Red Cross launches Community Risk Reduction project
Since its establishment, the Belize Red Cross has been constant in assisting thousands of residents during times of disasters. But today the organisation launched an initiative in which they are seeking to increase the ability of three northern villages to respond to natural disasters and mitigate the threats. The Community Risk Reduction project is a twelve month programme to be carried out in Copper Bank, Sarteneja, and Chunox villages and will be partially funded by the U.N.D.P./G.E.F. Small Grants Programme. This morning the agency handed over the first cheque for thirty thousand dollars to the Red Cross.
Philip Balderamos, Small Grants Programme, GEF
“They are coastal, they are very remote and in the event of a national disaster, they could be cut off from communications and so it is important for these communities to develop their internal capacities to be able to respond. In addition, these communities rely heavily on fishing for their livelihood and they are very vulnerable to storms and other types of weather related events. And so all of these factors make them very attractive for a project under the climate change focal area of the G.E.F.”
Karen Diaz, President, Belize Red Cross
“Through this project the Belize Red Cross will strengthen the capacities of its volunteers in the north and allowing for more effective community capacity building. Effective emergency management teams, known in our Red Cross as C.D.R.T.s or Community Disaster Response Teams, will be established in the three villages. That doesn’t that mean we are going to send people in. The C.D.R.T.s are the community members themselves because that is what we are intending to do, to build the capacities of these communities. The largest proportion of the grant funds will be used for adaptation to climate change and capacity building in the three villages, while some of it will be allocated for labour and administrative costs.”
Victor Munoz, Chairman, Sarteneja
“They appreciate the suffering of the three villages and so we want to give thanks, especially Mrs. Magana for this great job that she has done for we in the north.”
Orlando Olivera, Chairman, Copper Bank
“In my heart, I promise you to continue working with Mrs. Magana for the benefit of my people and my country to mitigate disasters whenever they appear.”
Kristine Blokhus, Asst. Resident Rep., U.N.D.P.
“Unfortunately, here in Belize we are vulnerable to natural disasters, I think that is the price we pay for living in a very beautiful spot. We cannot change that, but we can help communities to become more prepared and to recover more quickly.”
The Red Cross will receive a hundred thousand dollars from the U.N.D.P./G.E.F. Additional funding for the two hundred and thirty-one thousand dollar project will come from contributions, the Humanitarian Aid Department of the European Commission and the French Red Cross.
