Community-based DEWS to assist local capacity building

Panel chair: Silva Sedrakian, Oxfam America
 

1. Oxfam America’s Community based Drought Early Warning Surveillance approach
   
   Presenter: Jennifer Chan, Director of Global Emergency Medicine, Northwestern Memorial Hospital
   
   The presentation includes background information on the design, tools and techniques that were collaboratively implemented by Oxfam America, Harvard Humanitarian Initiative and a Local NGO for setting up a community Drought Early Warning Surveillance (DEWS) as a pilot project. The pilot engaged community members and local government in data generation, feedback and information sharing on data gathered and analysed through DEWS. The presentation also reflects on the impact of DEWS on promoting community level preparedness to respond to the crisis by having a voice at both local government and other humanitarian actors’ level for timely response.
    

2. Experience of the Drought Early Warning Surveillance from communities’ perspective

   Presenter: Kashu Dida Haphite and Garo Wako Halake (Community Members)

   The presenters are regular informants of the DEWS project and were involved in the design, provision of primary data and in the coordination of the use of the DEWS information with local government.

   The presentation highlights communities’ perspective on the Drought Early Warning Surveillance (DEWS) that will include: engagement of women in the DEWS process and its contribution to women’s empowerment, the experience of data collection and use of the information at local level (within the community), the experience of community members in using ICT technology to collect data, women’s particular experience in the project as they were the main data collectors, communities’ perspective on the sustainability of the DEWS and next steps and communities’ perspective on the impact of DEWS on their lives.

   The presentation also reflects on the impact of DEWS on promoting community level preparedness to respond to the crisis by having a voice at both local government and other humanitarian actors’ level for timely response.
    

3. The involvement of local government in the Drought Early Warning Surveillance process and its sustainability

   Presenter: Efrem Ombosho Dagago, Head, Moyale District Disaster Preparedness and Prevention Office

   The presentation highlights the local authority’s involvement in the DEWS project and its benefits from a government’s perspective with emphasis on how the system that was built at community level can feed into the regional and national system. The presentation  also includes the government’s plan on enhancing the Early Warning Surveillance at a local level.
    

4. Q&A