Canadian Red Cross

Published purpose

This project is one component of the Caribbean Disaster Risk Reduction Program whose goal is to increase the capacity of regional organizations, national governments and local communities in the Caribbean to respond to and manage natural disasters such as hurricanes and floods and to reduce their impact on the people of the region. It supports the implementation of the disaster risk management framework adopted by the member states of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). The project addresses vulnerability at the local level by enhancing community resilience to disaster risk. Through the project, the Canadian Red Cross and the International Federation of the Red Cross: (1) Support civil society engagement in the implementation of a Comprehensive Disaster Management strategy, through knowledge and experience sharing with regional and national actors to prioritize vulnerable communities. (2) Establish a Disaster Risk Reduction Reference Centre in Barbados to provide technical training and expert advice and promote community resilience in the Caribbean. (3) Provide direct community-based disaster risk reduction programming through three Red Cross National Societies (Dominica, Jamaica and Guyana) in collaboration with National Disaster Management Agencies and other partners. The project enables 45 communities (equally divided between Jamaica, Guyana and Dominica) to complete a disaster risk reduction process (risk assessment, preparedness teams, and mitigation projects).