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Contents:
- Disaster
Season Strikes Hard in South Asia
- AZEECON
Regional Activities: Forthcoming/planned events
- DIPECHO
Project
- The
Future of AZEECON continued (new Project Proposal
for 2003-2004)
1 Disaster Season strikes hard in South Asia
At least
20 people are feared dead and more than a million people
are homeless after renewed monsoon flooding in eastern
Indian and neighbouring Bangladesh. Officials in the
Indian state of Assam say the homes of about 700-thousand
people have been flooded and thousands of them had moved
to relief camps, and other high ground. Hundreds of
thousands are also homeless in the eastern state of
Bihar. At the same time, the non-arrival of the monsoon
rains in central and western India (Uttar Pradesh, Punjab,
Haryana, Rajasthanetc ) continues the two-year drought
In Bangladesh, fresh floods and
mudslides have killed at least eight people and cut
off highways in the southeast. Officials say more than
one million people have been affected, many losing their
homes and crops.
In Nepal, at least 40 people have
died, including 27 in the capital Kathmandu, due to
the flash floods and landslides on Tuesday 23 July.
It is estimated that more than 50,000 families have
been rendered homeless throughout the country. Two weeks
ago, 44 people died in landslides in eastern Nepal.
The massive downpour Tuesday in Kathmandu Valley was
the highest recorded rainfall in the capital in three
decades. Road links between the capital and the rest
of the country (and to China) have been cut by landslides
ACT Members are observing the situation
closely. RDRS have issued three Flood Situation reports
and applied for ACT Rapid Response Funding for flood
affected communities in northwest Bangladesh. CASA in
India has planned some ACT relief.
2.
AZEECON Regional Activities: Current/Forthcoming
July
10-14th: LWF/WS Regional Finance Officers Meeting,
Puri India, included one-and half day workshop on ACT
procedures (with Jessie and Neville)
July 20-26th AZEECON Customised
training on Risk Management, North Bengal Institute
Rangpur Bangladesh (20 participants, including AZECON
Members, CWS Pakistan, RDRS local partners). The Resource
Persons have also been asked to develop a short concept
paper on Risk Management based on the training concept,
and discussions
July 24-31st: SAGA/NCA Exposure
visit to Thailand to observe HIV/AIDS work. A related
risk management regional event. All AZEECON members
implement STD/HIBV/AIDS works, and some recently began
implementing projects as part of the NCA Global programme,
July 21-August 21st: Review/Evaluation
of AZEECON/DIPECHO activities in Bangladesh, India and
Nepal conducted by Indian external consultants: M Gurudutt
Prasad and S. Kokkalagadda (initial programme, RDRS
21-28th July, Nepal 28th July-3rd August). Initial presentation
of findings at AZEECON Planning & Review Meeting
21-22nd August
August 21-22nd: AZEECON
Annual Planning & Review Meeting (the `AZEECON Summit',
Kathmandu (senior staff from AZEECON members)
September 23-27th AZEECON Exposure-cum-training
Visit to LWS Cambodia (focus on participatory monitoring,
HIV/AIDS)
Possible: CWS Pakistan Training
activities September 2002 (see list)
Further regional activities to
be planned at AZEECON Planning/Review Meeting
Recent Activities:
June 24-29th: AZEECON Supplementary
Event: General Management Training for Vaishali Hotel,
Kathmandu organised by MAN
3.
DIPECHO Project: Community-based Disaster Preparedness
After 9 months' implementation,
this now appears to be established and running relatively
smoothly. Despite the complexities (EC, multi-partners),
good progress is now being made, most of the material
production completed (with some exceptions). The evaluation/assessment
is taking place now. The most recent monitoring visit
by an ECHO correspondent (in RDRS) appeared to provide
a positive assessment. DCA/Allan Duelund Jensen's role
in assuring the programme's adhere to budgets, report
in time, and communicate with ECHO, as well as
qualitative advice on projects has been invaluable
How effective the work has been
is now being put to the test as monsoon flooding intensifies
in many working districts
Only 3 months' implementation time
remain. It is important the implementing programmes
try to leave something behind which will sustain.
4.
The Future of AZEECON (Part 2) Continued from Issue
23?
A revised AZEECON Support Project
Proposal was prepared for a further two years period,
January 2003-December 2004. The concept and main programme
activities are similar to the two earlier two-year AZEECON
Project phases (1998-2000,-2002) but involve building
upon what has been established and systematising and
professionalisng some of the elements (such as training,
and materials. The budget for the two-year project is
$61,000, which can be considered very cost effective
capacity-building, regional collaboration and disaster
preparedness. The proposal has been shared with ALWS,
ACT Netherlands/ICCO, NCA (regional) and copied to DanChurchAid
and LWF Geneva inviting partial contributions. ALWS
will present it to its Board soon. Copies of this project
proposal have been sent to AZEECON members but any interested
agency can obtain a copy from this email address, upon
request
ALL CONTRIBUTIONS,
INFORMATION, IDEAS GRATEFULLY RECEIVED.
DON'T FORGET TO ACCESS THE UPDATED AZEECON WEBSITE:
www.azeecon-lwf.com
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