative process designed to assess the risks that people face in their locality, their vulnerability to those risks, and the capacities they possess to cope with a hazard and recover from it when it strikes. The community can then take steps to reduce them by drawing on their own skills, knowledge and initiative along with learning?s from the training process. Community hazards will be identified and a list of prioritized hazards created for the communities. Following on from this, vulnerability mapping incorporating GIS technology will systematically plot hazards and assets within the communities. This mapping will present the history, the local dynamics and the coming challenges, as perceived by the people who live in the communities. Although this program explicitly focuses on natural disasters and hazard mitigation strategies, the results presented provide guidelines for a broader approach towards sustainable community development.
The Disaster Risk Management (DRM) proposal submitted includes community training on climate change adaptation and is further highlighted when the VCA (Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment) is carried out and documented in the VCA report.
Using the results presented in the community proposed action plan, community members will form and be trained as a community disaster response team who, supported by DRCS teams will identify and implement strategies to mitigate these risks. Community Disaster Response Team (CDRT) training is designed to prepare people to assist themselves, their family, and their neighbors in the event of a disaster. Because emergency services personnel cover a large area and may not be immediately available to respond, these teams make a huge difference to the response, saving lives and protecting property. This training includes; hazard identification, disaster preparedness, climate change and the environment in disasters, violence in disasters, evacuation planning, family and community disaster plans, hazard mitigation, psychosocial support, first aid, triage, light search and rescue, firefighting and shelter management. This project aims to train community persons to prepare for, mitigate against and respond to these hazards with an understanding and appreciation of the environmental impacts which affect them such as climate change. A greater understanding of the parks relationship to community persons and their resilience to disaster is expected. These end results of this project will directly affect to varying degrees the following SGP OP5 immediate objectives; 1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10.
The project shall liaise with local government,, village council personnel (district development officer), Disaster committees, the Office Of Disaster Management, the Environmental coordinating Unit, the GEF Small Grants Programme and other relevant government and non-government departments/agencies/authorities.


The Dominica Red Cross (DRC) is a Voluntary Service Organization which has been operating as a National Society auxiliary to the public authorities since 1983 and is a member of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent societies (IFRC) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The DRC has implemented disaster risk management (DRM) programs in 42 communities across Dominica since 2000 which includes 17 community vulnerability and capacity assessments (VCA).
While Dominica has very low greenhouse gas emission levels, even compared to other lowly-populated Caribbean islands, climate change has the ability to severely impact this small island developing state. Stress to marine species, stronger Atlantic storms and hurricanes along with sea level rise all present accumulated hazards, particularly to low lying coastal areas. Over the last decade the Dominica Red Cross (DRC) has focused on risk reduction and awareness activities including small-scale mitigation projects aimed at reducing vulnerability at community level
Dominica is prone to several natural hazards including hurricanes, volcanoes, landslides, flooding and earthquakes. This project seeks to inform community persons on climate change adaptation while developing disaster resilience. The mountainous terrain and heavy rainfall on Dominica contributes to the occurrence of landslides which may isolate communities for extended periods and cut off access of emergency services therefore this project also aims to train and develop an emergency response mechanism within the community.
The communities of Rosalie and Grand Fond on the East coast of Dominica have long been susceptible to landslide, river flooding and sea surge, which, with the added effects of climate change, are expected to intensify. The area borders Morne Trois Piton National Park while the Rosalie River and tributaries flow from the park.

The DRC will undertake training with local residents within these communities to establish Community Disaster Response Teams (CDRTs), complete hazard and resource mapping of communities, implement mitigation projects, and develop community and family disaster plans. The community along with Red Cross volunteers and staff will be involved with all aspects of the program from initial data information gathering to training and assessment working together towards a common goal. These activities will enable affected communities to increase their resilience to disaster risk.
Total Request from GEF-SGP: 137 100.60 ($EC) 50 778 ($US).
Total Co-financing (cash/in kind): 137 600.10 ($EC) 50 963 ($US)
Total Project Costs: 274 700.70 ($EC) 101 741 ($US)

ORGANIZATIONAL BACKGROUND AND CAPACITY 1.2
The Dominica Red Cross (DRC) is a Voluntary Service Organization which has been operating as a National Society auxiliary to the public authorities since 1983 and is a member of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent societies (IFRC) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The principle object of the organization is to promote all forms of humanitarian activities with a view to preventing and alleviating human suffering thereby contributing to the maintenance and promotion of human dignity and peace in the world. Other activities carried out by the DRC include first aid training and services, radio communication, welfare services, disaster risk management, restoring family links, medical equipment loans service, HIV/AIDS education and mass casualty response. The IFRC (International Federation of Red Cross Societies) provides technical support towards capacity building of National Societies, not financial contributions. It also seeks donors to fund DRM programmes for NSs. Consequently, the National Society has well trained individuals capable of implementing DRM projects but does not have the financial resources to implement large projects using its own finances. Instead, we are reliant on submitting proposals for such community projects. On occasion we have been funded by CDEMA to carry out such projects.
The DRC liaises closely with the Office of Disaster Management, serves on subcommittees of health, telecommunications, welfare, and food and general supplies. The DRC is a member of the National Emergency Planning Organization and sits on numerous task forces. The DRC sources funding via resource mobilization, contracted projects from ODM, and other donor funded projects through the IFRC.
Over the last decade the DRC has focused on risk reduction and awareness activities including small-scale mitigation projects aimed at reducing vulnerability to disaster and climate change at community level. The DRC has completed disaster management programs in 42 communities across Dominica which includes 17 community vulnerability and capacity assessments (VCA). All before the AVID volunteer attachment . Specifically relating to climate change the DRC with the assistance of an adviser from Kings University, London, drafted a climate change risk assessment strategy and action plan in 2010. The DRC also hosted a national workshop on climate change and developed a climate change awareness campaign in the same year. Information is disseminated to communities through its active programs on health, disaster risk reduction, vulnerability and capacity assessment and utilizing previously trained community members such as community disaster response teams and national intervention teams as vehicles to partner with and initiate change.








PROJECT OBJECTIVES AND EXPECTED RESULTS 1.3
The communities of Rosalie and Grand Fond on the East coast of Dominica have long been susceptible to landslide, river flooding and sea surge, which, with the added effects of climate change, are expected to intensify. The area borders Morne Trois Piton National Park while the Rosalie River and tributaries flow from the park it is therefore important to educate community members in relation to the impacts land degradation, clearing and climate change upon their community resilience to disaster and contextual relationship to their environment.
It is proposed to conduct a complete vulnerability and capacity assessment in consultation with the community, utilizing the successful format employed in previous vulnerability assessments conducted in Dominica by the Red Cross. Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment (VCA) is a participatory investigative process designed to assess the risks that people face in their locality, their vulnerability to those risks, and the capacities they possess to cope with a hazard and recover from it when it strikes. The community can then take steps to reduce them by drawing on their own skills, knowledge and initiative along with learning?s from the training process. Community hazards will be identified and a list of prioritized hazards created for the communities. Following on from this, vulnerability mapping incorporating GIS technology will systematically plot hazards and assets within the communities. This mapping will present the history, the local dynamics and the coming challenges, as perceived by the people who live