CVTL invited the PMI Belu Branch (Indonesian Red Cross) to participate in practical training and practice in Enhanced Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment (EVCA) as a method for determining increased Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment.
EVCA is a participatory process developed to make communities more resilient through assessing and analysing the risks they face and identifying actions to reduce these risks.
CVTL had several facilitators for this activity, including: Juvenal Barreto (Nutrition Project Manager), Albina Amaral (Chronic Crisis Project Manager), Orlando de Carvalho (Community Health Project Manager), Maria Pascoela da Cruz (Livelihood Project Manager and CVA Focal Point), and Dinis Gomes (DRR Project Manager).
The participants who attended the training, consisted of staff and volunteers were from four CVTL Branches (Bobonaro, Aileu, Ermera and Covalima), and two staff from PMI Belu. The local community was involved in the practical sessions and were from Suku Holpilat, (specifically Aldeia Hatu and Lela) which borders Lakmaras Village, Lamaknen Sub-District, Belu District, West Timor, Indonesia.
For the practical part of the training, the local community enthusiastically welcomed the training team. During two days, vulnerability and capacity assessments were carried out; as well as disaster and health risk mapping. From the several tools used, it was found that the two most frequent disaster threats in the Hatu and Lela areas were landslides and strong winds.
Judging from the seasonal calendar and the staging of disaster characteristics, landslides occur during the rainy season, while strong winds that damage homes occur in February to March every year.
Patrisius Rony Bere, a participant from PMI Belu said “the training held by CVTL was very useful because it provided knowledge on how to carry out risk, threat and community capacity assessments”.
The steps in collecting data and information are easy and uncomplicated and is straight-forward for the public to follow and understand. Rony said, “the knowledge gained from the training would be used by PMI Belu Branch in the future”.
At the closing of the activity, the Head of the National CVTL facilitator team, Juvenal Barreto said, “CVTL hopes that each Red Cross Branch can use the knowledge from the training to carry out vulnerability and capacity assessments to strengthen the community’s resilience to disasters”.
“As a National Society, we will endeavour provide support to every CVTL member if needed. We intend to carry out more CVTL activities in the border areas of Timor-Leste and Indonesia with CVTL and PMI. WE like to thank PMI Belu for coming to Suai and participating in the EVCA training,” concluded Mr Barreto.
This program was made possible with funding from ICRC Cross Border and IFRC Red Ready
